Friends

I've been thinking about all of my old friends lately. Not just back in Oregon, I mean OLD friends. Here are a few folks I've been thinking about:

Ernie Born - he was our neighbor in Cottage Grove. He used to let me help him polish aggots in his garage. I spent a lot of time with him and his wife Linda. She passed away when I was in 4th grade. But, he's still living in Cottage Grove. I talked to him a few weeks ago and he ended the conversation with "I love you kid." (I'm 31 now!)

Kim Bolton (Snauer) - we shared our birthday for many years. I think it was a ploy by our mothers to save money! We spent nearly every weekend together. I once ripped the head off of her cabbage patch doll by accident....sorry again Kim. One time she told me that her brothers' girlriend lived on Kenady lane and asked me if I could spell it. I spelled it like the President, I was wrong. The cool spelling stuck with me and I named my daughter after it. Kim & I even worked together at a hotel. I was able to attend her wedding as well.......she was a beautiful bride.

Patrick McDonald - his brother Christopher was a good friend to my brother Marty. We got stuck playing together quite a bit. He hated playing school, but I insisted. Once for Valentines Day, he gave me a whole box of those gross heart candies. He had picked out all of the ones that said kiss me and gave me the rest. Like I said, we were just friends. =)


Tori Bell - she was one of my best friends from 3rd - 7th grade. We lived close and spent every spare moment together. She had 1 brother and 3 sisters and they lived in a 3 bedroom house. While their quarters were cramped, they always made me feel welcome. Her Mom would feed us ramen & kool-aid and send us to the neighborhood park. Tori's room was small and she had to share, but I still think about how well she dealt with all of that. She didn't have a beautiful vanity to hold all of her Wet & Wild eye shadows and Salon Selectives hairspray. Do you know what she used? A cardboard box turned on it's side. It was perfect. She could put all the stuff down below and put a small mirror on top. Her curling iron resting next to it. Remember, we all had big bangs back then! I quit using my own vanity and instead used a box.

Katie McClure - she was my absolute BEST friend growing up. She lived in a beautiful home on Watagua. Her room had this cool playroom attached to it. Her brother Michael's room had a laundry chute. We spent a lot of time going up the stairs and sliding down that chute.

Their house backed up to some trees, so we would play war with my brother and hers. The boys always ended up tying me to a tree. I never fought back because Mom would send me in a dress and I didn't want to get dirty. I was easily defeated.

Her Mom Melinda was tall and absolutely beautiful. She always made me try new foods while I visited (I was extremely picky). One night it was beets. I LOVED them. My mom had always told me I would, but I resisited.

In high school I was having a problem with a young man harrassing me. My parents decided it wasn't safe in Cottage Grove for awhile. I went to Phoenix Oregon to stay with the McClure's. It was so nice of them to open their doors to me for over a month. I remember years later at a conference we were asked to write down someone's name whom we admired greatly. I remember writing down Melinda's name. Their family made a HUGE impression in my life.

Anyway, these were some of my best friends growing up. Some of us are still close, but all are still friends in my book.