You know you can't always go back to the way it was......

Yesterday, was Mother's Day. Sarah and I took Mom out to a nice lunch at Cafe R&D in the Park Cities - yummy lunch!! Afterwards, we drop Mom off and Sarah and I decide to cruise Lake Highlands, our childhood stomping ground. It started with wanting to see the house we spent most of our childhood in and the changes they've done - then we went by Merriman Park Elementary (where I went for 4th-6th grades). Next thing I know we are heading back to "good ole days".......

We start off at Mr. Pittman's house - where many Lake Highlands kiddos took swimming lessons. I remember him and his mean wife pulling us back by our ankles if we didn't do a good job of swimming.

We headed over to our first house we lived in and we passed the infamous "White Rock Skate Center." Many nights were spent here skating. I remember doing the Limbo, ordering a "suicide" at the snack bar (bonus points if you can remember what a suicide is), and skating with my Luv-It jeans with the comb in my back pocket. I was some hot stuff. For 1982.

Look, I think this is the original signage - but the prices have gone up. It's still a value for parents. ;)

After we leave there, we drive past the house we lived in on Longmont. We cruise by Lake Highlands Elementary (where I spent kinder and 1st grade) and then to St. Patrick's (home of CCD and Vacation Bible School). We went in the church and it seemed so small - I remember when it first opened, I thought it was HUGE. I guess to a kid it was.

Our next stop is LHHS (Sarah went there, I didn't) - but it looks different. Then we drive to the Audelia Road Branch Library. I love this library. Or should I say, I LOVED this library. First of all, there is playground out front. People are too lazy to head over to Northlake to play? I mean, you go to the library to play on the playground? What about reading?? Well, the playground made more sense when I went inside. It looks nothing like a library. It looked like a Starbucks. No moldy old book library smell. No card catalog. I HATED it!! The only thing that looked the same was the one corner of tables where the windows overlooked Church Road. I spent a lot of time "studying" at those tables (and I use that term LOOSELY) in high school.

(Ed.'s note: It has to say "Library" otherwise you'd have no idea where the hell you are.)

We leave the library and head over to Moss Haven (where I spent 2nd and 3rd grade) and then to Forest Meadow (aka Forest Ghetto, Home of the Chargers). It looks the same, windowless, but now they have this gate where kids can be held hostage between the main building and the gym/band hall. Does anyone remember on the last day of 8th grade when there was the big fight after school?

After FMJH, it's time to leave Lake Highlands. It's sad, 20 years has definitely changed the neighborhood. But the memories are just as vivid in 2009 as they were in 1984. I can honestly say Lake Highlands was a great place to grow up!!