365 Days to 30/365 People Who Were Along for the Ride

Day #194 - Carron D.

I always sit back in my chair when the names of good friends come out of the number generator, wondering which story I will tell.

I first met Carron at my interview for the job I have now. I remember thinking she seemed nice and someone I would be friends with. I went home that night and looked up her bio on the website and it was worded really funny – something about how she enjoyed spending time with her cats. Hmm, I wonder.

Well, she didn’t turn out to be a scary cat lady after all. Carron and I quickly bonded and became fast friends at work and out of work. Our significant others became friends (Carron and Ben got married the year after I met her) and an even closer friendship was born.

Carron and Ben would come over to our house and say how much they loved our neighborhood and street. An idea began forming in my head – I would find a way to get them on our street! Sure enough, a few months later I was out walking Charmer and saw one neighbor putting a lot of trash out and looking like they were painting. “Are you moving?” I slyly asked, trying not to make my ulterior motive too clear. They were…And soon Carron and Ben were moving into their house!

It is so great having such a good friend only a few houses away. She is there for emergency potty trips for Charmer, or when I don’t have chicken broth. She is there for television shows and simple dinners out.

Carron is also crafty (you know another reason why we bonded!) She loves etsy, perhaps even more than I do, and is such a talented, talented knitter. It’s amazing what this girl can make. Sure, I can paste pictures to paper, but this girl can make herself her own sweater! Serious skills.

This next year will be an exciting one for us and our friendships – I just know it.

Day #193 - Archie D.

Archie was, at one time, the CEO of Conoco Phillips. He was an alum of the engineering college at the University of Oklahoma when I worked there and we were featuring him in one of our publications. Lucky for me, I got to fly down to Houston with a photographer and spent most of the afternoon the Conoco board room with Archie and friends.

He couldn’t have been a kinder, more giving and accommodating man. I was mega impressed, especially when he insist that I sit in his chair and had the photographer take a picture of me (looking especially powerful in my suit at age 23). When I would see him at events after this photo shoot he was always so complimentary of my work and genuine. A nice guy.

I have no photos of Archie, and can't seem to find the photo of me from the board room...I'll have to keep digging...

Day #192 - Peter

Peter was my very first ice dancing coach at the Skating Club of Wilmington. He was also the zamboni man. I wonder if my friends Cameron and Erin remember him the same way I do – his fashion was a bit throw-back, but he was the most calm, collected, even-tempered person. He was patient with those that didn’t have as much skill, and I think recognized his place in the skating world – helping those who were just starting out.

I don't have a photo of Peter, so here is a photo of me around the time he was my coach. I was very proud of my medals. :)

Day #191 - Chris M.

Chris is someone I met through my job at the Naval Academy. He is a graduate and owner of wsradio.com – one of the best all-internet radio stations out there. He volunteered his radio time for us to hold a weekly show called Go Navy Radio. Chris is on the far left of this photo.

Chris and I worked hand-in-hand coordinating the logistics of these shows, which could be interesting considering the guests we had (ranging from astronauts to admirals). He always, always made me feel like I was doing a good job (even when calls dropped and things went wrong). My boss didn’t exactly have the same temperment. :)

Right before I left the Academy, I got to fly out to San Diego for the Navy bowl game and we had a live Go Navy Radio show from the USS Ronald Reagan state room. It was pretty amazing, and great to finally meet my buddy Chris. My last show would be a few months later, and he gave me such a nice sending off.

Day #190 - Danielle L.

Danielle was Sharon and my next door neighbor our freshman year in the dorms at Lehigh. I always liked Danielle, and for the next four years at Lehigh, anytime we would see each other it would always be a reunion. She was in ROTC at Lehigh and I always wonder where life has taken her.

My favorite Danielle story is from a night during our freshman year. She had been out. Late. And had had a bit to drink. She came home just a little confused about which room was hers and climbed right into bed with Sharon. Oh we had a good laugh about that for a few months!

