Young Love

I grew up in a really small, rural town.

When I was young we would head to the Ben Franklin and buy the gum cigarettes.

Neither of my parents smoked so I don't even know why we thought it was cool.

So, here I was around 10 walking around town blowing candy dust through my gum cigarettes.

That truly must have looked hilarious or mortifying!!

I was recently in a large candy store and they still make them.

I had to buy them to show my husband.

(I am getting off track of what I intended to write about)

I was the kid that subscribed to Archeology Magazine, Victoria Magazine and would pick up Tiger Beat all of the time.

What a strange mix.

I am laughing at myself right now.

I even went through an Elvis phase and I couldn't believe that my mom had not wanted to see him when she was younger.

I also couldn't believe that she had not wanted to see Frank Sinatra.

By the time I could afford to see him...he didn't remember all the words to his songs so I just stuck with the CDs.

(Not on track AGAIN)

Growing up my bedroom was wallpapered so I wasn't allowed to put posters all over my wall.

Instead I had a cork-board that had my favorite hotties:-) on it.

Now, I have to be honest....these boys I am about to tell you have about as much in common as my Archeology, Victoria and Tiger Beat magazines.

Are you ready.....

Ralph Macchio and John F. Kennedy Jr.

Ralph Macchio???  Seriously???  I outweighed him when I was BORN!!!

Have you watched that movie recently?

He looked about 10 in the movie.

The funny thing is that he is in his forties now and he still looks really young.

John F. Kennedy Jr. I still understand and I can't imagine I will not feel the same when I am 99, in the nursing home, reading Tiger Beat.

I am a history major and have spent many hours reading about the Kennedy's.

I don't know what it is but I have enjoyed reading about them since I was in high school.

When we went to Cape Cod last summer I even made my whole family go to the Kennedy museum at Hyannisport.

I haven't been invited to the compound....YET.

When I was really young I called the operator asking to be connected to Ricky Schroder in Hollywood.

It was strange that she said she didn't have the number....hmmmmmmmm.

So...who did you crush over when you were young?

**************************************

I wanted to remind everyone that has a business that there is still time to enter the Pay It Forward giveaway post HERE.

I also wanted to tell you that my friend Lara is having photography tutorials all week.  You will not want to miss them!

Comments

[Laura]

Haha...Ben Franklin. We sure did crazy stuff!!! I always loved coming over to play at your house. :oP Good memories...and yes I had most of the same crushes... add on Shaun Cassidy, John Schneider, Scott Baio, Menudo boys, etc...
haha
Hugs to you! Miss ya!

[Lara]

Thanks, babycakes..you're so good to me :)

Okay! Hotties from my bedroom wall....Rick Springfield, Garret from "Silver Spoons" (Rick's sidekick)...hmmmm....I was on the tail end of Shaun Cassidy (I think I was in 1st grade) and I had (don't make fun) a Donny Osmond doll that had purple socks!!! I still have him somewhere in a box. When we were dating, Dave put Donny (sans shirt) on the dashboard of the car with his butt crack showing...he got some stares when he was in the section of town where you might see this sort of thing and he immediately put him in glove box...such a sad ending for my Donny boy.

Great post---I love the funnies now because I can actually hear your voice speaking about these memories. Makes me smile.
oxoxoxoxoox
Lara
p.s. got so many compliments on my supercutepurse (all one word)...somehow that little burlap flower dealy just makes my day.

[Lorie]

You are so funny! I also crushed over Ralph Macchio and Ricky Schroeder. Who DIDN'T watch Silver Spoons anyway? Also Bo Duke would've been on my list too. All that blonde hair! Funny how this seems so long ago, but now I'm watching my 11 year old do the same thing!

[Lori]

Ahhh ~ Donny Osmond was my main squeeze ~ I remember it well. Tiger Beat and Teen Beat were purchased as rewards ~ I think I got them as part of my allowance. Shawn Cassidy and Leif Garrett were also on my wall ~ Da Do Run Run. Thanks for this walk through my childhood ~ you have made me smile this morning!

[Kathryn]

He, he, he, that was a fun trip down memorie lane. I also went through an Elvis phase but was also into Shakin Stevens and had a poster of him up on my wall. It was one of those where the eyes seem to follow you everywhere and it ended up creeping me out a little. I was also in love with George Michael for the longest time!

[Traci]

oh what a great blast from the past post. i couldn't hang posters on my wall either but i was allowed to buy a couple big pieces of poster board and cut out my pictures and collaged them on the poster board. i loved john travolta!! and i used to smoke that brand too.

[staceyyaculastudio]

Oh, this brought quiet a smirk to my face this morning...thank you! I thought Shawn Cassidy was the best, I had an Elvis stage and I loved the Bay City Rollers too!
I also love when I discover some of my candies from my childhood. I Loved buying penny candies and splurging on the 5 cent candies. We would get the assortment we picked in a little brown paper bag. It was so wonderful & the lady that ran the store had such patience while we decided. I also remember the candy cigarettes and wow I don't know why we thought it was cool either.
Thank you for jogging my memory, it brings back such wonderful things and what a way to start my morning!

[Flower Patch Farmgirl]

This is my favorite part of today, so far.

I got busted by my aunt once for having a Soloflex calendar in my room. Other than that, it was all of the usuals. Especially Kirk Cameron!

