Those who read The Sampson Independent got the chance last week to hear from our publisher Sandra Hurley as she reminisced the summer of 1969. Well, I unfortunately, cannot say that I recall anything about the summer of ‘69 because I wasn’t born, and I don’t think that my parents had even started dating at that point.

So, since I can’t really reflect on that summer, I will take a second and talk about the summer of 1989.

That was the year that I, age 9, went to visit my aunt and cousins in Maryland for three weeks, along with my brother.

During my three-week trip to “Aunt Jay’s,” I learned that my cousin Ryan, age 14, loves to torture 9-year-olds with wrestling. Since he apparently wanted to be on his school’s wrestling team, he thought I was the perfect wrestling dummy. I honestly can’t tell you the number of times I have been pinned down, body slammed or put in a head lock.

That was also the summer that I saw my first rated R-rated movie on the big screen, Die Hard. And, the only reason that I was allowed to watch the movie was because my brother and Ryan were both going, and I had to go everywhere that they went. I was OK with that movie, but when they wanted to go see Friday the 13th, I had a hissy fit so I didn’t have to go. My idea of fun was not to watch a horror movie with my 13-year-old brother and Ryan the wrestler.

That was the summer that I bought my first New Kids on the Block CD. Yep, I was one of those pre-adolescent girls looking for meaning in songs such as “Please Don’t Go Girl” and “The Right Stuff.” I also had the traditional poster and pin to go along with my collection.

I also bought Paula Abdul’s Forever Your Girl CD. Paula may be well known for her judging on American Idol, but that summer, she was Katie’s idol.

In a nutshell, that was the summer of 1989 for me. It may not be as stimulating as the summer of ‘69, but it definitely left me with a few memories and a crink in my neck.

Katie Holland can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 136, or by e-mail at silife@myclintonnc.com.