Show and Tell: Back to School Traditions

I decided to link up with this topic, even though I think it was more aimed at those who have kids going back to school in the coming weeks.  I don't have any kids yet, let alone any old enough to be heading to school but I know that day is coming sooner than I realize.

For now, I will reminisce about all those many times I headed back to school.  From pre-school to grad school I have had 22 first days of school.  That is a lot of first days of school!  One of my biggest surprises is that in my final year of school (no plans for a PhD) I met the man I am about to marry.  I went into that last year of school focusing on finishing up my classes and finding a new job with my fancy degree but life had other plans.  I did successfully finish up my classes but it took me over a year to find a new job.  In the meantime my life changed in ways I couldn't imagine.

The other thing I always remember about back to school was picking out a first day of school outfit.  As a kid we would go back to school shopping a few weeks before school started, but we weren't allowed to wear any of our new clothes until school actually started.  It was torture!  Even in college and grad school, when I wasn't necessarily wearing new clothes, I still thought long and hard about what I was going to wear on the first day each year. I am sure no one was really paying any attention to what I was wearing but that didn't stop me from wanting to start out each year looking fabulous.  It just sets to tone for the year!  

On of my sisters is starting medical school and she called me from across the country to discuss what she should wear on her first day of orientation.  Old habits die hard!

As much as it was torture to wait until the first day of school to wear my new clothes, this is one rule that I plan to pass down and enforce with my kids too.  It is just one way to make the first day of school a special event.  

On my first day of my senior year of college I wore my all planned outfit to my first day of classes but once classes were over for the day this is where you would have found me.

Why study in your dorm room when you can study at the pool?  I am sure I would have gotten more reading done that day in the dorm but I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to hang out with my best friend.  Oh, to look like that in a bikini again!

To everyone about to start school again: Have fun!  I am jealous and not so jealous all at the same time!