May 14th

Sorry the picture is off kilter, I can't quite fix it. The scanner is broken.
Junior year was 11 years ago. That's when we first met. Well, actually, it was the summer before junior year. I just came back from summer vacation with my parents and arrived at the annual band camp a few days late. I said my hellos to all the regulars, and nodded my head toward the new freshman. As I was getting my drum out of the band room, I saw the newest addition to the drumline. I had never seen her before, and I was immediately drawn to her. She looked like me, and had the same air about her that I think I do. She looked to be about my age. She looked just a little nervous, but not as much as I would be coming to a new school. I asked the drum captain who she was. "She's the new cymbal player" he said.

Out on the field, we went through our regular warm-ups together as a drumline. 8-on-a-hand was always the first exercise. I noticed her. I saw how proficient she was at playing, and how she seemed to take control of those cymbals, which wasn't an easy task. She defiantly had a knowledge of music, this was no beginner. At the break, we took a walk to the water fountain where I finally introduced myself. She seemed nice, but a little shy. She just moved here from New Mexico where she was in quite a large marching band. I think I asked her how she liked it here, and to my surprise, she said she missed the mountains. My initial thought was "we live in a valley, there are mountains surrounding us, aren't there?".

At the first football game of the season, we hit it off right away. She was the funniest person I had met in a very long time, and we had a blast. One of the cheers we, as the fans used to chant was "M-V-H-S FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!" Well, being the rebels we were back then, we changed the words to "M-V-H-S BITE MY BUTT!!! Of course it was our inside joke, and no one even heard us yelling our rude little cheer. We always had the best times at football games. She and David would fight like cats and dogs, and both of their faces would turn red as beets. It was all I could do to keep a straight face during those ridiculously funny fights.

Over the course of the rest of the year, we became wonderful friends. She had these bellbottoms, (before they were popular again) with flowers painted on the bottom of them. She used to spray those flowers with rose perfume and have me smell them. I've never known anyone to spray their pants like that. That's her. She's always doing funny, cute little things like that.

She had a make-up bag filled with every kind of lipgloss you can imagine. Every time we met up, I used a different kind. I think her favorite was the bees-wax. That was kinda strange to me back then...beeswax lip balm. She taught me to wipe my finger covered in gloss (from those messy pots) on the inside of my sock if I didn't have a tissue handy. That way, I wouldn't get it on my clothes. She always thought of things like that, that just made plain old sense.

Senior year came and went, and by the time we graduated, we were still very close. We went to grad nite together at Disneyland and danced the night away. We went clubbing together when I got my first car, we were quite the hotties back then. (at least I think so) When she moved down to San Diego for school, I went to visit her about twice a month. We'd go down to Tijuana for the evening to dance, and guys would buy us drinks just to watch us shake our asses to "The Rump Shaker", and various Beasty Boys songs. We were the shit and we knew it. Oh yes, we were.

When she became pregnant with her first child, I was elated for her, I just didn't quite know how a baby would fit into the equation once she came. To this day, I feel guitly about how little I was there for her during that time in her life. I missed so much of the early months of her baby's life. I was afraid to hold her, and play with her. I mean, what the hell am I supposed to do with a baby anyway? She can't talk back, or even understand what I'm saying. (or so I stupidly thought back then)

We fell out of touch for a year or so, and during that time all I could think about was how to get her back. I missed my best fried terribly, and I would have dreams of seeing her again. I hated waking up from those dreams. I felt a part of me was gone, and it was.

When we "got back together", it was like we never lost touch. It seemed like all was almost immediately forgiven, because we mean that much to each other. Friendship like this doesn't come along very often in life, and we both knew that.

I can tell her anything, I can be me, who I am to the core, and she still loves me. She accepts me for who I am, for all my faults, and she sees things in me others don't. She has been there for me in every way possible, and I know she would do anything for me. She's that kind of person. I am so glad to have her in my life. Those memories we made so long ago are some of the fondest I have, and I will hang on to them forever.

Thank you poopyhead, for your friendship, and the good times. Happy Birthday, I love ya.