Fotografo de Bodas, Santiago

September 23, 2010

I grew up in Michigan. I may not have spent all my 18 formative years there, but I spent most of my 18 formative years there. Today we took a road trip across the state (to visit my favorite Ann Arbor wedding photographers, Brett Maxwell and Heather Jowett) and everything we passed brought up a memory.

Jenison is where we had a band invitational and I had to wear a giant funny hat with feathers, extremely unflattering pants, and march around rigidly while playing a flute (a strange concept now that I think about it). Cascade is where my best friend in elementary school moved away to when I was little. I was devastated. Grand Haven is where I rushed to meet my soccer team at half time after a piano recital, subbed in and played the best game of my life. Lake Orion is where our competitive cheer team went to an annual invitation to get our asses whooped up and down the matt every year by these guys.

And Seba knew none of that.

Then there are the insignificant memories that one day my brain will probably erase to make room for more important things – Plainwell has blue uniforms, East Grand Rapids has fake turf, West Ottowa’s mascot is the panthers. They’re unimportant. But they’re also parts of a million different fragments that make up who I am now. It’s mind blowing to me that I can love Seba so much and he can know current me so well but he has no idea that band camp was in Mount Pleasant and cheer camp was called “Beast.”

In a way I envy couples who were high school sweethearts or met each other when they were little. They share a history. They know what the other person was like back in the day. They see the changes in him/her for good or bad and know how far they’ve both come.

I’d give anything to travel in time to the 90′s — yes, he’s an old man — to go meet rebel Seba in high school with long hair down to his waist, who went to protests with the sole aim of throwing rocks at the pacos (policemen in Chile).

And I wish Seba could meet high school Kyle, who was fat(ter) but fearless, loved her cheerleading team more than anything else in those days, and played Canon in D over and over and over again on the piano. As for what the world would bring in life after Michigan, she had HUGE expectations (which have all been surpassed beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined) and dreamed about it all the time.

Though if we had met in high school, we probably wouldn’t have liked each other. At all.

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10 Comments

But you know what’s sooo much fun, is finding out all of those things over the years. It’s exciting! Just like I bet Seba loved finding out about your band uniform. Gotta keep excitement in the relationship you know? I remember when we went to Brasil and Lucas started talking into Portuguese I was like, “Como!?!” I had never thought to ask him before if he could speak the language.

Comment by Andi — September 23, 2010 @ 5:53 am

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It has to happen exactly the way it happened, Kyle. And now Seba and you have years to grow and live together, years that people that knew you back in your early years, will miss too. Kyle Hepp 2010 must be someone really different from the Kyle your friends and family knew back then, also.
Maybe some day Kyle 2050 will read this, and smile.^^

Comment by Marmo — September 23, 2010 @ 8:26 am

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Wait, going to highschool in the 90′s means you’re old?

Comment by Brendan — September 23, 2010 @ 9:18 am

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Muffin, I’m judgmental (not rightly so) of those couples who met in high school and then married. Where’s the fun, where’s the spark, where’s the part where you find out all the stuff you just wrote about that Seba didn’t know??!!
I look back at who I was in high school and who I liked/loved in high school and I was just a fragment of who I am now. Therefore I can conclude that the person I would have chosen then would not know me at all now. He would know who I was then … things change, experiences change YOU – not to the core perhaps – but enough so.
The you now is most likely the most real you ever and aren’t you glad Seba knows you like that?
I’m glad G knows me now bc who I was back then is just, kind of a joke really.

Comment by Andrea — September 23, 2010 @ 9:48 am

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I’m not saying I ACTUALLY wish Seba and I had met in high school. I’m just saying it’s interesting to me that two people can know each other so well but really not have much of a clue of the other’s past.