[Chrissy]

Oh please...I was smoking those at 5 or 6.....and let me tell you it was David Cassidy that rocked my world..what a hunk and then I found out that Susan Dey and I were born on the same day so I was the coolest kid on the block!!!! I still know (and can sing on demand)all the words to "I think I love you"...beat that!!!!! O.K now,back to being 49 I LOVE this post...you rock!!!!! Chrissy

[Heather]

Oh how funny! We must be the same age. I had a huge crush on Ralph myself. I have NEVER seen that photo of JFK though, otherwise I think he might have been my crush. I had a subscription to Tiger Beat. I also had cork on my wall because it was wallpapered. How hilarious! Those were the days hu? Time goes by so fast. I enjoyed reading this post. :)

[Rebekah]

For me, it was Fred Savage. I loved those curls! :)

[Nathalie]

LOL.... I ran into Ricky Schoeder on a cruise when I was 18 instead of being Star struck, I went up to him and acted as if we knew each other in elementry school... he looked at me like I was a crazy person. I think he ran from me the whole cruise... Oh what the heck it was fun. My one crush was Andy Gibb...

[sherry Hicks]

How funny! I am a generation before you probably as our hotties that graced tiger beat were Leaf Garrett, Peter Frampton, but I had the strangest 10 year old crush on bad guys........I watched the godfather, bought the LP of the italian vendetta type music......and just had the biggest Marlon Brando crush ever....he was an old man, but oh so powerful and cool I would waltz to the LP and dream of dancing with Marlon.

I sprain my kneck once jumping on my grandmothers bed singing "Burning Love" with my sister.

And we smoked those candy cigarettes and no one cared then but there were no seat belts and principals and teachers smoked at school. Your hairdresser smoke while cutting your hair. Bankers it was a smoking society.
What a fun post!

[Kara]

I had a crush on my BMX bike. I don't remember being young and having crushes on celebrities. I guess that makes sense because I don't have crushes on celebrities now. (Although Leonardo DiCaprio fascinates me, as does that picture of JFK Jr. I had no idea!)

I didn't know you went to Cape Cod last year. We could have met up :)

Miss you.

[Lolo]

Thanks for the morning giggles :)
Kirk Cameron was plastered all over my closet walls....my secret lil worship area to him :D My Mother would never let me put him on my bedroom walls either!
As for the smokes - too funny. Used to love those first few puffs of "smoke" with the red tinted "flame" at the end - HAHA!

XOX

ps - I have never seen that pic of JFK either *drool*....if that pic was in my closet growing up, I dont think I would have ever slept! I would have been practicing my kissing techniques on him!! LOL

[Jeanne]

I have laughed out loud at so many of your comments. I agree about this photo of JFK Jr. and who says I WAS sleeping????

To: jeanneoli@hotmail.com

[Becky @ Farmgirl Paints]

I was in lust over Ralph Macchio...shame on me HA! That pic of John is HOT!! Have a great day girlie.

[molly]

so funny, i had started a post like this months ago about the ones i obsessed over: jack nicholson, william hurt... so funny to think about. i, too, was obsessed with the kennedy's and the beatles and sinatra. we 'smoked' those candy ciggies for ages and, then & now, i still cannot believe that's a candy!
and, finally, i met ricky schroder when i was in high school, he came to one of our beach parties. we all wanted to be around him. he turned out to be a bit of drinker back then! we were a bit too angelic for him. whoops!

[Beki - TheRustedChain]

You crack me up.

I had a huge crush on Kirk Cameron.
And now Candace Cameron wears jewelry from me. Weird!

I think there's still a Ben Franklin in Woodland Park. We've gone to it when we go to CO to our cabin every summer.

[lisa ann]

I have told my children about the same efforts to ride our bikes to a gas station no where close to our home to buy those crazy candy cigarettes. Our favorites were the chocolate with the red tips for true burning effect. As a true nonsmoker, I have to laugh at whatever got into us then.
As far a John F Kennedy Jr., I am feeling strangely jealous. I was suppose to marry him! My mother used to mail me his pictures in random letters sent while I was away in college. Because I have too much OCD to hang them on a wall, one special photo always sat on my night stand instead. Although I was married, pregnant and a Republican when he passed, I was sadden that he never had the chance to ask me that question I knew he would if we had met! I'm glad you have Ralph and Ricky to fall back on!!

[Leah C]

Aaah...Ben Franklin & candy cigarettes...does that ever take me back! My girlhood crushes {don't laugh} were Gary Cooper & Cary Grant...guess I was "older" than my years;) But I have to agree with you on John Kennedy, Jr; he was definitely a hottie! Is there any girl who didn't swoon over him?! Still breaks my heart to think of him dying so young. Thanks for the walk down memory lane:)

[My Casa Bella]

how funny I was just telling my hubby about those gum cigarettes that we used to love as kids, not sure why either because my parents didn't smoke either...lol
but my crush was Kirk Cameron when I was a young teenage girl!! Yup! Kirk!

MCB

[Courtney Walsh]

I totally got chills when I saw that JFK Jr. picture.

When I was in NYC, my acting school was in the same building as his magazine (George) and yes, I actually saw him IN THE FLESH. He's just gorgeous. Beyond gorgeous.

For me, it was Kirk Cameron and New Kids on the Block. I'm so embarrassed to admit that.

I still remember the blue background poster of Kirk with his yellow shirt and his Mike Seaver grin.

Oh my gosh. Did i just admit that?? I think you are INSANE for crushing on Ralph though. hahahaa. I am laughing just thinking about it!!!

[Alicia]

your post is crackin' me up! growing up i was in total LOVE with Brad Pitt...and i don't think he looks any different now!
Also, Zack Morris from Saved by the Bell...HELLLLO!! I would wish i was Kelly Kapowski and dating the hottest guy ever :)

thanks for the laugh...i haven't thought about saved by the bell in forever :)

[Amy]

Well, my walls were plastered with New Kids on the Block. And by plastered, I mean that you couldn't see any of the wall. My favorite was Jon and I had my bathroom and bedroom door covered front and back with posters of him. When they reunited two years ago I thought I would explode and yes, I hunted them down just like I did twenty years ago!