tell your sister you're sorry...: ... my BFF's since childhood

(from left to right: me, Jennifer & Malonda)

We all have friends who know us so well.... sometimes even better than we know ourselves! When we were in KC, I met up with two of my childhood friends for dinner, and even though it had been a year and a half since seeing one of them (Malonda) (UPDATE: Malonda reminded me she saw me 3 months ago... OOPS!), & 9 months since seeing the other... it was as if we've never been gone that long. We wasted no time laughing, chatting away the night as if we never left. Friends like that are gold...

{thinking of my Girl Scout days: Make new friends, but keep the old... one is silver & the other gold}

Jennifer is in the middle. Malonda is on the right. She is also VERY pregnant. Like, 12 months pregnant. She's that big. Poor girl... the kid should be here in a few weeks. We had a "thing" going on when our birthdays rolled around. I was really into the sepia pictures of little kids doing cutesy stuff: holding a balloon, holding hands with each other, laughing, playing in the waves... everything. So, everytime our birthday rolled around, we'd give each other cards or other mementos with these little kids on the front. It was just "our thing".

We also had tons of laughs as we grew up. Jennifer loved to ride the brakes on her car ~ and HARD! I dubbed it "seat belt check" everytime she landed her foot on the brake pedal. Thankfully, she has grown out of that.

I also have wonderful memories of going to Vail, Colorado when Jen & I were 19 years old. We drove my car, following my parents' car in front of us. We had such a blast in the car, and while we were in Vail. I drove down to Texas to pick her up from college her first year. Had tons of fun (and tons of NOT so fun when she set me up on a date with a friend! Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike!).

Malonda worked at Taco Bell. She LOVED Taco Bell. She also had a major huge crush on a boy named Jason (at least I think it was Jason). We heard about Jason all.the.time!

(Jen & I at Malonda's wedding)

I wish I had my picture of when the 3 of us took a "professional" picture together. That is, if you call a KMart picture professional. I'd scan it in, but my memory box is currently on the bottom shelf in my garage, with three ATV's in the way plus a screen door. No getting to them now!

I had gotten married first out of the three of us. Jen followed me later that year, when I was 9 months pregnant. She wanted me to be her Matron of Honor... and Malonda was her Maid of Honor. ::snort:: You should've seen me in my dress. Waddling down the aisle to Shania Twain's "From This Moment"... and I was 9 months pregnant!

Malonda had a very cool wedding as well. She & her hubby turned around after being wedded, and walked back down the aisle to the song that goes "I would walk ten thousand miles and I would walk ten thousand more just to be the man to walk & fall down at your door"... or something like that. Remember, I make up my own lyrics to the songs! She had a taco bar ... totally untraditional, but SO awesome! and so FUN! That is just Malonda. Malonda is also a signing interpreter. Since I'm hearing impaired, she & I took a class at church together on signing (when we were what? 13?), b/c we had a bunch of people who came to church who were deaf. I quit, but she kept on going.... she's amazing.

The month before we made our move to San Antonio, I turned 33 {at least, I think I did... I can't remember how old I am half the time!) .... and so I wanted to have a birthday party to celebrate & to say goodbye to all my wonderful friends! You can recap here .... we met up at the Peppercorn Duck Club in Kansas City where we had a delicious chocolate bar. I made everyone matching flowers for their hair.... and afterwards, Jen & Malonda & I caught a late night movie where we giggled, laughed & almost peed our pants all through the movie (we saw Sex & the City). Malonda was starving.... so we bought some appetizers from the restaurant next door to the theater, and she bravely walked in carrying it in the bag. She's got guts..... that girl!