Today is my friend Sandra’s birthday. It’s kinda important birthday. Not that they aren’t all important but this is a milestone, kinda, sorta. I made a quilt specifically for Sandra on this particular birthday but I’ll show it a little later after she’s received it and has seen it first, only fair right.
Sandra and I grew up across the street from each other. When we first met we were five and I knew right away that I’d love her. We played on weekends and during the summers. We played with Barbies, drew pictures, rode bikes and before we started pining for the boys in the teen magazines we built forts. We lived on the edge of town in a new development. Not only did we have construction sites to explore but we also had huge farm fields as our back yards. Sandra and I would spend hours making forts. She’d make hers, I’d make mine and then we’d give each other a tour. I always loved her forts and eventually, with much persuasion, I’d convince her to trade with me. We’d spiffy up our newly exchanged forts and then again give each other tours. More often than not I’d be left wanting my original fort back because she made it so cool. By that time one of our moms would have bellowed our names and we’d leave our forts, cold and white knuckled, only to start all over again the next day. Whenever I feel that the “grass is always greener on the other side” I strive to be more satisfied with what I have and think back to those forts.
Sandra was so cool! She had two older sisters who told her stuff that I didn’t know. She was the bearer of news like where babies came from and the truth about Santa (all in the same conversation I might add – that was a doozy!). She knew about music and which boys were cool. She was smart, outgoing and pretty.
As we grew up we grew apart. We did reconnect after college, writing letters. She went on to become a nurse, moved to the States and married a Texan. Now she’s a mom with beautiful twin boys… but no matter what changes we still share those memories of making cassette tape radio stations, her Dad always calling me turkey lurkey and building those forts! Happy Birthday Sandra!
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Wow, brought tears to my eyes. I was always envious of you for not having older sisters that ruined things. I am sorry for sharing the ‘secrets’ they told me. I wonder how many hours I spent at your house? I remember baking with your mom and playing board games like Payday and Guess Who. Too many memories to list. We discovered so much about life together. I would have loved the flamingos, but reading this was so much better. Hopefully someday we will be able to meet up again, but until then thank goodness for modern technology! Love you.
Sandra
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Sandra-As long as they aren’t tears of, oh my god I can’t believe she put that photo on the internet! I was always envious of your older sisters, god they were so grown up and knew everything! I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way to find out about where babies came from and Santa. I wished we lived closer so I could fill your lawn with flamingos but I hoped you’d like this just as much! Sorry the quilt isn’t there on your birthday day but it will give you something to look forward to. Oh, and don’t worry is isn’t a quilt of pink flamingos all over it, although I think that would be cool!
Eekitoony-Thanks yes I always loved that nick-name!
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I’m okay with “turkey lurkey” for a fun name of a cute kid that makes his daughter happy ! I’m sure the both of you were happy friends ! Without knowing it, you learned a lot from each other ! Forts can make you creative and competitive. I like the way you reflect on those moments as an appreciation for what you have. The grass is green and lush on your side of the fence and you share your great stuff, bonus !
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Friends like that are hard to come by, and I am so glad that you have that :-). Happy birthday to her!
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Great post, really enjoyed it!
— Inge