Lissa

So, Lissa and I met on the first day of school - at least I think. Like I said before, I don't really remember that first day, but I know that I had to have met everyone at the school that day because it was so small and we were the new kids. Lissa was in my grade and lived on a farm. She was really quiet, but super fun once you got passed the quiet part. I thought she had lived there her whole life, but it took until Jr. High for me to figure out that she had been new the week before me and she only knew everyone by the time I got there because the school was so darn small. She had a couple cousins in the school, but no one that she knew super well.

Lissa is the friend that no matter where we were or what was going on, she and I were the best of friends. With Mel, since she was in the grade above me, we would go a long time without seeing each other much, but since Lissa was in my grade we never had those times we didn't hang out (except maybe in the summer - but even then we still did stuff, just not quite as often). With Mel, she and I were more of 'after school friends' but Lissa and I were always friends. Like I mentioned before, we had 8 kids in my elementary school class. 2 were boys and so I always lump them together in my head. As for the girls, they all go in groups of 2 in my head as well, it was Delaine and Michelle, Stacey and Jodie, and then Lissa and I. And I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who lumps us all up like that. I stayed close to this girl all through elementary, then through Jr. High and High School as well.

I went to my first concert with her (it was 'NSYNC and it was awesome!), and my second concert as well (The Moffatts) plus many others, not to mention tons of dances and parties (we would drive together since we were coming from the same direction). She went to my church as well, so when I did go to stuff (which I didn't really do growing up, but I will get to that later) she was there too - like camp and church dances and other activities. We had tons of sleepovers and talked on the phone all the time and did all sorts of girly stuff like that.

With most of my friends on this list so far (which I admit isn't very big so far) I have talked about a specific instance with them, but with Lissa it is so hard because there were so many instances. This is the girl who convinced her dad to drive us to both the above mentioned concerts and wait outside for us. The girl who, the year I couldn't go to girls camp, took a picture of me along and held it up for every picture they took so that later they could show me how I was 'there'. The girl who stayed up almost all night on the bus to Vancouver with because we were both so excited for our school trip that we couldn't sleep. The girl who helped me stay awake the next day even though I was dead tired! The girl who I had a 'band' with and together we designed a logo and a CD case and everything (except we didn't have songs - we didn't even play instruments!) and then we put those designs on shirts and wore them on Halloween. One of the few friends I was close with growing up that didn't have a crush on my brother at some point (there are only 2 or 3 girls I can say that about). I never felt judged or looked down upon by her no matter what I did - and I did a lot of things that I knew I shouldn't and that she knew I shouldn't.

She is now currently married to a man who is good for her, and good to her (from what I can tell - I have only met him a few times). She has 2 kids, one daughter who is almost 3 who looks just like Lissa did when she was younger, and a son who is only a few months old but is already quite sweet and charming. From her I learned that it is okay to express myself creatively, and that I actually can have good ideas sometimes. I learned that quiet isn't always bad. And neither is blond (haha). I learned that I can be a good member of my faith and still be fun.

A final note - I realize now that I should be including pics with these, but I don't really have any from when I was little (digital wasn't really invented back then, and if it was it was WAY to rich for our blood) with me here seeing as they are mostly at my parents house. I will see what I can do about posting some in the future (and maybe adding to some of these) but I am making no promises.