Boo-ya!

Last month we thought it would be fun to do a post to remind everyone about all of the wonderful things the 90s gave us. The memories took over, and we just had too much to say. So, we are back today to finish our tribute to the decade that gave us everything from TGIF to dial up internet. We hope by the end of this post you’ll be wearing plaid overalls and butterfly clips in your hair.

Caroline

Cuisine
When I tried to think of food in the 90s, a trifecta of nourishment immediately came to mind.

Pizzarias

Oh my stars, I’ve never known a better chip. When I sat down to write this post, I asked Mark if he remembered Pizzarias from the 90s. He immediately said that he did but then said something that tipped me off that he thought I meant an actual pizzeria. He’s from New Jersey(about 30 min from NYC); I don’t relate to him. I’m from the country; a pizzeria was Pizza Hut. Truth be told, When Keebler stopped making these, I truly considered writing them a strongly-worded letter to bring them back.

Clearly Canadian

If you didn’t drink one of these and have that blackberry fizz go all up your nose, you weren’t truly living.

Vienetta

My mother was the best of the best when she’d let me get this at the grocery store. I thought I was the fanciest broad eating ice cream in the form of a slice.

Movies

I will never be someone who wants to watch the movies on a “Hollywood’s Best List” or the ones that are up for an Oscar because those will probably be boring and too intellectual. I want a simple story line that will make me laugh or tug at my heart. The 90s did that for me. Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire, A League of their Own, Little Giants, Mighty Ducks, and The Sandlot are just the beginning of the greatness we were given. If you don’t become dehydrated from crying after watching My Girl, then I think you need to reevaluate your life. If you don’t clap along for beloved Rudy Ruettiger, then you need to check your heart. If you don’t want to join a convent after watching Sister Act, then I just don’t know who you are anymore. If anyone wants to come over for a 90s movie day, let me know because that sounds like a perfect day.
I can’t end this tribute to the 90s movies without this clip. Kathy Najimy was our queen.

Simplicity

Let’s face it. Life was just simple during the 90s, and sometimes I wish we were back to our old ways. I think the fact that we can have anything at our fingertips almost instantly has made us greedy and impatient, but I’m not here to preach. I’m here for nostalgia. Here are some of the simple things I remember. A household all shared one phone number, and it was a mystery when someone was calling. We passed notes during class instead of texting. (Side note: When I was in middle school, someone started passing a note around during Language Arts for everyone to drop their books on the floor at 1:05. We were in Miss Gunn’s class, and Miss Gunn was easily 115 years old. I think her heart probably stopped at 1:05 when we did that.) We’d browse catalogs and then call customer service to place an order. Pictures were taken with cameras and then developed. If you weren’t home to watch Full House at 8:00, then too bad. If you ran to get a drink during a commercial, you raced to make it back in time. I’m kind of getting teary eyed thinking about all of this. Let’s just go back to simpler days.

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Thank you, 90s for all you gave us. You were one of the greats.

Kat

Beanie Babies
Like all girls in the mid to late 90s, I was obsessed with Beanie Babies. They all lined the built in shelves in my bedroom. Now they sit in a box in my parents’ basement collecting dust along with all my other hopes, dreams, and potential. The town we grew up in, Crawfordville, GA, has a Labor Day Fair every year. Vendors. Rides. and Funnel Cakes. I couldn’t have been older than third grade, but I walked up to the fair to peruse the sights. And I saw it. A rare Princess Diana Beanie Baby. I had to have it. I still remember when Diana died. I was in first grade. She died August 31st. Our dog, Angel, had had puppies the day before. WHY DOES MY BRAIN HOLD ON TO THESE THINGS?! Anyway, I went home to get money for that Beanie Baby, and my third grade self bought that thing for $65. I won’t even spend that on a pair of shoes as a functioning adult with a job, and I bought a Beanie Baby. Gah. Where was Dave Ramsey for youths? 

Book It Pizza
Whose school did this? You read. You get pizza. What a deal! I’m salivating thinking about a personal pan cheese pizza from Pizza Hut as I type this. How can we get this back as adults? Maybe this is where my need for a reward system began. My friends all make fun of me because I operate on rewards. It started with Book It! I’m cancelling therapy for this week based on that breakthrough. 

Watching Finales Live
Ok. I think I voiced my opinion of series finales on our very first post . And yes, they still make me sad, and yes, I can usually only watch them once. But I miss it being an affair to sit down and watch the series finale. I STILL remember watching the Full House finale live. It aired in 1995. I was six. The cast members were all called out one by one to do a curtain call-starting with Nicky and Alex.

I remember being in eighth grade at a sports banquet, and my coach saying, “Ok. I was told to make this brief because you all need to get home and see the Friends finale.” Yes, Greg, you DID need to make it brief. SHE GOT OFF THE PLANE.

We are way too privileged with our streaming services and DVR. You need to be able to show TRUE commitment to characters by altering your plans to be there to watch the story come to a close.

To quote Nick Miller, “We’ve gotten too soft with our antibiotics and our sports creams.” Take me back to a simpler time when you fell off your roller blades and kept on rolling. Your diet consisted of pizzaria chips and dunkaroos and no one commented on your gluten intake. You put Sun In in your hair and it turned it orange, but you walked into elementary school with your head held high and Lisa Frank in tow because you were truly “all that and a bag of chips.”

Raise a glass of Sunny Delight to the greatest decade.