Posted by Jodi in “You can take the girl out of the park, but you can’t take the park out of the girl!”
Grace and Laurie 1976
This is one of the the mantra’s of my youth. We grew up in a small Ohio city, in a neighborhood with tree lined streets and plenty of room to move. Middle class. Blue collar. It was a nice place to grow up and still is for the most part. Firestone Park is the name but we just say “the park” as if there could be no confusion. The best thing about the park is the inhabitants. Especially the women it produces! We Park Girls are an ornery and independent bunch. Loyal, smart, hilariously funny, beautiful inside and out. Growing up being a Park Girl meant that you where cool, stylish and traveled in packs!
Take Grace, Laurie and Petie for example-Smart-Funny-Amazing! Park Girls! When I was little I thought my sisters where supermodels (and then I grew up and figured out we were all really short). But you can see why I think these are women are some of the coolest people on the planet. I know, gorgeous right?
Laurie and Petie
I will be digging out my photo albums and chatting with the Park Girls I know and love (who are all on Facebook now) so that we can entertain you with our favorite stories. I might be a little prejudiced, but we have some good stories!
What’s your story? Where are you from? What brought you here? Tell us, we want to know! Send us your pictures and stories, tell us about your girlfriends growing up. And then tell us what they are doing now that they are in the Menopause Mafia!
Send you stories to menopausemafia@gmail.com. We will be choosing one story to post each week for the next four weeks. 500 words or less, please!
No one will be chosen who includes an embaressing picture of me-I’m just saying.
Love that hairdo on Grace Ann.
Haaaa, Park Girls!!!
Where to begin, first of all there are park girls and then there are true Park Girls….the TRUE ones always have a connection and not matter your age you always find someone you know in common!
Then there are the adventures……..Walking the streets all night after playing the old hey Mom i’m staying at Missy’s….Missy…Hey mom I’m staying at Terri’s. But of course that was a door open to all. My mothers big heart could never turn anyone away. Talk about strange, try waking up with someone in your bed that was’nt there when you went to bed!!!
Make no mistake a Park girl is a Park girl in the 70’s, 80′,90’s and always!!!
Hey Terri,
I was right there with ya sister! We did pull the wool over some unsuspecting mothers’ eyes, and your Mom was warm, and generous to all of us girls back then. What a great place to grow up! My heart is still there. 80’s Park girls rule!!(how 1986 of me!!)
Tisha and Terri,
(to be sung to the tune of Glory Days)
My friends they were all Park Girls back in high school
They could throw a witty remark by you
Make you look like a fool boy
Saw them the other night on my favorite website I was commenting and so were they
I grabbed my computer and a bottle of wine, had a few drinks but all they kept talking about was
Park days well they’ll pass you by
Park days in the wink of a Park Girl’s eye
Park days, Park days
There’s a guy that lives up the block back in school he had bigger hair than all of us
Sometimes on a Friday I’ll stop by and have a few drinks after his Mom goes to bed
He never married- still in a hair band
I guess it’s twenty years gone by now
We just sit around talking about the old times, he says when he feels like crying he starts laughing thinking about
Park days well they’ll pass you by
Park days in the wink of a Park Girl’s eye
Park days, Park days
Think I’m sitting down at my computer tonight and I’m going to drink till my bed time at 10
And I hope when I get old I don’t sit around thinking about it but I probably will
Yeah just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of, but time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but FABULOUS stories of Park days
This comment stolen from Bruce Springsteen just for my favorite Park Girls, I love you guys!
Missy
Awesome we Love you to and yes we will be old and always talking about the park!!!
Teri
Your Mom was Awesome!!!! Tisha or Sandy was with me on a “I am staying with” Trick!Except we got caught, the Mom’s were sitting on the front porch waiting for us in the morning!!!! Oops:0