Sunday, December 11, 2011

Remembering Old Friends

Bluebird troop. Darlene in the center, I'm at the end
I've had a lot of friends in my life and lately I've been thinking about what those friends have meant to me. First I'll start by saying I've moved a lot of times in my life so it's been kind of nice staying in the same place for over 8 years. My first memory of a friend was in 1st grade in Glendale, California. My friend was Darlene but I'm unsure her last name. She and I were in the same Blue Bird troop of which my mom was the leader. We were also in the same 1st grade class together. Somewhere I have a picture of our first grade class, but can't find it. I'll settle on sharing the picture on the right of our Bluebird troop. I don't remember much about 1st grade, I do remember playing together. 

With my dad being in the Navy we never really stayed in one place long enough for me to remember who my friends were or even make many friends for that matter. My next memory of a good friend was in San Diego, California where I attended 4th-6th grade at Doris Miller, Elementary school. We lived in Navy Housing in Tierresanta Hill/Murphy Canyon. My good friend was Cindy McDonough. We walked to school together every day. I remember once we got bullied by some junior high kids on our way to school. Cindy managed to run away but they threw me to the ground and took my lunch. I know we did a lot together, hung out at each other's houses and I think we even had a crush on the same boy. She is one person who I've always wondered what happened to her. There are too many Cindy and Cynthia McDonoughs on Facebook. And she could be posting by a married name if she is even on Facebook.

My next memory of a good friend you might say was my salvation and my strength through the awful evil world of Junior High School. In 7th grade I was at Royster Junior High in Chanute, Kansas. I was pretty teased and really don't remember any friends that year other than ones I went to church with. But, I think most of them went to different schools. The last half of my 7th grade year I lived in Oklahoma then returned to Kansas for 8th grade where I attended Iola and Humboldt Junior high school. Iola was OK and once again I don't remember friends, but Humboldt was pretty much the worst place I was ever teased and called names. I was glad to leave that place for Chanute again but even though some of the same people who teased me in 7th grade were still there and continued with the teasing, I found solice in a friend. I'm glad that we are still in contact with each other to this day. Her name is Mary Simmons. I sincerely don't know how I would have gotten through 9th grade without her. As the year went on less people teased me. Mary helped me feel happy when Junior High was usually a sad place for me.

Santa Rita High School in Tucson Arizona brings me to my two best friends Barbara Tech and Lisa Hubbard. I had a lot of good friends in high school leaving behind the teasing and torment in Junior high and back in Kansas. I had some struggles in high school during my parents divorce and not being accepting of my dad's new marriage to my step mom. Barbara especially helped me through that, oh and her mom! Lisa, Barbara and I were in school choir together which is how we met and became friends. I think the three of us went through quite a bit of laughter, crushing on guys and fun times together. It seems like a lifetime ago. Had our graduation party at Lisa's house. I have photos....somewhere. LOL.
I'm so glad I'm still in touch with them on Facebook as well.

I've had a lot of friends in my adult life. They have all meant a lot to me in one way or another. Hoping I won't hurt feelings for not naming everyone, but need to limit the size of this blog, I'll name a few. All who I mention and don't mention know what they mean to me and I hope I am as good as a friend to them as they are to me. Kathy Calhoun, Lanise Thompson, Colleen Moore, Tamaya Dooley, Pam Ivan, Sandy Vander Wilt, Janet Sizemore, Melissa Guezmir, Kim Meche, Holly Martin Krepps, Barbara Rode, Rebecca Bruno, Dorothy Johnson and my two sisters-in-law Kathleen Newberry and Cindy Woodbury. A recent friend is Claudia Astwood. A sweet very funny lady in my church. I adore her!

Addition August 5, 2012: I need to add a couple of people to this list. A sweet lady Reina who lives in Georgia. She has been so nice a so supportive of me, encouraging me through hard times. Along with my friend Colleen some day I hope to meet her in person. I need to give her a good and proper hug for her words of encouragement and because of how sweet she is to me.
The other is Eleonora Campana De Berardino in Italy. The same as Reina, she has lifted my spirits, given me encouragement and has been like a sister to me. I just love how Facebook and the internet can bring someone on the other side of the globe together and unite them with new friends!

Also want to thank all the sweet young ladies and men in the Philippines who have become my friends and call me "Tita" Janel (like Dom, Cherry, Jaszie, Mary, Gregorie, and others). I am especially grateful to have been able to send a Book of Mormon signed by David Archuleta to Cherry Mariano in the Philippines and Lixuan Chen ("Elysion") in Taiwan. Also a BOM with my testimony to Virginia Hoblock in New York and Cinthya Mendoza in Ecuador. Wonderful young men and women seeking for answers in their lives and hopefully will accept the gospel some day.
Another new friend is my next door neighbor Kylee Zwahlen. She is my daughter Amanda's age and such a sweet young lady. She has two children, Brooklynn who is 3 and Ayden who is 1 1/2. In Relief Society we have these notes that are passed around and we can write one to friends who mean a lot to us and thank them. Just a few weeks after she moved into our ward she gave me a sweet thank you note. I adore her!! Sometimes when my granddaughter McKinley comes over she plays with Brooklynn. She also helped me to print out pictures for a certain temple scrapbook for a certain missionary who is on a certain mission in Chile. LOL
I would also like to mention a few David fan friends who have been so sweet to me. Jane Raburn, Tawna Whitney, Cathy Moriarty, Carolyn Preece Baker, Aimee Vargas, Gwen Porea, David Gonzalez and many many more.
My wonderful co-leader David Walling of whom I think is my sanity when it comes to our troop activities. He is so knowledgable in so many things and the girls adore him as a leader! He's been a true asset to our troop.