My eighteenth birthday - the Seattle area was hit with a snowstorm that week. It was not very typical for us to miss more than a day or so of school due to snow. Snow might fall but due to our marine layer, it warms up, turns to rain and we get our "Seattle Cement" (heavy, heavy slush). I guess a lot of kids would LOVE to have a snow day and no school for their birthday. But I remember feeling pretty disappointed not to "get" to go to school on my eighteenth birthday. It was a Wednesday and at least the second day in a row school was cancelled. And it just kept coming! It was beautiful but I wanted to be with my friends. At the last moment that night, my Dad drove our ginormous red 1967 Chevy Bel-Air and picked up a few of my friends for a slumber party! I remember sledding at midnight - the snow being perfectly packed. It was a fun, spur of the moment party and I had a blast.
L-R standing: Karla, Me, Eileen, Suzie. Kneeling L-R Mimi, Heidi and Tina.
The Seattle Times that evening (courtesy Seattle Public Library)
We must have missed several more days of school due to snow and the situation affected my high school's graduation. Our class did not have enough days of attendance to graduate. They let us walk our commencement as previously scheduled but we had to attend a day-long workshop at Bellevue Community College to earn our diploma.
So what I remember about the birthday where I was officially an adult old enough to vote was playing like kids in the snow.
Great memories Jana!
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