- Hey everybody, Pastor Steven Anderson here
from Faith Forward Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona.
This is part three of my life story.
And in this video, I'm gonna focus on the same period
of time that I did in the previous videos,
which was like elementary school.
But whereas in the first video,
I focused more on school stuff,
in this video, I'm gonna talk more about like
what we did outside of school, you know,
summer vacations and, you know, free time
and what it was like being a kid in general,
like, you know, late 80s, early 90s.
One of the biggest things that I think of
about that time period is just always being on my bike.
You know, we all had BMX bikes
and so we'd always be riding around the neighborhood
on our bikes and we would go build ramps.
My parents would always buy new houses.
So we like, we'd live in a house for a few years
and then they'd buy a new house.
So we kept moving into newer houses,
which meant that we always lived next to construction sites.
So we would always go to these construction sites
also after working hours
and there'd be all kinds of just, you know,
pieces of wood and plywood and things.
So we would be able to assemble like ramps and jumps.
And so we'd be able to ride our bikes off the jumps.
And then we would also just play around in these houses
that were like under construction.
So we played guns a lot and we'd be like, you know,
sneaking around these houses with our toy guns
and, you know, hiding inside the walls and everything,
'cause they weren't quite built.
So we did a lot of that, riding bikes.
You know, we'd get scraped up and a lot of road rash
from just crashing our BMX bikes,
but that was a lot of fun.
Did a lot of swimming and just, you know,
being outside and playing a lot.
But one of the things that I remember
was a sort of routine I developed on a couple of summers
where I would go down in the morning,
I would bike to the shopping center by my house.
And I had some good friends down the street
that were my age, the Fabilas.
And then if I wasn't with one of the Fabilas,
then I would be with one of my cousins
because some of my cousins would be like visiting
for the summer, even though they lived kind of far away.
In the summers, they would spend weeks at our house
or, you know, be visiting.
So here was the routine.
We would bike over to the shopping center
around like nine something in the morning,
and we would go stand outside of Round Table Pizza.
And I have no idea why we did this.
Like looking back, it doesn't really make a lot of sense,
but we would just be like looking through the window
and just kind of being excited
about how we're gonna eat at Round Table.
We'd be psyched up, looking through the window for a while.
We'd do that for like five or 10 minutes.
Then we'd go next door to Payless Drugstore.
And at Payless, they had a little book and magazine aisle,
and it also had some shelves
that we would like sit on the shelves.
And we would just take these books of like comics,
but not comic books,
but like the kind of comics that were in newspapers,
like Charlie Brown, Calvin and Hobbes,
The Far Side, that kind of stuff.
And we would sit in the shelves
and just read those books for like an hour or something.
And, you know, we never bought them or anything.
We'd just sit in there
and just read them sitting in the shelves.
Then after we did that for a while,
killed a bunch of time,
'cause, you know, it was all about waiting for Round Table
to open at 11.
As soon as Round Table would open at 11,
we'd be there at like 10.45,
just standing out there, just waiting.
It's funny how enthusiastic I was
because, of course, later I would work there as a teenager.
But, you know, right when they turned that key
and opened it at 11, we're in the door
and we would order our Merlin Kids Meal
for $2.14 out the door after tax.
So it was always about like getting together
for that $2.14.
Sometimes my mom would just give me the money.
Sometimes I'd be scrounging the couch cushions
or looking under car seats or whatever,
trying to find money, saving up allowance, whatever.
But, you know, 'cause we would try to go there
like multiple times per week.
And so we had to get that $2.14.
So we could get our Merlin Meal,
which was like a personal pizza.
And then it came with like stickers
and a little kid's cup that you could take home and stuff.
But we would always just walk up and say,
give me a Merlin Meal, no stickers, regular cup.
I would get ham on mine.
My buddy would get pepperoni.
We were just in hog heaven with that personal pizza
from Round Table, glass of unlimited soda.
What else do you need?
And then if we had extra coins,
occasionally we would put quarters in the jukebox
and play songs that we liked.
So that was kind of a routine that we strove for
in the summers, constantly doing that.
You know, aside from playing outside though, honestly,
we also did play a lot of video games,
but these are more primitive games
'cause this is like the original Nintendo.
