A Summer Celebration!

In the “best friend department”, I consider myself very lucky. I’ve been privileged to have not one, but four wonderful best friends since jr. high. I don’t know that I deserve it. I am always grateful for the gift of friendship, but there is something extraordinary about the love I feel from these gals.

Because of limited packing space, I had to leave my photo albums behind in Utah. So I have to improvise a little. This picture is as close as I can get to a group photo of us. (Actually, it's pretty close to the real thing.)

Well, it’s a special time of year, because it’s nearly one of those friend’s (Summer) birthday! So in Summer’s honor, I bring you:

1. She’s a superb listener. She makes you feel like you’re so interesting when you have a conversation with her, even if you’re not. She’s the perfect person to call if you need someone to empathize with you, get excited with you, be worried with you, or be infuriated with you (warning: if someone crossed you, Summer may not simply be infuriated, she may threaten to go hunt the knuckle head down herself).

2. She’s a musical genius. She composes her own music, plays the piano and sings beautifully. (She can go from demure, solemn church hymn voice, to Beyonce-like diva voice in 3.8 seconds.)

3. That she and I are under no obligation to act like grown ups when we hang out.

4. I hate peanut brittle, unless Summer makes it.

5. Actually, any food is better if Summer (or her hubby for that matter) makes it. It’s good times at their house at supper time.

6. The way she say’s the words “peanut butter”. She loves PB, and the way she says it, conveys her feelings about it so perfectly. The best way I can describe it, is that it’s the same way that Cookie Monster says the word “cookies.”

7. She’s beat me at one-on-one b-ball 2,347 times. In a row. I’m gonna say that that happened because she’s sooo skilled, not because I suck so bad.

8. She can burp louder and longer than anyone I’ve ever met. Seriously, it’s thunderous.

9. If you ever see someone happily holding a snake, lizard or tarantula, and/or watching a Star trek episode or a Mystery Science Theater, and/or playing nintendo; all while sporting elegant fingernails with sparkly nail polish… it’s Summer.

10. That our friendship has survived the test of time, ups and downs, marriage, kids, moving far away,and the now infamous day of October 2, 2000

(Said date involved things like: thinking it would be fabulous fun to sleep on a frigid, noisy, downtown city sidewalk in order to secure rare tickets. Not getting a wink of sleep on said  frigid city sidewalk. Annoying Canadians who camped next to us on frigid sidewalk trying to convince us “dumb Americans” that they live in igloos and have never heard of computers or email. A creepy old lady telling us about how she’s glad her husband’s dead and yelling insults at innocent bystanders. Forgetting to bring enough money to buy a proper breakfast. Four cranky friends who can’t stop bickering. A near death experience ( aka: trying to carpool home in the care of a homicidal driver), etc, etc.)

The creepy old lady. She seriously looked just like this.

11. Summer is so talented, intelligent, caring, interesting, beautiful, creative, patient, funny, etc, etc, etc.

12. Her presidential smile:

13. That 13 years later, I’m still privileged enough to call her my best friend.

Happy birthday, Summer!