Since I shared about Linda a few weeks ago, I don’t want you to think I’m going to profile all of my friends on my blog, because I’m not. There are a few I just feel like talking about, that’s all.
Mike had a post about Chris (his son) and Austin’s friendship since birth. I thought it was sweet, but I couldn’t relate. We moved a few times and I never really kept a continuous friend. I tried a few times, but it always seemed that I was more interested in the friendship than my “friend” was.
I would have to say my cousin Jodee is my oldest friend. We are 6 months apart in age, and as junior highers we became inseparable – well at church and camp anyway. We sure kept the phone lines busy too! We had the same last name, so everyone thought we were sisters. We remained close until college. We both went to York, but I was a grade ahead of her and we made different friends, and had different interests. She married my friend Brian, and now they have a wonderful family with two beautiful children, Addison and Hayden. We’ve been through our share of difficulties, including me almost losing her to meningitis. She’s still one of my favorite people in the world. She loves to tell the story of a Christmas when we were small. We were getting dressed for pictures and I was getting ready so fast that I put my underwear on over my pants – her mom has the picture to prove it. (there Jodee, now the whole world knows) It tickles me when we talk on the phone and she’ll ask the kids if they want to talk to Aunt Niki. She must love me like a sister too 🙂 I miss her so much!
Michelle was my college roommate. She was from Arizona, and me from Wisconsin. She was guarded, but funny. I was serious, but more than willing to tell my story to anyone who would listen, and able to freely share my opinions. ( Ha Ha – Some things never change!) She had never dated, and I was, well, experienced in that area. She was very conservative. I liked to buck the system. She came from a two-parent, never been divorced family, I came from a mess. I played sports, she played guitar. We were in different social clubs, and even different dorms our freshmen year. I don’t remember exactly how we became friends, I just know I don’t know what I would do without her in my life now.
As different as we were (and are) we had a lot in common too. We were both sopranos in the choir, members of the creative writing club, the Bible club, and eventually we were both dorm staff. We became really good friends, and formed an unbreakable bond. She taught me how to drive a stick-shift in her little white Ford Festiva. You know that took patience!
Michelle and I have laughed and cried through many of life’s tough lessons. I haven’ t seen her since Max was a baby, but every few months we spend hours on the phone catching up on our separate lives. Lastnight was that night. I’m thrilled that she’s planning a road trip this summer and I’ll get to see her again.
Tawnya is also a college friend. She is the third and final of my honorable mentions today. She is my artist friend and is Uber creative! Tawnya and I lived across the hall from each other and we were both members of the DOE club. (I’ll have to post about that again sometime) That’s where our bond began. She too was in choir and a lot of the same groups/clubs Michelle and I were in. We managed to keep in touch after York, and she even came through Indy to see me when I was pregnant with Max. This woman saved my sanity when we moved to Wichita. She was already living there and she is what made my transition so much easier. Unfortunately (or so I thought) she moved to Kansas City nine months after I arrived in Wichita. Although I was extremely sad, it ended up coming in handy when my family experienced not one, but two car accidents in the K.C. area! She is so easy to talk to and everytime we’re together we cover just about every subject there is. Of the three, she and I talk the most often. Somehow Tawnya and I switched lives. She wanted to marry a minister and settle down with kids. I wanted to be a career woman. We can look at each others lives and know God has a sense of humor. She is smart, creative, funny, beautiful, and loves the Lord. I’m so glad she’s my friend!
I have been very blessed with great friendships in my life. These three are the women I have known and been friends with the longest and most constant. They knew me when…(I was seventeen and had all the answers – was a promiscuous teenager – was loud and bossy, pick one)…and love me anyway!
How about you? Who are your oldest, closest friends?
