When you need it bad, we've got it good! Florida!

Remember the old Florida tourism commercial?

When I started this blog, I was living in New Jersey. Over the years, I got sick of jobs that didn't pay very well, real estate prices that started at $350,000, yearly homeowner taxes in the double digits and living 90 minutes away from a beach. I had been laid off for like the third time in three years and my husband was facing an impending layoff after ten years with his company. We finally realized we needed to make a big change. 

We gave away or sold everything we owned, filled our two Hondas with whatever was left and moved to Florida. In February, we celebrated one year in The Sunshine State and have never been happier. We're closing on our first home in less than a week (fingers crossed) and have wonderful   jobs earning decent salaries. We paid off a nice chunk of New Jersey credit card debt and still managed to save enough dough to put toward a house. 

I know this blog is about the past and fun memories, so in an effort to stick to my subject matter ... Here's where I'm going with this post ... This morning, I was in the kitchen fixing us fried egg whites, coffee and toast, when the lyrics to an old TV commercial filled my head. I couldn't quite figure out if I had made this ad up, or if it was real. 

"When you need it bad, we've got it good, when you need it bad, come to Florida! 'Cuz we've got it good here." I asked hubs about the jingle. He's a few years younger than me ... and had no recollection of it.

Well, I Googled it of course and it's real! It's a tourism TV ad that ran in the late 1980s and early 1980s to promote tourism in Florida. The ad, created by Mike Sloan Advertising agency in Miami, aired heavily in Northern and Midwestern states. With it's catchy jingle and winter stock imagery, the campaign was crazy successful in recruiting visitors to the state. 

I knew I wasn't dreaming. It's funny because although we're not tourists escaping the winter cold, the slogan kinda rings true for us ... We needed a change bad and now we've got it pretty good. 

Check out the Florida commercial. If you grew up in the Northeast or Midwest in the late '70s and '80s, it should look familiar to you.

Robert Hays | The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything

I loved Robert Hays when I was 8.

Although I was only 8, I had the biggest crush on Robert Hays of Airplane fame. I first spotted him on Angie, a short-lived sitcom from 1979. A year later he starred alongside Mork & Mindy's Pam Dawber, in a made-for-TV-movie called The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything. 

If you ask me, this movie was, well, inappropriate for children. I don't even know why my folks allowed me to watch it. I'm sure they had no idea I was in the den glued to the tube. Years later, the details are fuzzy, but the concept was fascinating.

Adorable Kirby (Robert Hays) inherited a fancy gold stopwatch from his wealthy, eccentric uncle. This watch had the ability to stop time. So Kirby  would sort of freeze everyone around him, yet somehow he and his girl (Pam) weren't affected. Zaniness ensued, etc.Cool to a kid!

Does anyone remember this made for TV movie?

Here's the intro and first few minutes. You can view all of The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything on YouTube. 

Units & Multiples 80s Fashions

Multiples or Units by Sandra Garratt were cool
mix and match fashions from the '80s.

The other day, my coworkers and I were at lunch. I told them about my blog and they insisted that I write something about Multiples or Units, the 1980s clothing line founded by Texas fashion designer Sandra Garratt.

I'll be honest, I vaguely really remember this cool mix and match concept of dressing. The photos of the comfy-looking fashions do look familiar, but for some reason, I missed the boat. Sandra's Units came out in 1979 and her Multiples line was launched in 1989.

Multiples for men and women.

Sandra Garratt's story behind Units and Multiples is an awesome rags-to-riches tale. A broke, single mom trying to make a living as a designer, Sandra used her last $38 (from an unemployment check!) to purchase some fabric. She fashioned a few simple cotton skirts, tops and pants, which were to be worn tied and layered. She called them modulars and sold them in a small local boutique. 

Sandra's modulars took off like wildfire and soon 600 shops opened in malls across the U.S. and women of all ages were smitten by the easy-to-wear Units and Multiples styles. Ladies loved Units for their comfort -- some say they loved how five pieces could be mixed, matched and layered to create a week's worth of styles. 

Today, Sandra Garratt is living in LA and still busy creating different looks for women, men and children with MODBOX, SilvrLining and more. 

Did you own Multiples or Units? My coworkers admitted they still have one or two of Sandra's simplistic, timeless pieces. 

Adidas Stan Smiths Sneakers

Stan Smiths sneakers by Adidas were
 the coolest in the 1980s

In the mid 1980s, my crush and best friend, Danny always wore white Adidas Stan Smiths sneakers. These tennis shoes were called Stan Smiths after the famous 1960s / 1970s American tennis star. They were simple white leather Adidas sneakers, only they were designed without the telltale Adidas stripes. Instead, there were three row rows of small air vent type holes where the brand's lines usually appear. 

An image or sketch of the famous Stan Smith tennis player appeared on the tongue in green. The detailing colors on the pair Danny owned, was a Kelly green. Though the sneakers also came in white with navy blue (maybe this was later on), the green and white were the most popular Stan Smiths Adidas sneakers. I myself had a pair and thought I was the coolest, hippest kid on my Long Island block. 

Did you once sport a pair of sneakers that made you feel especially fashionable, hip or cool?

I Loved My Kodak Disc Camera

Kodak Disc 4000, the best Christmas gift ever in 1983.

I first received the Kodak Disc 4000 camera from Santa on Christmas Day of 1983. When you're a child, there's nothing like receiving your very first camera as a child. I loved the Kodak Disc 4000 camera! It was so stylish, slick and silver. The Kodak Disc film was cool looking even though it was overpriced and only allowed you to take 15 photos at a time.

It's so depressing how my very first favorite camera was made by a company that recently announced it will no longer create cameras. I'm sorry, I'm just not good with change. Sometimes I wish life was as simple as asking for, and receiving a Kodak Disc 4000 camera. 

Romper Stompers Cups You Walk On

Romper Stompers

Since Monday, I have wanted to blog about something, yet couldn't recall what they were called. I had the image in my head. They were sturdy yellow plastic cups with green cord attached to them.  Back in the late 1970s, we'd walk on these plastic cups and hold onto the string while walking. Talk about a retro toy. 

I did some research on this simple vintage toy. Originally marketed by Romper Room Toys, they were called Romper Stompers. I found out that an original pair of these fetch $50 on eBay. As a child, I thought the idea was to make us kids feel taller. WRONG! They were for hand-eye coordination and for exercise. What??? Romper Stompers, from Hasbro can be purchased today and come in a variety of colors and style. Did you have a pair?

Hubba Bubba Soda

Hubba Bubba was bubble gum
 flavored soda in regular and diet.

I've confessed my love for Hubba Bubba gum, but there was a Hubba Bubba product I never did get to try, Hubba Bubba soda. Anyone remember this? I love soda. I love gum. How amazing this must have been. I would love to get my hands on just one can.