I have so many memories from my old house that I'll always treasure. It's strange, because I know that all of those moments were from the "relatively young" part of my life; 10-years-old and younger, to be exact. It's like it was another world, another dream, another level of a video game. And for so many of those memories, they begin from my perspective of sitting down on the couch in front of the TV and then looking to my left into the kitchen, where Mom, Dad, Josh, or Maria would be calling me.

My memory of my introduction to Dole's Orange-Peach-Mango Juice begins like this.

I think I was dressed in my orange soccer uniform, though I can't remember exactly. Mom and Josh were calling me over excitedly, encouraging me to try the new juice that Mom had bought. I'm always slightly hesitant to try things like this, and I'm not particularly sure why, because it's still like that today. But nevertheless, I took a sip, smiled, and reported that it was delicious.

I don't know how many cartons of Orange-Peach-Mango Juice (lovingly shortened to "Peach Mango" eventually) Mom must have bought over the years. If it wasn't in the refrigerator, I would always demand to know why and vehemently request that it reappear in its spot after the next trip to the grocery store. I recall accompanying Mom on one of these trips, and once I had to stand up on one of the shelves in order to reach the cartons all the way on the back on the top shelf. And an older woman came up to me and said, "Um...while you're up there..." And I laughed and passed one down to her, delighted that others were enjoying my favorite juice. Another time in 7th grade, we had to write a business letter to a company for English class, and if we got a response, it was extra credit. I wrote to Dole complimenting them on Peach Mango and suggested that they should continue developing new juices. They sent me a letter back, and a think a couple months later they did come out with a new flavor. Clearly, I doubt a 7th grader's letter influenced them, but I liked to pretend that it did.

I think eventually, the rest of my family grew sick of it. Mom started buying new flavors and didn't buy Peach Mango as much. But I'd still request it. She and Josh would always say, "You still like Peach Mango? It's gross." And I think I did sort of lose my taste for it, but it was nostalgic to me. We had been buying it for so many years that it was strange to think that it wouldn't be an option anymore. It meant that I wouldn't get the unique taste of Peach Mango while eating eggs, or eating tuna sandwiches, or eating mac and cheese, because it would taste differently with each kind of food. I just had some sort of emotional attachment to it that I didn't want to let go.

Mom did end up fading it out, and I don't think I noticed too much. She started buying other juices, and a particular favorite of mine is Pomegranate Lemonade, or as I lovingly call it, "Fruit Rolls-Ups in a Cup." But with all of those memories of younger years stands Peach Mango.

And I do still secretly look for it every time I pass the juice section.