Happy Flashback Friday! One of the great joys of my life was serving as the Director of Student Ministries at the First United Methodist Church of Kissimmee from 1994-2000. A couple of years ago we had a reunion of that group and and to help build excitement for the event I created this post to help those who may have had trouble recalling their teenage years. There are certain things that bring back strong memories of those times and here are a few signs that you were a part of that amazing ride. They won't all apply to everyone, but see if any of these ring a bell. They should- I mean unless you thought the blue van and the white van were of equal quality. Then I just can't help you. Let me know which of these resonate the most with you! Why 47? Because 44 (the original number) was not quite enough, and 50 was just way too many! :)
1) You participated in an Egyptian Mummy Race.
2) You rode on this bus...
3) with these guys driving!
4) You knew a song about Centipedes. You knew the Egyptian verse to Pharaoh, Pharaoh. And you knew the exact right moments to shout BEEFY CHEESY and SLINKY!
5) You spent hours in the youth room listening to this album...
6) or this album...
7) but mostly to THIS album!
8) And you just might have owned one of these t-shirts!
9) You saw the Orlando Solar Bears play ice hockey.
10) You actually understand what this means...
11) You really thought that her name was Bob...
12) and that his name was Chico!
13) You remember playing Do You Love Your Neighbor, Shuffle Your Buns, Pass the Pigs and The Technicolor Stomp...but mostly you remember playing Four Square!
14) Either you or one of your friends (or everyone you knew!) wore one of these for a while.
15) You drank from one of the 10,000 Wendy's cups that were given to us following a train wreck.
16) You spent every Wednesday night at Wednesday Night Live, where you used this Bible...
17) and occasionally attended a LUAU!!!
18) You brought quarters for the Compassion Jar and sponsored kids through Compassion International!
19) You knew a lock-in was really called Rec Around the Clock!
20) And so you only knew how to bowl at midnight...
21) and ice skate at 4 AM!
22) You saw Geoff Moore & the Distance perform live at LEAST once!
23) You know Spanish Wells is in the Bahamas...and it is entirely possible you have been there!
24) You eagerly awaited one of these every summer!
25) There was culture too! You got to attend some pretty fancy Christmas parties...
26) see the occasional Broadway show...
27) and even take a ride in a limo!
28) You learned how to make Jello the hard way- eat the mix, power slam a bottle of water, and then jump up and down!
29) You ate like royalty! SHO-Time at places like Rio Bravo, Olive Garden, Planet Hollywood and Roadhouse Grill, and best of all, Kyoto's - where they knew us by name!!!!
30) At some point in time you helped with the FUMC-K Fall Festival- and probably did something silly!
31) You remember the magic, the excitement and the sheer exhaustion of Youth Week!
32) You knew that our wild and crazy summers were not officially over until we had a Last Gasp Summer Blowout at Melbourne Beach...
33) and that there was no place more special than the Betsy B at North Myrtle Beach!
34) Lots of you went skiing in West Virginia and North Carolina.
35) You remember calling 847-XLAX.
36) You had an outrageous adventure but you don't quite remember all the details...
37) You had many an adventure in Dr. Jill's pool!
38) You know who Spooky Tuesday is, and you may have had a CD or a t-shirt!
39) You may have have survived rafting the Ocoee River- and even more importantly, staying at the Ocoee Inn!
40) You learned the correct way to cross arms, hold hands and twist out of our prayer circle. Even if I never did! :)
41) You loved this family. And on good days you even loved Hollywood.
42) Besides Spanish Wells (twice), you went on mission trips to Mountain Top, Memphis, Orlando and Nashville.
43) You often stopped by my office, sat on my sectional sofa, listened to my music and ate all my candy!
44) It is possible that you learned how to hunt for Pink Panthers at the Florida Mall.
45) You had the best group of volunteer Youth Counselors- EVER!!!
46) You gathered every Sunday evening to Sing Alleluia and to learn more about Jesus!
47) And finally...for reasons unknown, you followed these two yahoos everywhere they went! Even with our flaws and failures, we were a family- and we still are!
I hope you enjoyed this little romp through history! Use the comment box below to share your memories, and let me know what I left out. Have a blessed day!
Because of Jesus,
Sitting here literally LOL and crying tears of pure joy from all these memories. They were definitely some of my "best days". My pool is calling, time for another reunion? Dr. Jill
ReplyDeleteJill, I think it may indeed be time! And they were some of my best days as well. I have 2 words for you- Chocolate Cobbler!!!
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking, CJ. If I could me one of those Hot Tub Time Machines I would travel back and be in your youth group. It looks and sounds amazing. It is sure inspiring to me to take my youth ministry up a notch. Thanks, bro. ~Chris Cooper
ReplyDeleteChris, if you find a "Way Back" machine let me know. I've got some time traveling I'd love to do too! And if you do make it back to the 90s. we'd love to have at FUMC-K!!!
DeleteJerry still has that hat! But, thankfully, not the shirt.
ReplyDeleteThe hat was a classic. And I'm fairly certain that he swiped the coconut bra too. ..
DeleteI wish everyone could post their pictures, here, in the comments! So many great memories! Of course, I would have to unpack mine, first. They are in storage, ready for our move to TX. Maybe for the next reunion? When is it again? ;-) I'll be in your area the end of July (hint, hint). ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to see some of the pictures that are floating around out there...somewhere! No date set yet for a reunion, but we will try to do something to get folks together while you are in the area in July. Can't wait to see you!
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