Just the Facts #24

 "Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. 
Belonging, on the other hand, doesn't require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are." (Brene Brown)

 

Hello, my lovely friends!  

 

     Welcome back to Friday Funday! We took a short break last week for the Scooter takeover, but I'm back with more facts about Paula. This week, we're celebrating the start of the school year, as most schools have either begun classes last week or are starting this week.

 

1.  For me, the start of a new school year was like my own personal Christmas. Forget toys, I was all about the aisles of fresh school supplies at Target. The smell of new pencils, the crisp feel of blank notebooks — it was a high unlike any other.

I lived for matching my folders and spirals for each subject, making sure every class had its own perfectly coordinated look. In grade school, the big excitement was picking out a brand-new lunch box and a pristine pencil box. The anticipation of using them was almost as good as the day itself. My mom would always stock up, buying enough to last us the whole year, and we'd each get a personal bin overflowing with our goodies. It was the best kind of organized chaos.

 

2. Getting back from vacation meant one thing: back-to-school shopping! My mom would take us on a mission to get new clothes for the year ahead. I'll never forget the year prairie skirts were all the rage. I got four of them, complete with matching tops, and wore them nonstop. Jeans just weren't my thing then, and they still aren't. I was a girly-girl through and through, and some things never change!

 

3.  My mom started a sweet tradition when I was little: she'd take a picture of me every year on my first day of school. The tradition continued even after she went back to work, but then my sister took over as the official photographer. My sister loved the tradition so much that she started it with her own sons, taking their picture on the first day of school all the way through college. It's a great way to see how much we've all grown!

 

4.  Back-to-school season always brought a mix of feelings. I was so excited to see my friends, but also a little nervous. It felt like an eternity since we'd last seen each other, even though it had only been three months. I'd see my friends who lived on my block during the summer, but I had other friends I wouldn't see until school started. The excitement of reconnecting with everyone felt like the first day of summer camp, full of new stories and shared laughter. But there was also that jittery feeling, wondering how much everyone had changed and if we'd still be the same.

 

5.  Back when I was a kid, the start of a new school year meant one thing: a massive closet overhaul. Before we could even think about new backpacks or notebooks, my parents would make me go through every piece of clothing I owned. It was a whole production—trying on everything, making a pile of what still fit and what was way too small, and then, for the fun part, I'd get to color-coordinate my whole closet and plan my epic first-day-of-school outfit. It was the only time I felt like a fashion designer, and that first-day outfit had to be perfect!

 

 So glad you stopped by! Wishing you the coziest morning/afternoon/evening ahead. Can't wait for our paths to cross again!