My favorite memories, part one.

I miss my friends, so I have decided to write today about them and my favorite memories. This will be a continued saga for my postings, as I have a great deal of really fantastic friends.

Let's start with Mandy and Summer. Mandy and Summer are my friends from high school. I have many lovely memories of high school. It's funny, I have met people who hated their high school experience, and here I am thinking about the fun times. Back in the day, I had a 1970 black Ford Pickup, affectionately named "the ROCKET". It had blue velvet interior and a 390 engine. We would take that truck puddle jumping like no other. Since the heater didn't work, we just brought blankies. There are many other stories of the rocket, such as the night of the cruising hot tub, or watching the northern lights (aurora borealis) - but I will save them for later.

My favorite Kayla memory has to be from an ARH retreat in college. It was the night that the deltas (Dan, Kayla, and Talia) were born, and Kayla had two liters of pop in each apron pocket. ...or my favorite memory could be the time we drove out at midnight to go watch meteor showers. On the way back a tumbleweed hit our car - and it was like something out of a scary movie. doesn't sound so funny in print, but wow was that night great!

My favorite Dan memory - woh, that may take a while. It probably is the night we made mosaic clocks at his apartment. While Meeghan, Kayla and I made these cute clocks, Dan decided to participate in girly craft night, and used beer tops for the numbers. too bad the clocks really didn't work out!

My favorite Dawn memory - there are way too many to count on this one, since she shares my brain and was my college roomy. During our freshman year we had bowling night, and we made shirts to go bowling with the Walsh boys. Or it could be the time that we made posters for the Sex talks and blow pops program...or it could be dancing in the Wilky lobby at 4 a.m. or sleeping in the office. Or crocheted hats and anti-Shimek shirts for No Frills...I think I could go on and on on this one!

Shimek - the first boy I ever lived with for reals. Shimek lived in the closet of our apartment for a whole summer. What a riot. My favorite memory would have to be when he went "grocery shopping" for us and came home with chicken and pop tarts. Yes, that is a boy's idea of grocery shopping.

Katie - My favorite memory would be our party in a box that we had in our summer apartment.

Johnboy - sitting on top of his loft laughing 9000 times in one day/night.

Ang - hanging out at the Green Mill, or sharing clothes all through freshman year.

Cory Wolff - Spending a week in Europe playing cards and exploring Venice..choir tours were the best!

Meeghan - quite possibly making fun of our counterparts, and having themed dinner nights. Or it could be craft nights, which I have missed ever since we moved here.

Eric - his love of trains, planes, and the train club. That place must really rock.

Jonny Lov - Purchasing him and the Green Hair'Em at the Squires Auction with Kayla.

Okay, that is enough for now. Some happiness down on the page. I miss my friends!

had the best valentines' day last night. honest. Chris and I set a limit of $25 for the day...he didn't follow it completely, but ah well.

I made Chris an actual book of our wedding pictures from snapfish. It turned out really neat, leather bound with the pictures on the actual page.

He made me a card ---actually made the card with paper from the art store. He also bought a little wooden box and varnished it and gave me a moonstone bracelet. The bracelet from Rhonda's store that i REALLY wanted. He bought it at CHRISTMAS! I was so very excited.

We had artichokes and asparagus and coconut shrimp, and he made a chocolate cheesecake.

We got engaged on a valentines day...but this was more intimate - more special because it wasnt about big gifts - just spending time together and actually thinking about what we wanted to give each other.

what a week.

Its Wednesday! That means it is closer to Friday, which means I better start cleaning house, because Chris' brother and his fiancee Jennie are coming this weekend. It should be fun - Northwestern game on Saturday and tapas on Friday. I need a vacation!

Feeling fairly well after being sick. I could use a sick day but then I will just fall behind, and I really don't need that.

Hmm, what else - Janelle had a divorce party on Saturday nite - I so wish I could have been there - they had an airplane pinata, and then had an underwear burning party. What a great way for her to deal - I think it is fantastic, in all honesty, that she has been so strong and open and amazingly blunt. Stupid pilot for cheating on her with a flight attendant, but you know what, she is better for it.

Last night I couldnt sleep. Gilmore was good, as always, but I couldnt sleep worth...well, you know! Tonight should be early bedtime. Lets hope so.

It has been quite the month. Quite the year, in all actuality, but Im surviving. AS some of you know, I lost a friend a few weeks ago - Okay, so the only person who really knows that reads this is Gina, but thats okay. Get ready for some random ramblings.

Its been two weeks since we found out that Heidi died, and I am still trying to wrap my head around it. It doesnt seem real, but yet, every time I go to Xanga and see her subscription, it hits me. It doesnt seem real because she had moved and wasn't at work every day - but it is real. I truly thought that she was on the upswing. While I only knew Heidi for less than a year, she was one of the first people that made me feel like Chicago was an okay place to be - yet she, like me, continued to long for the mountains. I keep wanting to know why, but sometimes God doesn't provide all of the details. That is the hard part. I wont ever know the why, or the how, or the what if. All I know is that it is tough, and I miss a friend that I never got to fully experience. This isn't fun...