tribute

There is something about Taylor Swift that summons my inner teenager. Every time I listen to one of her silly songs I always get magically transplanted back into high school doing silly things with a bunch of silly girls. And that always puts a smile on my face. I loved high school, not because I was some super popular kid who had all the boys chasing her but because I had the best friends a teenage girl could ask for, Molly, Christina, Annie, and Heather... These are the reasons I looked forward to going to school even when I was failing math and had no idea who I was.

They are the bunch of silly girls with who I listened to music, danced in cars and parking lots, stuffed my mouth full of pixies sticks, had heartfelt talks late at night, made cookies, talked on the phone for hours and just understood who I was and loved me even though I was an still imperfect and had no clue what I wanted out of life. And they didn’t care that I was in band :)

Heather was my first real friend. We used to record a fake talk show called the Vivien Leigh show down in her basement. We shared the same boyfriend, not at the same time. She took me to Disney World and on summer trips in her motor home and showed me things I never would have seen without her.
Annie was always in a good mood and helping someone. She and I shared a strong faith in Christ even though our religions were different. She was one of the few people I felt comfortable with speaking freely about my faith.

Christina was just so much fun! The passenger seat of her car was deemed the dancing seat. Anyone who sat there had to dance. Period. We found this inflated parrot shaped Mylar balloon on the side of the road once that we pulled over to pick up. It became a part of the group and we danced with it and it seemed to stay in her car for a long time. We both dated varsity baseball players and went to all the away games together. One time she taught me how to ski in her living room. She was very spontaneous. And the times we dated the Dach… brothers, yikes!

Molly was my cheerleader and the one who believed in me the most. Whenever I doubted my worth she was there telling not to worry and how wonderful I was. We spent a lot of time in her living room laughing, talking, and wondering about life. The night before we left for college we cried and hugged and never dreamt that our friendship would end.

I miss these girls so much. I know we have all gone our separate ways and in many ways we have lost touch but I just want them to know how much I am thankful for them, for being my friends at that tender stage of my life. When we were young like that we were so fragile and could break so easily if not handled properly. Without strong positive friendships I don’t know if I would have made it out alive. I have so many good memories and I cherish them. How I wish we would all get together and drive around in Christina’s white Chevy something again, dancing to the music and then making the special trip the Olive Garden to eat cheesecake. We were lucky to have each other, now we are lucky to receive a comment on our status, but you know, I’ll take it. Life moves on but thank you for the memories!!!

Here's to you! Click here!