flashback friday #6

Today is my friend Cathy's birthday. She was one of my roommates at Word of Life Bible Institute. At first sight, one would think we were polar opposites of each other.

• I'm the oldest. She's the baby.
• I have bone straight hair. She's got curly red hair. (Although when I met her I had just experienced the worst and very last perm of my life. It was hideous.)
• I'm thick. She's thin.
• I had about a week's worth of clothes in college. She had a supply that would last her several months. I'm not even kidding. Crate after crate of clothes that girl had.
• I'm from Ohio (go Browns). She lives near Pittsburgh (ick - the Steelers).
• I slept on the bottom bunk. She got the top.
• I had study hours the entire year. She managed to get the necessary GPA to get out of them. (However, I worked in Jack's Snack Shack and got out of them about twice a week. No one ever checked the library sign in sheet. . .that I never signed.)
• I would absolutely not have broken the rule about bringing a Walkman to WOL. She did. . . and then she shared her contraband with me. To this day, whenever I hear that Wilson Phillips song, "Someday somebody's gonna wanna make you turn around and say goodbye. . ." I think of her.

But despite those differences, we quickly grew to become great friends. I think it was because we both enjoyed an occasional spot of good hot tea! That, and because we read our Bible survey passages together. And we also got to sleep in while poor Melissa and Julie were up at the crack of dawn to head off to work hours in the dining hall. We got to spend the summer together working at the Inn as STC daycare supervisors. And since we had practically every afternoon off, we spent all our free time at the beach and had fabulous tans. See. . . that is the darkest I've ever been in my entire (otherwise normally) white life. And the ugly perm is almost completely grown out. And I wish I was only as thick as I was back then.

Photo circa August 1992 at WOLBI graduation (perhaps shortly after the downpour and we had to make a mad dash for the auditorium).

Then we parted ways and she went to Cedarville College to study nursing and I headed off to Tennessee Temple for education. We visited each other a few times on breaks. Tried to keep in close contact with letters and occasional phone calls.

She got engaged to Jim and asked me to be her maid of honor. I helped plan her bridal shower. Before I got married, she made the trek over for one of mine. You'll never guess what she got me. . .among other things, a tea kettle! I use it often, Cath. When Phil and I got married, she was one of my candle girls. I had too many friends and not enough spots for bridesmaids, so all my amazing friends came in together and lit a bunch of candles during the prelude music.

Photo circa my wedding day, June 12, 2004.

The last time we got to see each other was two summers ago when Phil and I were in Ohio visiting. She and Jim came over to spend the day together. We drove home in a horrible summer thunderstorm on our way back from Friendly's. I seriously thought there was going to be a tornado that day and we were all going to die! The sky was so black.

Right before school started, we were playing phone tag - trying to reconnect and catch up. It hasn't happened. . . yet. School started back up for both of us. She's now a school nurse. If she were at Crossroads, I'd be sending all my hypochondriac children to her for bandaids, ice packs, and Tums, the magical cure-alls.

I owe you a birthday phone call, Cath. Hope you have a terrific #36!