Last week, a former student put up a Facebook post about their basketball team making the Missouri State Championship in 2005. I taught a few of the girls on that team.

#damndudeyouareold

Yes, yes I am, but that’s not the point.

What is the point? The point is the memories. We lived in central Missouri for four years and I’d not change those years for anything.

First, one of our daughters was born there during an epic hatching of cicadas. A 17 year cicada and a 13 year cicada hatched in 1998, the first time that happened since 1777 (yes, I double checked). It was SO LOUD! We saw leaf sweepers all over the place, sweeping up bugs! Yes, bugs! And yet, it was so cool too!

I taught at a really awesome school for three years, and had it not been the draw to get closer to grandparents, we might still be there. My wife was loving being a newspaper reporter and I taught fifth grade and coached middle school girls basketball. I loved that school My grade partner was amazing, the kids were awesome, and while our basketball teams were not that good, apparently something went right after I left! We had an eceltic group of friends from all walks of life who knew how to party and yet, we just good people (we drank the BEST mead – honey wine – we’ve ever had and have never ever been able to find something that compared). I’ve made many decisions in my life and moving to Iowa is one of the few that looking back, I question. We’ve never really felt like we’ve had the same type of friendship here, which we both miss.

Finally, like I said earlier, my basketball teams were not barnburner, but dang we had fun. They allowed 7th, 8th, and 9th graders to play together so the team dynamic was different, but it was so cool. The parents were great and always helped their kids out when they needed it. It was a time before travel ball and AAU and freaking volleyball every minute of every day. We just played basketball without the distraction of today and we loved it. I’m reminded just how much I enjoyed coaching back then.

Sometimes, those memories can be painful, but our time in Missouri, we will always cherish. It was our time to young and free before kids. We enjoyed it fully and will always look back fondly, even if the state has turned into dumpster fire of MAGA yuck!