This weekend I went to my niece’s swim meet. (She rocked the pool!) Between her swims, I took my boys and my nephew into another room at the YMCA to play. You know, away from the pool deck! As I let the boys run around and play… a group of tween girls came into the gym and sat next to me.

I say “tweens” because they were probably around 12 years old… let’s put it this way – I knew they weren’t in high school because one of their jackets said “middle school.”

So… as tween girls do (I was one years ago…) they started laughing and giggling and talking about boys (apparently this “Tony” is quite the catch) and what they are going to wear to the Valentine’s Dance.

I couldn’t help it… I sat there just smiling away as I listened to them. And then they took it out… and I had to keep myself from going over and joining in –

MASH.  You know, Mansion, Apartment, Shack, House

You remember that game, don’t you? Where you predict what kind of house you are going to have, who you are going to marry, how many kids you are going to have, what kind of job you will have and what kind of car you will drive. Your whole life – predicted on a piece of paper.

I started thinking back to my tweens…

I wanted to be a teacher, like my mother.
I wanted to be married to a boy named Michael. (We’ll leave it at that.)
I wanted to have 10 kids. (I’m guess I’m on my way…)
I wanted to live in a (what else?) mansion in Rhode Island.
And I wanted to drive a Corvette. (You know, because with 10 kids it’s the best kind of car to have!)

OK. I’m 1 for 6 – I live in Rhode Island.

But think back… what was your MASH when you were that wide-eyed tween… ??