Walking down the hall a few weeks ago, I noticed the amazing tie that Hal was wearing. It had three horse faces on it, and, correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s not everyday you see a tie with horses on it. I’m not a horse girl myself, but my fiancé used to work with a horse adoption program, so I now notice anything that has to do with horses.
I said, “Hey Hal, I love your tie!” with that glimmer in my eye that let him know I’d steal it if he fell asleep. He was immediately skeptical of me and said, “This is a vintage Ralph Lauren tie. I bought it in 1987 at the flagship store. You can’t have it.” He then turned on his heel and started to walk away.
At that moment, Jolda (see Memoirs of a Lego Aficionado) popped his head out of his office and said, “1987? That’s the year I turned two!”
“Two?!” Hal exclaimed as he turned back around.
I began to laugh, and simultaneously, Teddi (see Grafik Goes Miami) was walking down the hall and said, “That’s the year I graduated high school!”
I said nothing, because I was only five years old myself, but Teddi and I looked at each other as a genius idea for this very blog post came to our minds. If 1987 had such a diverse range of experiences for just the four of us, what would some other random years contain in the way of memories for the rest of the Grafik team?
Behold, a collection of memories from some of our Grafites, with somewhat randomly chosen dates:
In 1976, Grafik:
• Graduated from kindergarten.
• Met her husband in graduate school.
• Started the first grade.
• Realized we had a Declaration of Independence.
• Graduated from high school, saw the Ramone’s first DC show, met her husband, and turned 18—in that order.
• Took a road trip to Disney World with his parents in their beige Plymouth station wagon (you know, the ones with the seat in the back that faced the car behind you?).
In 1980, Grafik:
• Got married.
• First went to New York.
• First saw Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd on Broadway.
• First kissed a boy.
• Spent three weeks in Morocco.
• Was forced to start wearing a school uniform.
• Waited in line for three hours to see The Empire Strikes Back on opening day in Times Square.
In 1985, Grafik:
• Began his first job as a designer after college.
• Gave birth to a son.
• Was taken by her dad to see her first live concert – Debbie Gibson. Oh yeah, it’s true!
• Got her first driver’s license.
• Was first kissed by a boy.
• Graduated from high school and started college in the fall.
• Went to Disney World for the first time.
• Traveled to London with his family, and felt so cool walking around in his Hard Rock t-shirt.
In 1994, Grafik:
• Bought her first Vogue magazine at the age of eight (ok, her mom bought it for her), and she loved the photos so much she carried it around with her everywhere she went.
• Went whitewater rafting in Costa Rica.
• Opened a nightclub.
• Started middle school.
• Bought his first CD—Ace of Base.
• Bought her first house with her husband.
• Celebrated her daughter’s first birthday.
• Was living in Denver, CO.
• Was working on Capitol Hill.
In 2002, Grafik:
• Started high school.
• Reached her 5th decade. Ugh!
• Studied abroad in Scotland at the Glasgow School of Art.
• Moved to Ohio.
• Climbed a mountain.
• Celebrated New Year’s Eve in Paris.
• Had her fourth open heart surgery.
• Decided it was time for kids.
• Started studying graphic design.
• Got his first sports car.
• Won her first golf trophy.
In 2008, Grafik:
• Lost her memory.
• Applied to graduate school.
• Went to Europe for the first time by herself.
• Lost 20 pounds in six weeks.
• Quit her job.
• Lived in Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the U.S.A.
• Moved to DC.
• Studied abroad in Greece.
• Went camping in the Caribbean.
• Turned down an offer for graduate school.
• Got his first dog with his wife.
And what did you do? Comment away!
