Monday, September 04, 2006


MONDAY MEMORIES
PUPPY LOVE

"And they called it puppy love Oh I guess they'll never know How a young heart really feels And why I love HIM so"

MY FIRST CRUSH!!


Do you remember your first crush? Well I remember mine very well just like it was yesterday. It has been years and years and years now. It still seems like it was only yesterday. Crazy how being so young, so naive but feelings like I was feeling at that time were very real. People made fun of me. I was only about 12!! But I knew then that I was having my first real crush, love interest or maybe just like Paul Anka wrote...My first PUPPY LOVE!!

I met Johnny when I went to stay with my grandmother in Newman, Illinois. I thought he was a very nice looking boy. At that age boys are always shorter than girls!! Maybe God did that to make some sort of cruel point!! I have no idea!! Guess it did not bother me at all.

I met Johnny through a good friend of mine..Pat. This little town that I am talking about is just that VERY small. Back then you could ride your bike and be gone all day and your parents or grandparents did not worry one little bit about where you were at or what you were doing. Boy, has life changed from that time!!

Pat and I would get up in the morning. Meet someplace on our bikes. We would fix a lunch of water and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. We would be gone all day just riding around on our bikes looking for boys!!
What fun we had then in the summer of 1960!!
We, of course, knew what boys we were looking for too. I would go to Yates Street!! Guess who lived on that street? Yeap..Johnny did. He was a paper boy. If his bicycle was outside we knew that he was home. It was so much fun back then if we could get him and friend to come out and ride bikes with us. I know this sounds so silly when you type it up but then it was just good, clean fun. These were some of the happiest times in my life I think!!
Now that I look back I know that I did have the best time that summer. I thought that Johnny was wonderful!!

I fell hard that summer!! I know, you are saying, you were only 12!! I was, yes, but I thought Johnny was great!! I would not give anything for that summer and all the fun that Pat and I had together.

One time I was invited to his birthday party. I can never seem to forget his birthday either. It is August 24th. We played postoffice. That is the first and only time that I ever played that game. Yes, I did get kissed...and yes by Johnny!! I think I lived on CLOUD # 10000 for a long time after that...but it was not the kiss that would come later on in my life that would be the VERY SPECIAL ONE!!

We "saw" each other off and on for a couple of years. I moved away from Newman. I wrote to him and he wrote to me. I got to see him graduate from 8th grade and then from high school. I heard that he was dating a nice girl and was going to college.

I met my hubby, got married and had two children. One day my mother or my grandmother (right now I cannot remember which called me) and told me that Johnny had died in a bad car accident. They did not let me know until the funeral and all was over with. They told me that they thought I should not go. I had wanted to go of course and still wish that I could have went. I heard that he had been with some college buddies. They had went to get pizza and did not have their car lights on. They were hit and killed.

He was a very smart guy!! What a way for his life to end so tragically!! His friends made a choice that cost him his life!!

I have a son that is named Jon. Spelled a little different I know but it has some meaning only to this OLD LADY!!

I just wanted to introduce to you my old PUPPY LOVE of long ago!!

Just sitting here writing this has brought back some old and some good memories. Some that almost make me cry!! How sentimental and silly I am getting in my old age!!

In the picture with Johnny and I..Look how he is trying to look taller than myself. Isn't that a hoot!! He hated being shorter!! Guys don't like that you know.!!
Sometime let me know about your first crush!!


FLIP FLOP FLOOZIE

12 comments:

Julie said...

I don't remember this story. Sooooo, that is how Jon got his name huh? :) Am glad you and dad got together.:) Have a great Monday.

Ladybug Crossing said...

That's a great story! My first crush was a boy named Artie who had long blonde hair. I still have a thing for boys with long hair. (Yes, Mr. Bug is almost bald!) Artie didn't even know I exsisted - I was a year behind him in school. I did get him to sign my yearbook, though.
LBC

Terry said...

Shucks Sandy...I think I am going to enjoy reading this but I have to run..I will be back later..Just wanted to say Good morning!!...Love Terry

Ha! Hope this doesn't cause any trouble between me and that Bernie. We have been married almost 35 years but he was NOT my first crush!
Haa! Ha!! Not even the next five either![although he IS the first guy that ever got a kiss] Sweet 21 and NEVER been kissed!!.....Byee!!

Lazy Daisy said...

Hmmm....does Mike know about this? (Just kidding.) Great story! My first crush was a redhead Math Wiz named Paul. He was really nerdy (even back then) but he sure helped me with Math.

Melli said...

What a sweet, sweet story Sandy! I don't believe I ever had a "puppy love"... My first "boyfriend", Erich was when I was 15 or 16... but I don't think that was "puppy love" ... maybe... I dunno. He turned out to be a JERK though! LOL! Most of my younger (12-14 yrs. old) crushes though were on "movie stars" or pop-musicians. I rarely had crushes on real boys until High School.

Jane said...

OOH Sandy, that is so sweet and sad at the same time. My first really serious crush was with a boy named Danny. I just knew we would last forever!!!! He had beautiful, thick hair and gorgeous eyes. Ain't young love grand.

Irish Church Lady :) said...

Your story was so fun and then all of a sudden very sad. Very well written. I was enraptured in your joy and then sadness with you.

I had a lot of different crushes when I was young but I won't dig up those memories now!

I played Monday Memories for the first time this week. I hope you can come and check it out. This is really enjoyable reading all these stories!

Pear tree cottage! said...

Sandy what a wonderful "monday memories" Yes I can see why you would not swap that summer for all the tea in china! :o)
I loved your story and the 60s do this to me too! only his name was Paul Carpenter--------O! howcome we can remember these names and not the lady down the street............lol lol lol lol

Sandy thanks for giving me the great idear of Monday Memories it is yes! fun.
Lee-ann

rena said...

That was an amazingly touching post. Great memories. I'd forgotten all about my first crush till reading this. Hmmmm...my first crush was in grade 5...his name was - my memory has deserted me along - but he was really really cute!!

Terry said...

Hello Sandy...Sorry I haven't been able to get back to you..
I have my brother and sister in law down to visit. They are from Iowa!!'I am on my way to work in a few minutes. Just want to touch bases with you to say Hi and also I wanted to read that verse on top again!! Love Terry

Flop Flop..You are a blessing!! God bless you..

Terry said...

Hello Sandy...Sorry I haven't been able to get back to you..
I have my brother and sister in law down to visit. They are from Iowa!!'I am on my way to work in a few minutes. Just want to touch bases with you to say Hi and also I wanted to read that verse on top again!! Love Terry

Flop Flop..You are a blessing!! God bless you..

Anonymous said...

Just read all your blogs and the one about your first Puppy Love, here I am an old lady of 82 and I sure do remember my first one. I was so in love with Bobby Woods, we lived in a small town too. Anyway, I remember one day he came to school with his hair all shaved off and he was wearing a hat,he was afraid I would not like him that way. I assured him I still liked him very much. Later in our lives I met him at a visitation of my Aunts in Paris and we kissed and hugged as we use to do. We both made sparks and I will always remember he said to me, " I guess we can still make sparks fly." It was just our shoes as we walked across the carpet, gosh. That was my first love and I still remember him very well. Love Mother