Firsts

Inspired by a fellow blogger...

First...

Car - A 1988 Oldsmobile Cutless Sierra. I know what you're thinking. How did a newly licensed, sixteen year old driver obtain such a sweet ride? I didn't believe my own good fortune when my grandfather told me that his 96 year old client had passed away and left HIM the car in her will. While I'm sure it was hard for my grandfather to part with such gem, he decided that the car had Ashley written all over it. And so a beautiful friendship was born. The Oldsmobile came equipped with a factory radio that not only did not have a tape deck but only allowed for four preset radio stations [all of which, when I came in possession of said vehicle, were programmed to Jesus stations or 96.9 AM, which is all Catholic church masses, all the time. Brilliant.] The car also had its own personal bobble head Jesus that danced around like one of those hula girls on the dashboard. That thing took an entire bottle of GooGone to remove. I kid you not, it bobbled the most whenever Jimmy Buffet was on the radio. Apparently the son of God also likes pina coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Boyfriend - Ryan Johnson. He moved up the street from me when we were 10 and the next year, he asked me to be his girlfriend. Actually he didn't directly ask me, he had his friend Chris call me and ask me very random questions such as "Do you like guys with blonde hair or brown hair?" The following day in school I received the infamous note:

Do you like me?

Yes / No

If yes, do you want to go out with me?

Yes / No

Love,
Ryan

I circled yes and yes though in truth I didn't understand why he said "go out" because I knew my parents weren't going to let me go anywhere with a boy. And so began our beautiful relationship. He was my first kiss and the first guy I fell asleep next to while watching a movie. After a few months, he left me for some 8th grader named Lauren. Whore. I actually think she ended up getting pregnant right after high school and now works at a bar. {insert song clip: Justin's What Goes Around....}

Time I Was Drunk - Embarrassed to admit that it was at 13. I spent my early adolescence hanging around with some questionable characters with whom I made some lousy decisions. It wasn't even a special occasion, just a night without parents at my best friends house and a bottle of peach schnhapps and vodka. I remember the first time I tried to take a shot of the schnapps, I flung the glass up to my face really fast, like I had seen on TV, and spilled the alcohol all down my shirt. Ridiculous. I don't remember much from the night except wanting to dance a lot and then being really, really tired to the point that I fell asleep on the coffee table and awoke the next morning feeling like I had the flu. Vodka and I ended our relationship then and there and every time the bastard tries to crawl back into my life, I am reminded at what a lying son of a bitch it really is.

Time I Travelled Cross-Country - Right before my 16th birthday, I flew to California with my friend Bethany for some girl's retreat in LA. The minute we landed, I knew I was going to love CA. The entire trip was filled with a whole new world of beautiful beaches, palm trees, celebrities, the (very very cold) Pacific Ocean, and some really amazing people. LA was sort of a fantasy world that I don't think I would want to spend any significant amount of time there...but California in general was pretty wonderful.

Record/Tape/CD I Bought - The first tape I ever purchased was Jennifer Paige's "Crush" single which I listened to on repeat (or kept pressing rewind....) until the tape basically came unwound. Either that or someone in my house satotaged it because the song made their ears bleed. The first CD I bought was the first Backstreet Boys album. My 10 year old taste in music makes me cringe but at least I didn't hang pictures of the guys in the band on my wall. Nick Carter was not and is not attractive. Neither are the Hanson brothers. Come on people.