So when we were growing up, we had the Atari first,
which is like super basic,
and you have like the little joystick
and just a single button.
But then we got the Nintendo pretty early on,
Super Mario Brothers.
I still remember the first time
my dad played Super Mario Brothers,
he just ran into the first little goomba and died,
and then he just put down the controller
and just said, this is stupid,
and he just never played it again.
We did get him into Duck Hunt though,
because that was pretty much just shooting a gun
at the screen, so it was,
that was easy for an adult to accept.
But we played Contra,
up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right,
B.A. start, of course, was the code to get 30 lives,
Super Mario Brothers 2.
What I really got into though,
was Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior,
which were like the most primitive early role-playing games.
So I played video games way too much,
to the point where I actually developed a nervous tick.
And my grandfather, Dick Tackerberry,
pointed out to me at one time, he said,
"You know, the reason that you have that tick
"is 'cause you're playing too many video games."
And he was definitely right,
because as soon as I scaled back on the video games,
then the tick went away.
So don't play too many video games, kids.
So I also got into playing piano a lot at this time.
And at first I didn't have lessons.
So I just taught myself how to play the piano
from books that my mom bought me.
My mom would take me to the music store
and buy me books that I could use
to learn how to play the piano.
But my parents would not give me lessons
just because of the cost.
And I can totally understand
where my parents are coming from on this,
because of the fact that they were already shelling out
huge amounts of money for us to go to Christian school.
It was really expensive.
And so they didn't wanna pay for piano lessons
in addition to that.
So I ended up just mainly teaching myself from books,
but I really liked it.
I was really enthusiastic about it.
So I put in a lot of work on my own.
- Hi, this is Steve Anderson,
and I'm gonna play a little tunes
out of my piano lessons book here.
- Finally, they could see that I was really into it
and that I really cared about it.
So finally they got me
and they worked out a deal with a piano teacher
where instead of going every week,
I would go three times a month.
And then that way it was a little bit discounted
because I only went three times a month.
So then I went to my piano lessons
and was able to get a lot better
just from having an actual teacher helping me.
And my piano teacher was great.
I really enjoyed that.
Also during this time,
I started riding dirt bikes with my dad starting around
maybe fourth, fifth grade around that time.
And the funny thing about riding dirt bikes with my dad
was that my dad's just really good at riding a dirt bike.
He's just extremely good at it, never crashes.
And so he was always kind of taking us on rides
that were a little bit over our head.
So we'd always be riding on these very difficult trails
that were more like his level of riding
than necessarily our level.
And the funny thing was that when you rode with my dad,
you never got a break because he would ride off ahead
and then he'd stop and pull out a canteen,
have something to drink, eat a granola bar or whatever.
And he's just kind of hanging out waiting for us
to catch up.
And then as soon as we get there,
we're kind of thinking like,
"Oh, now it's time to take a break."
He's like, "All right, guys, let's go, the break's over."
So it was just, it was very strenuous
going on these motorcycle trips.
But obviously as a kid, we just, you know, I loved it.
It was awesome, you know, to get that opportunity.
Obviously most kids probably don't get that opportunity
to grow up riding dirt bikes all the time.
And it was a way for me to bond with my dad.
I ended up spending a lot of time with my dad,
not just riding dirt bikes,
but you know, just driving there, driving back.
It was just a lot of just one-on-one time
where just me and my dad went on just scores
of motorcycle trips together.
And so those are a lot of good memories
of riding dirt bikes.
And I remember sometimes though,
riding dirt bikes with my dad,
he had these two canteens.
And I don't know why this was,
but for some reason,
he would have like ice cold diet Coke in one of them,
and then like warm room temperature water in the other one.
And so if you wanted to drink, it was like a choice.
Do you want cold diet Coke?
And like diet Coke did not taste good to me as a kid at all.
I mean, I still don't like it obviously,
but it was like, do you want this cold diet Coke
or do you want warm water?
And so, you know, I would usually take the warm water.
Every once in a while, I just want, I was still hot.
I wanted something cold.
I would kind of just muscle through the cold diet Coke.