Day #189 - Jodi B.

Jodi is one of my Maryland scrapbooking buddies. I forget how long ago this group initially got together, but it’s always full of laughter and conversation when we do. (Jodi is standing next to me in this group photo.)

I have so much respect for Jodi for a lot of reasons, but the main being that since I’ve known her, she’s always worked in tough schools in Baltimore. Anyone who lives in Baltimore knows that the education system here is rough, at best. But it’s people like Jodi who will make it better.

Jodi is entering a new phase of her life and I wish her nothing but the best.

Day #188 - Uncle David

It’s hard to say what my first memory of my Uncle David (my mom’s younger brother) is. I have so many pictures of him and I together (from me pretending to draw on his face with crayons to dancing with him at my Aunt Debbie’s wedding), that I can’t remember which one is a real memory and which is from a photograph.

David is the biggest smart a** I know. And I love it. My favorite story is one he told us just a few years ago. David works for Burpee Seeds and was doing an April Fools spoof on the local news station. The story was about how, due to a severe winter, the marshmallow crop was in bad shape. David went so far as to bite off half the marshmallows and stick the other half to a bush. The newscaster asked him about the “mini-marshmallows” and David said not to worry about those because they were imported. Well, David is so sincere that people actually believed the story and were calling into the station concerned about their marshmallow supply! This is classic David…he delivers his jokes with such sincerity you never know when he’s pulling one over on you.

My other favorite David story is that on our wedding night, our limo forgot to come and get us after the reception. There was a snowstorm coming, so David and Barbara were heading home for the night, with my cousin Patrick in the backseat. We loaded in and they dropped us off at our hotel. Very romantic!

A big part of the reason I love my times down at the beach over the summer is because of my family, David included. I am lucky to have him as an uncle.

Day #187 - Billy M.

Billy was a good high school friend. He went to Salesianum, the all-boys Catholic school that my friends, ahem, socialized with often.

I met Billy through one of his cousins who was a friend of mine. I think he had a girlfriend at the time but I (and I think all my girlfriends) had the biggest crush on him. We quickly became just friends and many high school nights were spent hanging out with Billy. He was kind and sweet, and just a good guy. I’m sure he still is.

Bill and I lost touch when we went to college, but I will never forget walking into where we had our wedding reception and seeing Billy there. He had heard we were getting married, and wanted to come give his well-wishes. It was so great to see an old friend. I can't find any photos of Billy and I (I know they are out there, just need to do some digging - I will look and try to post one!)

Day #186 - Kate T.

My sweet, sweet Canadian friend Kate. I can’t remember when I first met Kate, but I knew we became friends instantaneously. She is an incredibly talented digital scrapbooking designer, and I always look forward to her latest creations.

I will never forget one specific memory of Kate at CHA. We had both arrived that day and were very tired. We were sharing a bed (it happens) and I remember Kate saying she was going straight to sleep. Except the two of us couldn’t stop talking and giggling. I think we got yelled at by the others. Kate kept saying, “OK, I’m going to sleep now.” And then she’d start on another story. I think the next day she even had the gall to blame me for her lack of sleep.

Kate has the cutest Canadian accent. Whenever I spend time with her I feel like I walk away talking like a Canadian (eh?) I haven’t seen my friend in too long, but I know if I did it would be like nothing has changed, with nights spent giggling entirely too late.

Day #185 - Jaron T.

This is a sad post.

Jaron was a friend from Lehigh. I think he lived on our freshman hall, if I remember correctly. He played on the football team – was athletic, cute, and fun-loving. He joined the fraternity that my friends and I spent a lot of time at and we spent many nights hanging out with him and his friends. He had a great smile and always made those around him laugh.

I was really saddened that Jaron passed away last year rather suddenly. I think everyone who knew him was. I can't seem to find any photos of Jaron from Lehigh, but when I saw this video, his smile was easy to remember.