Friday, September 15, 2006

Happy Birthday, Me!



In honor of turning twenty-three, I'm looking back on my life through the glorious finds of my family photo album.


Here I am as a baby, getting ready for my first moon launch. Ha, ha, ha, but seriously. Things were so great back then. I didn't have to make decisions or tie my shoes. Hell, I didn't have to walk anywhere. Screw the womb, I'd much rather go back to a time where I was pushed around in a stroller.

Here I am with my dad, who is wearing some bitchin' shoes. This is back when I was in my rugged outdoorsy stage, which coincided with my khaki shorts stage. Fun fact! I now have that shirt that my dad is wearing! Isn't growing up c r a z y ?

This picture is always a crowd-pleaser, so if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and click on the image to see the full-sized version. It's proof that awkwardness is hereditary in the C0ates family. It also blows my mind that my mother kept this in the photo album. This is the kind of image that gets posted online or sent to Jay Leno to embarass the famous adult version of the kid in the picture. I'm just beating everyone to the punch.

Ever since I was a kid, I loved dichotomies, so this shirt was perfect because it combined my love of surfing and chocolate sandwich cookies. Also, this was when I was a flag-wavin' Republican and drove my parents crazy by marching through the house chanting, "These colors don't run!" in between renditions of "Born in the USA."

Here I am dressed as a cowboy. This was just a normal Thursday evening at the C0ates house.

This picture was taken on my first day of eleventh grade. I'm about to turn sixteen. Sixteen years old. People in my class were already having sex, and I was still wearing t-shirts that are still too big for me. You might see this picture and think, "Oh, this was when Tyler was in his awkward stage." Unfortunately, my awkward stage would last another three years.


And, just so you all can see how I've matured and am all grown up, here I am last fall - passed out in a chip bowl:
those are crumbs, not vomit. common mistake.
I'm a big kid now.

10 comments:

bex said...

happy birthday! and great photos. i hope your dad also gives you those sweet shorts he was wearing.

bex said...

also. do you get doughnuts today or what?

Tyler said...

Oh, I totally got doughnuts. Crisis averted.

Anonymous said...

Oh Tyler! You amuse me!

Anonymous said...

Bon anniversaire, Tyler! ("I don't know what that means!!!")

Tyler said...

I can figure that one out, thank you.

Bon couilles!

Kristel Poole | Stirring Things Up said...

Happy Birthday! I have a great photo to send you once I hook up my scanner. I was hoping to do this by today but, well, I'm lazy. I'll make sure to jump on that though. Have a great 23rd. :)

Maura said...

Happy birthday!

And, p.s., my boyfriend wore way too big t-shirts (and tappered jeans) until, like, sophomore year of college. In the long run, I think it is the kind of thing that makes guys hotter.

Betsy said...

Happy birthday three days late!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday! If I were in Chicago, I would so take you out for a night of flavored mojitos and celebrity gossip.