But one time I actually,
and this is kind of the main story of this episode,
is one time I got lost on my dirt bike
and I literally thought that I was going to die.
So my dad and I are out motorcycle riding
in the Nevada desert.
And I mean, this is in the winter time
and it would get really, really cold at night.
In fact, I remember there was this one time
my dad and I are out there.
And I think this was the same trip that I got lost in fact,
but it was a similar trip if not.
But my dad and I were sleeping in the back of a camper shell.
So it wasn't like a full camper,
it was just a camper shell on the back of a pickup truck.
And we actually had a little propane heater going
inside of the camper shell.
And even with that heater going,
it was so cold that our water bottles froze solid
that were in there with us where we were sleeping.
So it was like, even with this little heater going,
it was like below freezing.
And I just remember me and my dad were just hugging each,
and it's funny because our family growing up,
we're not super affectionate.
We're not really like big huggers
and really like showing a lot of physical affection.
That's just not how our family was.
But man, we were hugging that night.
I mean, me and my dad were literally just huddled together,
just trying to keep our body heat
and just trying to survive because it was so cold.
So anyway, put that in perspective of the story.
And then in the daytime, it wasn't that cold.
It was just that the temperature would really drop at night.
So on one of these trips,
I'm out with these two other kids
riding around on a dirt bike.
And we were gonna head back to the camp.
And this is pretty early in the morning,
like say, it's only like maybe eight o'clock or something,
or it's still pretty early in the day.
But we had a dispute.
We argued about what was the way back to the campsite.
They thought it was this way, I thought it was this way.
And there was some disagreement about it.
I think ultimately they were the ones that were right.
I've always had a horrible sense of direction.
But for some reason, I was convinced that I was right.
And so we argued about it and they're like,
no, you're wrong, you go your way, we're going our way.
So then they take off and go their way.
Now I thought to myself, I shouldn't be out here by myself.
So even if their way is wrong,
I should just follow them anyway,
because I don't wanna get lost out here.
So I kickstart my dirt bike and I start riding after them.
But because I had hesitated and thought about it
for a minute, you know, they were off ahead of me.
And we're in these sand washes,
where you can only see like maybe 20 feet in front of you,
'cause it's walls on both sides,
and it's this windy sand wash and everything.
So you couldn't really see where you were going.
So I was just following their dust,
because they had left before me.
I couldn't actually see them.
I was just following their dust.
Well, at some point I must've missed a turn or something,
because all of a sudden the dust just stopped.
So all of a sudden there's no more dust and I'm going along
and then there's a fork in the road.
I didn't know which way to go.
'Cause remember, I thought this was the wrong way
that they were going anyway.
And so I was obviously confused about where I was.
I was following their dust, trying to catch up with them.
They ended up just leaving me behind.
They didn't even know that I was even following them.
So they're not waiting for me or anything.
So I just picked a turn and next thing you know,
I am just completely lost and I have no idea where I am.
And I mean, we're talking, this is the middle of nowhere
in the desert in Nevada.
I mean, there's nothing around.
So the place where we were camped was near a town.
And I mean, it's not even really a town.
It was called Johnson Lane.
That's what the place is called, Johnson Lane.
So, you know, when a town has Lane in the name,
that tells you it's a pretty small place.
So anyway, I knew I needed to get back to Johnson Lane,
but I'm just riding around the desert
and I'm just wandering for hours on my dirt bike.
And I have no idea where I'm going, where civilization is.
I just keep getting more and more lost.
And I'm thinking to myself, if I don't find the campsite
or if I don't find civilization, I am going to die
because I didn't have any gear, I have no survival gear.
I'm just on a motorcycle in daytime clothes.
And the night before, remember, it's like way below freezing.
I just thought I will freeze to death tonight.
I will die if I do not find something by the end of the day.
And so just hours and hours of just riding around,
searching, searching, searching, nothing.
You know, I saw like some power lines
and I'm just kind of like going toward power lines
thinking like maybe that's civilization, nothing.
I see a building like way off in the distance.
Oh yeah, a building, safe.
I ride and ride and ride and get to that building.
The building is an empty barn.
So I was just thinking to myself,
but yeah, this is it, man.
I'm dying, I'm gonna die tonight.
