I wanna go back, and do it all over....well, maybe not

I really love Facebook. I have reconnected with so many people from high school, it's been like Old Home Week. If you asked me, I would say that I would never, ever ever want to go back to high school. The drama? The hormones? The acne? The utter lack of control over your life?
No way. But it's fun as all get out to sit down with someone who shared all that turmoil with you, and it's a joy to find out that you still connect.

Heather was a very good friend back in the day. We shared our share of trouble, but always seemed to come out okay in the end. A bit wild but deeply good person, I missed her more than a lot of the gals I hung with. She had a car and could drive during a time I was being too wild and crazy and my parents wouldn't let me drive. That little red Ford Escort took us so many places...

We did concerts....sneaking out....driving late into the night, deep in the wilds of rural Indiana...sleeping in First period History....or was it Geometry?
I can't remember. We slept through it.


One of my fondest memories of Heather is the Poison/Warrant concert in 1990. We were seniors and you couldn't tell us a thing. We looked forward to that concert for ages....and we knew we wouldn't be going to school the next day. Something my Mom still doesn't know.
Shhh...don't tell her, okay?

Yes, we were into Big Hair bands. We rocked out, then spent hours with one of the tour drivers at a restaurant (was he really a driver, or was he just some dude trying to pick up some hot groupies?), and got in about 6 am.
Her mom was all screechy at us (which moms are very good at)...

Heather's Mom: "Do you know what it's like to sit up all night and worry?????? Do you have any idea what this is like??????'
Heather: "We had fun....."
Heather's Mom: "Well, I'm glad you had fun, but now I have to get ready for work and screech and screech and screech and screech......"
Heather: "I got Jani Lane's sweat on my hand...."

All the while, another friend and I were trying desperately to crawl under the couch....and not laugh out loud.

She lives in Los Angeles now, and I haven't seen her in over 15 years. She's in town this week and I wasn't about to miss out on good ol' Heather.


We caught up on each other and our families, and before I left we took a self-portrait....
















...and she licked me. That's my girl.

Remembering why

Tonight, I had a date with my husband.
*Ah-Oooooooo-Gaaaaa*
The in-laws took the girls for the night, and Geoff and I saw "1408".
Pretty good movie, if you want to wet your pants every 2.5 minutes.
Plus, it's one of those horror movies that make you think and feel.

It's always such a nice surprise to go out with my hubby and be adults. Well, we are adults when the kids are around, but it's different when it's just us. We remember what it's like to talk about subjects that do not include "Little Bear", "Dora the Explorer", Jell-O or "Why is the sky blue?".
We remember why we liked each other in the first place, to get us here, to remembering.

Even if you aren't married, you can get the same feeling when you reconnect with an old friend, laughing and trying not to wet yourself during a funny story that only they can tell.

Like Shannon.
Shannon has been my best friend since 1983. Fifth grade.
We met in Fourth grade, but we didn't like each other. She was a goody-two-shoes who wore matching purple oxford shirts with matching purple sweaters with matching purple corduroy pants, and I was a make-up-wearing, bra-training smart ass. The next year, we were in the same class, we forgot why we didn't like each other and so began our "Best Friendship".
For most of our friendship, she and I have lead parallel lives...whether it be boyfriends and how they treated us, or situations that we found ourselves in, it all ran together. In high school, teachers forgot which one was which, and frequently called us by each other's names.
The parallel lives began to diverge, but we have so much in common, and we have so many differences, we are fated to be friends till the end of time.
She is going through a very awful time right now, and she needs good vibes. So even though you don't know her, send up a good thought for a wonderful woman who is a kick-ass mother to an adorable boy, who is a kick-ass girlfriend to your truly, who has integrity and smarts and a kick-ass work ethic (she works 60 hours a week, and still manages to take college courses and be a good mom!), and who is dearly loved by so many people. Her only mistake was trusting someone who shouldn't have been trusted. And we have all done that.
Love you, Shannon! Keep that chin up.