November Thanks Day 17 – Old Friends

I want to personally thank all of the friends who have, in my opinion, helped shape me into the adult I am now. The friends I had in the decade of 10-20 years old where I was testing the limits, and deciding who I wanted to be, and how I wanted to approach the world. Some of them I do not have pictures for (at least, not scanned for online use), but that does not make them, or their memories, any less special to me. And, some of them I do not talk to anymore because of growing apart, busy schedules, or any other reason, but that does not take away what I learned from all of them!


Daniel-San in my seniors hoody

First up (and these are in no particular order) is Daniel Reidstra. Daniel was my younger neighbor who drove me crazy. Absolutely crazy. Still, we saw each other every day, and hung out watching stupid cartoons together while his parents worked. I still remember the day that I had to hide in his closet, then sneak out the backyard so his parents wouldn’t catch me there – something I did not know was a big deal until the yell of “oh crap, my mom’s home. HIDE!”. We walked to and from school together – he and the other neighbor kids would meet me at the end of the hallway every single day. Daniel passed away in a car crash June 9, 2008, which is the exact day that my son was born. To this day, I can be doing something and all of a sudden see his face in a crowded school hallway, smiling, laughing, messing around with his friends. It makes me sad to know the last few years of his life I missed everything. Our last conversation was when we ran into each other at the mall, he told me about his new career, and I told him about expecting my son.

What I learned from Daniel is that it is always important to let people in, share with them, and hear their advice (regardless of whether or not it is applied). He would listen to everything, and force me to hear his opinion on the relationship issues I had – I’d scoff, because what did a jr high kid know about anything, anyways? – or any other situation in life. It was a good give and take, as I learned everything about his dad, step dad, and the rest of his family. I miss that kid. A lot.

Best birthday outing ever!

Next up is my old buddy, Holly. We were neighbors, and met when I was 11 years old. We have seen each other through pretty much every single important milestone that there can be for a girl/young woman. Beyond the normal changes that we went through together, Holly was also there for me when I first started at public school. I was a homeschooler, and had never done anything beyond art/music/aerobic/Bible classes, and was really scared to try anything beyond my comfort zone. She promised to meet me right before our French class, and showed me where to go for the first few weeks until I felt comfortable navigating my way around. Her friends at school became my friends, and I was included in everything. From her, I learned how important it is to look out for the people you care about. It does not matter if they really aren’t family, or if they don’t belong as easily as others. Take care of them, show them they are important, and all will be good!

Holly and I at her wedding



The next person is important to me, yet I have 0 pictures of her scanned (sorry!). Brianne Keith is someone I met through Holly. She lived a block up from  us, drove a car (the first out of everyone), and was obsessed with Hanson and anything dealing with the medical profession. She was always the person who would try to answer a question. To this day, though she lives far away and we rarely talk, if she finds out I need something she will try and give whatever help she can. And that is what I have learned from her, always, always, always pay attention to what others needs and try to be the one to help instead of letting them sit and stress for no reason. 



Me and Krystal

Krystal Chiarolla is another I have learned much from. We met in high school after talking about a boy we both had problems with (“don’t date him!”) and bonded from there. We had a mutual love of Disney, Broadway, and travel. Though we met towards the end of my time in high school, she had a huge impact on me in that she pushed me to be more independent. When I received the big yes for the Disney College Program, she and her mother were there, cheer leading me on saying I could do this. I could leave everything I was familiar with, plus my boyfriend, and go take a gamble that this would be a good fit. Not only that, but she was the one who had the idea that we should both apply for the program in the first place. I owe her many thanks for all of the help she and her husband have provided over the years, along with the pushes to just jump without thinking some times. If not for that, I probably would not be where I am today in my quest for a teaching degree. It’s good to just go with a gut feeling some times, and just not look back!


Our Kitchen Sinks

Tracy Hansen is someone I met at community college. We met, and became instant friends. Though we had known each other a short time, she was one of the main ones to help my husband and I when the move back from Florida needed to be made. She taught me that being selfless, and going above and beyond for people is a necessity. That it doesn’t matter how close they are to you, everyone needs help some times.


Tracy and I at the zoo








Megan was someone I met while pregnant with my daughter. She and my husband worked together, and she quickly became a friend who tried to be there for everything. When I would become overwhelmed with motherhood, she would swoop in and hold my daughter so I could take a break. If I could not find a sitter so I could work, Megan would do it. If I simply needed to vent from frustration, she was there. Megan taught me that it is important to simply show up for people. It does not matter if the hands are empty (during that time, we were all broke. Broker than broke. Oh my goodness, I hate to remember how broke) or not, it matters to show up, and do the little things. We all have something we can give, even if that some thing is just time.



Tracy, Megan, and one of their friends, Alise



The next person is tied with my husband in that if it weren’t for him, we probably would not be together. Also, if it weren’t for him yapping in my ear so much (really, obnoxious amounts of yappage) about what a relationship needs, I probably, to this day, would still not know the beauty of compromise. Though we had huge issues, differences, and disagreements (and that is putting it mildly), I owe Chris some large amounts of thanks. He suggested to my husband that we date, he orchestrated our first date, he created times before that for the two of us to quietly get to know one another and be around one another. And, probably most importantly, he taught me daily about the need to compromise. How it is so, so, so important to make both parties win instead of looking out just for self.

The hubby

The last person to thank is my husband, Ken. No, he doesn’t fall in the friend category now, but that is how we started out. If it weren’t for him, I would not have opened my eyes to all of the different things I now like. I was very set in my ways as a teen, and he forced me to try foods I thought I hated (Chinese is pretty darned yummy), listen to music I knew nothing about and thought would probably be dumb (Les Miserables and country), see that authors were excellent even if they weren’t the greats from the classics era, and to try things even if I thought I might lose. Which, by the way, is one of my biggest faults next to gossiping, and being impatient, and being judgmental (I could go on and on). Most importantly, though, he showed me that it was important for me to try and be independent before we got married. I was not certain what I thought of this whole Disney thing, and he gently told me it needed to happen, I needed to know what life was like without parents to catch me, and that he’d pay my application fee. Looking back, we have had our ups and downs, but I do not regret for an instant being married to him. And I know he was right, that if I had not jumped at the opportunity, I would not have the confidence that things will happen and work out that I do now. So thank you, honey!

Thank you to each and every one of you who I mentioned today. There are many, many more who have stepped in and taught me things, and meant a lot to me. If I wrote about all of you, it would take me days and days to get everything down. I have truly been blessed with some amazing people in my life!