This is how, this is how I die.
This is the end of my life.
So then finally I see this other teenager.
So I think I was like 11 at the time or something.
I see this teenager and he's riding a motorcycle
and I was just like, wow, finally I'm safe.
So I ride over to this guy and I say, hey, I'm lost.
You gotta help me.
I gotta get back to Johnson Lane.
And he's like, oh yeah, no problem.
I can get you there.
And I said, hey, I think I'm almost out of gas
because I've been riding around all day
and I'm afraid I'm gonna run out of gas.
Can I siphon some gas out of your tank into mine?
And he said, well, I don't think that's a good idea
but why don't I just ride with you?
And then if you run out, then I'll do that.
But otherwise, let's just go.
So I was like, thank you, Lord.
'Cause I mean, I was praying and begging God for help
because I thought I was gonna die.
So then we, and I'm thinking, man,
my dad's gotta be really worried about me.
So I ended up riding with this kid back to Johnson Lane
and I'm like, you know, I gotta get back to my dad.
I gotta get back to the campsite.
But he's like, oh, we gotta stop somewhere in Johnson Lane.
We gotta stop at this guy's house for a little bit.
And I was afraid to leave this guy.
This guy's name was Fritz.
I didn't wanna leave Fritz because I was afraid
that I was gonna run out of gas.
And so I had to stay with Fritz.
And so if Fritz is gonna make a stop at this guy's house,
I gotta make the stop too.
So I pull off with him, me and Fritz,
we go into this guy's house,
and this is like late afternoon at this point.
And this guy's just like, hey man, how you doing?
He was all like tired and like kinda just, oh man,
we had this party last night.
He just goes into this big story telling us
about some wild party that he had.
And I mean, this guy ends up just talking to us
for like over an hour.
So we're just sitting in this guy,
this stranger's living room and he's just telling us
about all this wild partying and just telling stories.
And I'm just thinking to myself, man, I gotta get,
I gotta get outta here, my dad's probably freaking out.
He's probably calling the police or something.
But you know, as a kid, you kinda just wanna be cool.
And so I'm just kinda like, okay,
I'm just kinda listening to the story
and just kinda going along with it
and just acting like everything's fine.
I just didn't really know what to do.
I didn't, you know, and this guy's doing me a favor,
so I don't know, like, hey, hurry up, let's go.
So I just sat there and, you know,
I don't know how long it was, but it felt like a long time.
It had to be at least like an hour that we're discussing.
Finally, like, as the sun is almost going down,
we leave the guy's house and Fritz and I
ride over to the campsite.
And I mean, just as it's getting dark,
just as the sun's going down,
I'm pulling into the campsite
and I've been out the entire day.
I mean, I've been out for like eight hours
or something lost in the desert.
And then I pull in and my dad, I literally passed my dad.
My dad was literally leaving on his motorcycle
to go looking for me, to go hunting for me,
just as I'm getting back.
And the reason that he hadn't looked for me earlier
is 'cause he'd been out riding dirt bikes all day.
He didn't even know I was missing.
He had just found out I was missing,
like I guess minutes before, less than an hour before.
And he was just going out with a few other people
as like a search party to figure out where in the world I was.
But anyway, I got back just in time.
I think that that's probably one of the closest times
that I ever got to dying because I'm pretty convinced
that if I hadn't have found anyone or anything,
I would be dead because there's no way
I would have survived those temperatures.
Because at night, I mean, I'm in a camper shell
to at least protect from the wind and stuff with a heater on
and I'm hugging my dad and just barely,
barely staying warm enough.
And so I would have absolutely.
And that was, and I'm with my dad,
like we're in sleeping bags, okay.
Out there with no supplies, I probably would have been dead.
But anyway, growing up, riding dirt bikes
was a big part of my life, which was a pretty cool way
to grow up and spend time with my dad.
And I pretty much, as soon as I got married,
became an adult, I pretty much never rode a dirt bike again.
Like I would say, since I got married at age 19,
I've probably spent like altogether total,
like an hour on a dirt bike or something.
But growing up, man, I was just hundreds of hours
of dirt bike riding with my dad.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story.
God bless you, have a great day.