Back In the Saddle Again...!

(Autumn, Helen and Spencer, MHS Homecoming Parade '94)

This post is dedicated to my longest, truest friend Helen. We've been friends since 6th grade when we met up in an orchestra class. I could fill a book with all the crazy adventures we've had over the years: taking rediculous snobby boys to the Ice Capades on a date; living in a gas filled trailor in West Yellowstone, Montana for the summer while working at a Burger King; spending a summer in Santa Barbara, CA working for Great Harvest Bread Co. and living in her Aunt Cathy's guest house; jumping into GIGANTIC leaf piles that didn't belong to us; winter snow hikes with her dad (Dan) into Yellowstone; double dating at Ricks College dances; painting her bedroom while rocking out to Ace of Base with our foreign exchange friends, Susanne and Alex; Madison High School "Lock In's" (heavily monitored sleepover's at our high school); performing in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost and designing the T-Shirts for the Cupids, painting the theatre-in-the-round set, and then the "set breakdown party"(remember when the stage caught fire during a performance and Josh Flores put it out with a blue raspberry slushie?? ha!); Christmas orchestra/choir trips to Temple Square in Salt Lake City, UT; sleepovers at Bernie & Carol Jensen's house; Helen's wedding reception in her backyard; "Left-over Ah" (even though she wasn't there); Senior year when she wrote me so faithfully of her exchange year in Germany; Sadie Hawkins dance where she and her date dressed up at Wendy and Peter Pan and I was THE nerdiest, most awkward Princess Jasmin ever with my date as Alladin (princesses DON'T wear blue glasses!); how she hosted my elaborately African themed Bridal Shower (jean quilt's on my bed even as I type this); going for my first plane ride (unbeknownst to naive little me until we were already airborne!) in a little Cesna; Brother Mac's awesome lesson's in the Santa Barbara Seminary building; trying to get our watermelon and loads of groceries home on our bicycles in Carpenteria, CA (um, der!); the roadtrip to California with her family for her cousin's wedding in Montecito; meeting her perfect baby daughter for the first time; watching her kids grow up via emailed pictures; cherished late night conversations; and the list goes on and on.

We both have our separate talents (mine are singing and devining names for unique car colors;hers are her viola playing and beautiful art), we have our different strengths(talking vs. listening or maybe starting vs. finishing), we have our different looks (short with cury dark hair vs. tall with blonde cornsilk hair). But you know what? Our hearts beat as one with the love we share for one another. I have had no better example of a person who always strives to do what is right than I have found in Helen. We help each other balance out; I bring a little crazy to her and she brings a lot of good common sense and structure to me. We don't see or always speak to each other as often nowadays with her living in Maryland and me in Southern California, but our bond although sometimes stretched, remains unbroken. Happily, we've been much more proactive lately about keeping in touch, and I am pleased to say we're both firmly back in the saddle of our friendship again. It's just not the same when I don't have my Helen in my life.

Today is Helen's birthday and I wanted to tell her how very much I love her. Thank you Helen for all you have been to me and also for giving me the truest friendship (and longest belly laughs!) I have ever known. I may not always be a perfect friend, but I know I'm a whole lot closer with you in my life to love and guide me.

Happy Birthday Helen, I love you!!