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Mrs. Bell was my first grade teacher in 1969 and I remember about a handful of things. I remember reading Dick and Jane books, square dancing in gym class, my crush on Tommy and the unforgettable era with the Twinkie.

I looked forward to lunch time. We'd line up at our classroom door and while clutching my metal Archies lunchbox, I would wiggle in line to get close to Tommy. Somewhere between Dick and Jane stories and doing the dosey doe in gym class, he never noticed my adoration for his 6-year-old baby face and big brown eyes.

I always looked forward to lunch time. Not sure if it was because we were getting a break from Dick and Jane or the anticipation of flipping open the lid of my lunchbox to reveal the goodies inside. Every school day I'd flip open my lunchbox to survey inside a sandwich, some kind of fruit or veggie, milk and a pack of Twinkies.

It all started out pretty exciting. As soon as I saw that twin pack of yellow sponge cake with the cream peeking out of the inside, I knew I had arrived to lunch time euphoria. I didn't even notice brown-eyed Tommy sitting at the next table.

Every single school day I'd line up at the classroom door for lunch, flash a smile at Tommy and flip the lid to my lunchbox. I was never disappointed. There they were, beaming their golden glow, day after day and lunch after lunch.

It was at the end of the school year that I started to realize that all of Dick and Jane's adventures were sucking the life right out of me. Not to mention, the dosey doe and my Twinkie lunches were starting to lose their golden charm. Then to make matters worse, I found out Tommy was moving away.

I sulked on the last day of school as I knew it would be my last time smiling at sweet brown-eyed Tommy. I certainly wasn't going to miss Dick and Jane and I knew it was time to take a break from the Twinkie lunches.

Summer break went by quickly and I started the second grade in Mrs. Johnson's class. It didn't take long for me to scan the classroom hoping that Tommy had had a change of plans, but no such luck. It wasn't until Mrs. Johnson announced that it was lunch time that I felt a switch in my focus. We lined up at the classroom door and with my new Scooby Doo lunchbox in my clutches, I knew this was the best time of the day.

We single-filed down to the cafeteria, and I plopped down at the lunch table anticipating to see those chocolate cupcakes with the white swirly loops on top. I flipped the lid and to my surprise there snuggled behind a bologna sandwich was a pack of...you got it...stinkin' TWINKIES!

All I could do was sit and stare pitifully into my lunchbox. Honestly, there just may have been a tear forming and a gagging reflex thwarting in the back of my throat.

It didn't take long for the cafeteria lady with her blonde bouffant hairdo to notice that I had a disturbed look on my face. Her tall thin frame sauntered over to me and she asked, "Sweetie, is there a problem with your lunch?"

"Oh, no," I sadly responded. "I was just thinking...if I had a nickel for every Twinkie I've gotten, maybe I'd have enough to hop a bus outta here to go see Tommy!"

I have NOT had a Twinkie since.

- Laurie Oien is a wife and mother living in Minnesota and determined to uncover the second half of life with zest and zeal. She has a background in marketing and accounting for the last 25 years and recently discovered that one can't live by adding machines and numbers alone. Therefore, she created a humorous lifestyle blog. Laurie has been a contributor to Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop and Midlife Boulevard. She's also a featured author in the anthology, Feisty After 45, released by Mills Park Publishing. Laurie blogs at A Square of Chocolate.