Hello Friends, and welcome to a special edition of Way Back When-sday: Easters Past! I have SUCH fond memories of Easter...dressing up for church, the always over-stuffed Easter basket, dyeing Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts, and of course, chocolate bunnies! But Easter, or Resurrection Sunday as I prefer to call it, is not really about those things, though they are such sweet memories to me - no Resurrection Sunday is truly the most important date on the Christian's calendar, because without the resurrection of Jesus, we have no hope.... Hop on over to my friend Nancy's blog, and read this great post on the true meaning of Easter...she also has some VERY cute Way Back Easter photos to share! (all the participant's links are at the end of this post...don't miss 'em!)And in keeping with the Way Back When-sday tradition, I am sharing some old and not so old photos of Easters past. This first one is from 1969 and was taken in front of our apartment in Pasadena, Texas. My Mom was quite pregnant with my little brother David in this photo (dig that hair, those sunglasses, and the sunny yellow floral maternity dress...love it!) Goodness, I remember how very stiff and itchy my yellow dress was that day...ugh!
And this photo was taken on Easter Sunday one year later. David was born in May the year before, so he was about 10 or 11 months here. My older brother Ricky was almost 11 years old and I had just turned 9. My hair *finally* began to grow in earnest between age 8 and 9...I had always had short hair prior to this. This photo was taken in front of the Wyatt's Cafeteria that was close to our church in Pasadena - it was a very common gathering place for church folks any given Sunday. We often had Easter lunch at home or at relatives' homes, but this year apparently we were treated to a rare eating out experience...my Mom undoubtedly deserved a cooking break with the arrival of a new baby 8 years after her last one!
Now, fast forward 36 years to 2006. I had just returned to Texas from Colorado right before Christmas in 2005. My divorce was finalized on Good Friday of 2006 and my new single life lay ahead of me...it was a time of mixed emotions and uncertainty to say the least. Right before Easter I had ventured out north of Houston to a little town called New Waverly to take photos of the gorgeous bluebonnets that grow all along the Interstate. I remember being struck by how homesick I had actually been for Texas during my 8 year stay in Colorado. There's almost nothing that says "Texas" like a field of bluebonnets, so I'm sure that's what triggered the feelings. I was SO very glad to be back home. And every Easter season you can count on seeing numerous families along the roadside in their Easter finery taking photos nestled in the field of beautiful bluebonnets. Love it!
And this photo was taken on Easter Sunday one year later. David was born in May the year before, so he was about 10 or 11 months here. My older brother Ricky was almost 11 years old and I had just turned 9. My hair *finally* began to grow in earnest between age 8 and 9...I had always had short hair prior to this. This photo was taken in front of the Wyatt's Cafeteria that was close to our church in Pasadena - it was a very common gathering place for church folks any given Sunday. We often had Easter lunch at home or at relatives' homes, but this year apparently we were treated to a rare eating out experience...my Mom undoubtedly deserved a cooking break with the arrival of a new baby 8 years after her last one!
Now, fast forward 36 years to 2006. I had just returned to Texas from Colorado right before Christmas in 2005. My divorce was finalized on Good Friday of 2006 and my new single life lay ahead of me...it was a time of mixed emotions and uncertainty to say the least. Right before Easter I had ventured out north of Houston to a little town called New Waverly to take photos of the gorgeous bluebonnets that grow all along the Interstate. I remember being struck by how homesick I had actually been for Texas during my 8 year stay in Colorado. There's almost nothing that says "Texas" like a field of bluebonnets, so I'm sure that's what triggered the feelings. I was SO very glad to be back home. And every Easter season you can count on seeing numerous families along the roadside in their Easter finery taking photos nestled in the field of beautiful bluebonnets. Love it!
Here are a few of the yummy Springtime in Texas photos I took that day...
This shot of an old white clapboard church steeple against a crystal blue sky framed with white crab apple blossoms looked like a vintage Easter postcard to me...
______________________________
Wow...what a difference a year makes... On Resurrection Sunday one year later, my sweet Johnny presented me with this ring (hidden inside a plastic Easter egg, BTW - how cute is that!) and asked for my hand in marriage...and a whole new chapter of my life was beginning yet again...and what a sweet, wonderful chapter it is...
Way Back When-sday Friends:
Becky - Sweet Cottage Dreams
This shot of an old white clapboard church steeple against a crystal blue sky framed with white crab apple blossoms looked like a vintage Easter postcard to me...
______________________________Wow...what a difference a year makes... On Resurrection Sunday one year later, my sweet Johnny presented me with this ring (hidden inside a plastic Easter egg, BTW - how cute is that!) and asked for my hand in marriage...and a whole new chapter of my life was beginning yet again...and what a sweet, wonderful chapter it is...
______________________________
I am DELIGHTED that the following sweet friends are participating in Way Back When-sday this week - please stop by and see their awesome posts and be blessed! And hey, why don't you play along? Even if it's not today...simply leave a comment between now and Easter Sunday with your name and a link to your Easters Past blog post and I'll add you to the list of links!
Way Back When-sday Friends:Becky - Sweet Cottage Dreams
______________________________
How about you..?? Share your favorite Easter memories with all of us!
Thanks so much for stopping by...we wish you all a very blessed Resurrection Sunday!!
Thanks so much for stopping by...we wish you all a very blessed Resurrection Sunday!!
Most excellent!!
ReplyDeleteI totally love the photos - and my, my look at those white stockings. Hmmm, I remember those.
And the flower photos are great. I too love the bluebonnets, and remember the drives thru TX on my way to see mom and dad. There's nothing prettier that a hillside covered in blue.
HUGS!
Becky, your photos are so cute!! Look at YOU!
ReplyDeleteMy friend, Wave, just returned from Austin, TX and Round Top. She shared with me how lovely the blue bells were. I have never seen them before and was wondering what they looked like. Low and behold, here they are!!
Thank you so much for sharing the pretty nature that abounds where you are. Just gorgeous. LOVE that photo of the church, too.
Happy day to you, sweet friend,
Becky
I love the mother-daughter yellow dresses. Our older photos are such treasures. I love your other pictures too. I think a field of bluebonnets has to be mesmerizing. I would love to see them in person some day. You have some very special memories around Easter, and then the best of all--Jesus' resurrection.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Lallee