Friends in Many Places

It is truly a blessing to have wonderful friends and I have been very blessed. If I am missing any of you pictured here, this is a work in progress and I'll get you in here yet! In June I took an extra day to layover in Denver (on my way home from Chicago) so I could visit with my childhood friend Pam. We grew up together as neighbors. We spent a day in Rocky Mountain National Park. We drove the loop through the park and saw amazing views while enjoying each other's company and shared the goings on in our lives. We hadn't seen each other for over 10 years. It was a great reunion! In July I was able to visit with Celia when I was in Washington, D.C. Many years ago, we went to seminary, girls camp, and high school together. We hadn't seen each other in over 20 years. Celia drove me around D.C. and gave me the grand tour of where to go and what to see. It was a fun visit with lots of catching up.

Another of my "growing up" friends who lives not so far away is Ann. We usually get to see each other at least few times each year since we are only a hop, skip and a jump away from each other. Last time I was at her home, we reminisced as we looked through old photos from our high school days. When Celia and I graduated, Ann, who graduated a year earlier, joined us that night as we went to Hollywood to see Fantasia. Fun memories. Can't believe it's been over 30 years ago.

My first year teaching provided me with the best "mentor" ever! Edy! Since then, she has been the kind of friend you look to for her wise wisdom and advise both in and out of the classroom. We traveled to Washington D.C. together on "association" business. While there, we went to see the Lion King on stage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.





Enjoying the company of my friends from church doesn't happen enough. Jim & Debbie, Lunetta & Joe and their daughter Jerolyn took me with them to hike the Wave. Debbie set a fast pace for us all. Of course, I was the trail sweep the whole day. If you haven't been there, you need to go to view the most amazing sandstone rocks ever!

Pel and Pickles aka Melanee and Heidi. (I'm missing a few other people's mug shots here!) Work friends make the day go by so much better. Especially when we go to lunch at Oscar's and have sweet potato fries and fresh homemade guacamole with blue corn chips. We are missing Pel at work these days but try to get together for dinner out often.

Jill is a crack up at work. She tells you like it is and I appreciate that in a person. As you can see, she is not at work in this photo. She and her husband and a whole lot of us trekked down to Havasupai Falls last April. Again, I was the trail sweep. When you go, be sure to take money to eat in the little cafe and order a Havasupai Taco, not to be confused with a Navajo Taco.
This photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of these falls.



Fun times in San Felipe, Mexico were had when I joined Jane, Heidi and Serena on a road trip last New Year's. Activities included walking on sandy beaches, collecting a bazzillion shells and sand dollars, eating huge coconut shrimp in the seaside restaurant, playing Wii, and haggling with the local merchants.

So now that Heidi instilled the "travel bug" in me, my next excursion with them was to Cozumel, Mexico. This time Dana joined us and we flew down to spend a week. Our adventures included snorkeling, flying kites, riding scooters around the island, para sailing, eating lots of chips and way yummy salsa and guacamole, exploring the ruins of the island, riding the boat over to the mainland (which I thought was a blast of a ride, but some of the others got a little green under the gills), obtaining over $300 in cash or free services from listening to the time share shark salesmen (and no we didn't leave their friends since we weren't willing to commit), exploring Talum and Chichen Itza, and figuring how to get impounded scooters out of the police impound yard with no cash left. (Long story, but SO FUNNY! Ask Dana.) On this trip I discovered Dana knows my older sister Carol because they lived in the dorms together at BYU. Small world.