Comment by Kyle — September 23, 2010 @ 1:20 pm

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I feel a similar way about my mom – I actually remember being in high school and thinking “ok, I have to marry someone I already know” because I couldn’t imagine spending my life with someone who’d never met her. Of course, in the end, it’s worked out just fine, at least so far

I’ve never felt exactly what you’re talking about with places, but I have with stories. My friends have made references to something that’s been a classic moment in my life or something really “me” from back in the day, and they have to explain it to Rodolfo because he’s never heard about it. It’s always a bit strange.

Comment by Emily — September 23, 2010 @ 6:47 pm

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I am so homesick!

I loved everything about this post. I am always in awe of the details you are able to recount – like the fake turf and the color of the Plainwell uniforms. And BEAST camp. I just remember that our first competition in January was always in that run down school whose mascot was the Mustangs. We spent a lot of time at stadiums and gymnasiums across the state, didn’t we?

It seems to be more of the norm in our town to marry a high school sweetheart or at least someone familiar with West Michigan. I think those connections from the past would be fun in a way. But at the same time, I think I like who I am better now. I wouldn’t want my husband to have married the past me and to have been present for all the dumb things I did and awkward phases I went through (the coordinating puff-paint shoes…). I don’t know if we would have even dated if we knew each other back then. So I think lifelong connections work for some people and don’t for others.

It is hard to explain the memories though. When I try to tell my in-laws from time to time how seriously good and athletic and hard working our cheerleading team was (and how it was my LIFE back then) they just don’t get it. Troy would be bored out of his mind if I started telling him about the significance of Michigan towns. Much to my dismay, he could care less if we ever visited Michigan again. Reading your post made me want to make a better effort to make it back home every few years or so though, even if Troy isn’t a fan of memory lane! Maybe I can overload my boys with hometown information before they are too old to ignore me

It’s funny reading your blog since I only know you as high school cheerleader and band member and Spanish-whiz Kyle. Sometimes it is challenging to mesh the current you with the past Kyle because I haven’t actually seen you in 7 years! But I LOVE getting to know you in a whole new way through your writing and photos. And I’m sure that Seba does too (obviously…he married you). Because at this point you are more about where you are going than where you came from. You formed roots and connections and opinions in your hometown, but you are certainly going to spend many more years molding yourself with your cute hubby around!

Did I mention how much I loved this post? I think I’ll go read it again and find out what good ol’ Rochie is up to (grrrrr).

Comment by Lindsey — September 23, 2010 @ 8:43 pm

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Yes, Emily hit the nail on the head with what I’m talking about! It’s not so much wanting to go back, it’s just weird.

And Nashy, I actually thought about emailing you when I posted this because I knew you would know what I’m talking about! Wasn’t Comstock Park usually the first one? Or am I wrong? But you’re right, it’s so strange to try and explain our cheerleading world to anybody who wasn’t there. I was just talking to Mark Smith about it tonight because his sister moved right near Lake Orion (not anymore, but she lived there for a while).

It’s funny that much to your dismay Troy would never visit Michigan again, because much to my dismay Seba would live in Michigan if he could! He loves it here!

I love your blog for the same reason, but you’re right, it’s definitely hard to reconcile puff paint shoes Nashy with Mother of two boys Nashy!

Comment by Kyle — September 23, 2010 @ 10:01 pm

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I also love this post Keelay. Its fun to take a walk down memory lane every now and then. Without the past, we wouldn’t be who we’ve grown into. I’m so glad Seba is willing to hear all about all these pieces of you. I bet it makes him love you even more.

ps. I can’t believe how amazing round 3 looked last year. I miss throwing people around like that. I would never have made 2010 cheerleading team, not with my back-suck-spring and all. Still can’t believe I lived with 2 RHS cheerleaders at MSU.

Comment by Megan — October 16, 2010 @ 10:56 pm

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Megan, cheerleading is so different because it’s not like you can just go out and play a pick up game of stunt round. I still play soccer every now and again but I miss cheerleading for sure! I can’t believe you lived with Rochy cheerleaders either, that’s too funny

Comment by kyle — October 17, 2010 @ 6:46 pm

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