JENI - My longest and bestest friend in the whole wide world is my friend JENI... We've been like sisters since I was in the fifth grade. We lost touch for many many years, but through perservance and a lot of hard work she found me again a couple years ago. We've stayed in touch ever since. I recently visited her and it was wonderful. I got to know her again as an adult and she was a whole lot of fun to be with. I didn't know she still had a wild side to her, but after partying with her the night I visited, I saw and experienced first hand what a great person she is. I will treasure our friendship always.
FRAN - Fran is not only a VERY SPECIAL friend to me, she's also my EX mother-in-law. Yep, my son's grandma. I have a picture of her on Jonathan's page if you want to see this special lady. I first met her when Charlie (my first ex) brought me out to her house one of the times when my father left me and Chris alone for a couple of weeks. Don't be alarmed, that's just part of my roller coaster ride through life. Anyway, Fran just couldn't believe a 15 year old girl could be left alone like that and from that moment on she's played (and still plays) a MAJOR role in my life. She took me into her home, gave me much needed love, and has provided guidance to me throughout my troubled life. She even used to "make" me go to GED school. She was tough, but fair and I needed that back then. Trust me on that :-) She is and always will be the "mother" that my own didn't know how to be. Thank you Fran for everything!!! P.S. I left you off this page to begin with because I planned on creating a whole page devoted just to you. I still plan to do that, but in the meantime I wanted to make sure you knew just how much of a "friend" I consider you :-)
ALTHEA - This is my other mother... I have three you know :-) She means the world to me too. She has been there for me since I was 14 years old. Her and her now jerk of an ex-husband lived next door to my little brother and I in Topeka KS. My father, whom we lived with, used to leave Chris and I alone for weeks at a time when he had to work out of town. Althea would watch over us like a guardian angel even though she wasn't asked to do so. And she's been watching over me ever since. I love her dearly!!
MARK - I've never Mark in person, yet I feel very close to him. You see... we met over the phone while I was stationed at McGuire AFB. He was at the headquarters level and his job and mine meshed. He basically trained me, over the phone, my duties and responsibilities. He also brought laughter in an other wise stressful life. We spent two years sharing our job, our lives, and a whole lot of laughter. When I moved to my next base, we still kept in touch. And when I was diagnosed with my cancer, he was one of the first people I contacted as I knew his son had Hodgkins Disease as a boy and I also knew he would make me laugh. And he did :-) A year later, he was diagnosed with the same cancer. Can you believe that?? So I felt I was there for him too and we became not only closer friends but what I like to call "chemo buddies." It's hard sometimes to really tell someone how you are feeling about cancer so when you know someone who is dealing with it too, it really and truly helps. Because the other person knows exactly what you mean. Thank you Mark for all the times you were there for me and for all the laughter we shared and still share through email.
KELLI - I met Kelli at school during my retirement. When I first saw her I thought she looked just like Bridgette Fonda. I couldn't get over the resemblance. She said that other people had said that in the past too so at least I wasn't the only one sounding like a fool :-) Although she was 10 years younger than I we hit it off and became school buds :-) In fact, we had this untalked about competition of grades going on too. We both ended up with a 4.0 gpa. Pretty cool, huh? Here's a picture of her and our other school buds. She's the short one of the bunch :-)
RANDY L - Randy is my son's great uncle. I've known him since I was seventeen when I married his nephew (my son's father) Charlie. We've stayed in touch through the years just like I do with his sister Fran. (Fran will get a page of her own which is in the works) Randy has had his ups and downs with life too. And he's currently having another up. I'm happy for him. Take a look at his girlfriend's web page. Ooops, I forgot the URL. I'll have to get back with you on that. Sorry.
RANDY Z - Randy is also a very old friend... We met in 8th grade and share a lot of teenage and early 20's history together. Lots of great memories and a couple that weren't so great, but hey, that marks a really good friend when you can have ups and downs and years later are still in contact. Our children even grew up together... that's how close we were at one time. Hi Randy!! Remember that one crazy night a long long time ago? :-)
CHRISTIE, CHRISTY AND MARY - My teenage year buds from junior high school. We were once called "The bowling alley bums" because we all hung out at the local bowling alley doing the things teenagers do when they're young -- flirt!! The one thing that comes to mind is when we were all nuts about this older bowler named "Mike" We called him... crap, now I can't remember... he was a dancer way back when... that's it--FRED ASTAIRE!!! Spelling is probably wrong, but you know who I'm talking about. Remember when we cleaned his trailer??
MIKE - Mike brings back lots of funny memories from my dorm days when I first joined the Air Force.
ROB - What can I say about my friend Rob? That he has a memory like an elephant?
That he has this gorgeous tatoo? Yes, to both of those, but what I'd really like to say is that he is, was, and will always be a great memory and friend. I'm happy for him that he found someone to make him happy for the rest of his life.
A Friend.......
(A)ccepts you as you are.
(B)elieves in "you".
(C)alls you to say "Hi".
(D)oesn't give up on you.
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts).
(F)orgives your mistakes.
(G)ives unconditionally.
(H)elps you.
(I)invites you over.
(J)ust "be" with you.
(K)eeps you close at heart.
(L)oves you for who you are.
(M)akes a difference in your life.
(N)ever judges.
(O)ffers support.
(P)icks you up.
(Q)uiets your fears.
(R)aises you spirits.
(S)ays nice things to you.
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it.
(U)nderstands you.
(V)alues you.
(W)alks beside you.
(X)-plains things you don't understand.
(Y)ells at you when you don't listen. AND
(Z)aps you back to reality.
Back.
