Not much has changed in 15 years

This past weekend I went back to dirty Jersey to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. Every time I go home I'm amazed at how my bedroom has slowly evolved from a tranquil personal space to an impromptu museum showcasing the Life and Times of Danielle Cerny. If I thought anyone out there cared about seeing a framed copy of my first work of art, the voodoo doll we used to pump ourselves up before field hockey games in high school, or the stacks of broken boards that chronicle my rise from white belt to red, I'd forget this whole school thing and base my retirement on admission and tour charges.

If only.

Well, this weekend I stumbled upon something I think people might actually care about - or, in the very least, get a good laugh out of: my 4th and 5th grade reading journals. These bad boys are choked full of goodies, but the entry that really jumped out at me was about a family trip to Maine back when I was 11. Here's an excerpt:










[The text in case it's hard to read: In or out of the pool it was a very peaceful place to be. But after the first day of sitting around we needed from exersize! So the next day we all rented bikes and went for a 40 mile bike ride. BEFORE... And AFTER... Very few survived. But going back in time this is what happened inbetween. We all started at a steady pace. We stayed together at first. But then my mom and I on our tandom raced ahead. Others got tiered. And we all needed a break here and there. When the bike trip ended we all spent the rest of the week in bed! The End!!!]

And there you have it, in 15 years very little has changed: I still love biking (and beating people on my bike), I still like to present my stories in before and after format, and I still have the same sense of humor (which I don't think my teacher even got from the looks of her notes!)

I dunno if that bodes well for the 11 year old version of myself, or poorly for the present day me ... but points for consistency I suppose! And definite extra credit for 15+ years of rocking the spandex.

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