This is Jen: isn't she so cute? She was always so put together!
Tomorrow is my good friend
JENIFER's birthday! I thought I'd tell a little story of how we met and became friends.
NINETEEN years ago! Hard to believe. This story would make a great after-school special, let me tell you....
So here I am, in Junior High. Big time stuff, and I was scared out of my mind, intimidated, and generally peeing my pants with nervousness. Here's how I looked. HUGE bangs, pink & purple eye shadow, frizzy perm that I would COMB OUT! (picture Roseanne Rosannadanna) And, I was Pre-orthodontics. Gross. I was a HUGE nerd.
Now it gets even worse: gym class! I just tried to keep my head down. We were all sitting on the benches getting dressed when the "popular girl's" deodorant rolled on the floor under me. This chick was a major BEEATCH. (she still is! I sometimes see her at hair shows!) She proceeded to yell, to me, "Hey, GIRL! Pick up my deodorant for me!" So of course I start reaching, what else would I do? How humiliating, I wanted to cry. Just then I hear someone else yell: "Her name isn't "girl", it's PIPER!" I looked up and who do you think I saw? Jenifer Bringhurst! I swear there was a light behind her, glowing, and a hallelujah chorous was singing! She knew the bitchy girl, and she still stuck up for me! Instant friends. She is still that kind of person, she will go to bat for you till the end. Her heart is true and she is a wonderful friend.
A good beginning to a great friendship. We spent the next 3 years making some wonderful memories! Oh, the awkward teen years!
-I remember almost getting kicked off a city bus because we were trying to start a sing along!
-We were trying to be hippies during the first Gulf War. We made and handed out home-made peace signs to everyone at school and got them to play, "Give Peace a Chance" over the intercom.
-We were obsessed with 50's music, and would check out old tapes from the library and listen to songs like "Mr. Postman" and "Duke of Earl" over and over.
-We would RUN to my house after school to catch the 2nd half of Days of Our Lives. Sometimes we'd order pizza and pay with CHANGE!
-We would buy Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and I'd eat the chocolate and she'd eat the peanut butter. (she no-likey chocolate)
-We would always walk with each other past cute boys houses and lockers, trying to look non-chalant.
- She always let me borrow her Girbaud skirt. ( I can't believe I ever fit into anything of hers!)
-I thought she was so wild because she had a cat named Nard!
-We tried to have a New Years party one year. We spent weeks using a hole punch to make confetti. That night, we were in her basement ALONE. Her cute Dad offered to call his scouts to come over! Oh man.
-We ditched the bus ride home on 9th grade Lagoon Day. We were basically stranded. We got in big trouble.
-Jen's older sister and her boyfriend used to sneak Jen and I into the drive in with them! We thought we were so big!
This is a pic from a field trip to Hogle Zoo..... recognize your sister Erica?
So, Jenifer my dear, I hope you know how much I love you. You are a wonderful woman, wife, mother and friend. You are true and genuine and I will always cherish our friendship. No matter how far away from each other we are.
Have a
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
And, how they just can't get enough of you no matter how bad you can't stand it!!!
