First Friday Class of 79

I have been feeling rather blue this week and not exactly sure why. I am choosing to look back at my childhood friends as a way to get one of those warm fuzzy feelings...ok, that was dumb, really I just thought it would be a fun thing to look at how my First Friday group came together.

I am thinking that from the class of 79, Theresa and I have probably been friends the longest.

Our parents are friends and so it seems we just followed in their footsteps. Theresa's parents are my brothers godparents and mine are one of her bothers godparents. My first memory of Theresa is playing at her house...the pink house. In kindergarten I was walking home from school (perfectly safe in those days). I saw her up front a ways walking with a friend of hers. I got so excited that I ran up behind her her and grabbed her by the neck...hey, I said it was kindergarten and I did not know it may possibly hurt her. The friend she was with screeched at me so loud that my little feelers were hurt. I ran ahead of them crying all the way home. What a weird thing to remember. One time we were playing school at her house and we drew naughty pictures. They were as naughty as our approx 10 or 11 year old minds could imagine, so they were probably funny. Anyway, Theresa's mom found them since we were not smart enough to know they were naughty and that we should hide them. The next day we were leaving on a girl scout camping trip. I clearly remember Theresa telling me that her mom found the pictures. It was a very sad moment in time when my friend told me that she had to pay her mom all the money she had so that her dad would not see the evidence of our crime. I remember asking if she thought it would help if I gave her mom my money.

To my relief I was told no...I had plans for the $1.21.

I know that Susie, Joni and Tina were going to elementary school at the same time and I do remember them, but can't say that we were exactly friends in those beginning years. Chris K moved to our school somewhere in those years, but I just don't remember when.

It must have been during my "ME" years.

Chris C moved in 7th grade. She met us as we were squirting each other with the sink hoses in her Aunts home-ec class.

Theresa and my parents were also friends with Joni's but I'm not sure I have any clear cut memories of young Joni, I think she was just always there. (sorry Joni).

I do remember a boy named Bobby chasing Susie around the class room one time when the teacher had stepped out. Not sure what he had in mind but man that girl could run. Years later Susie, AKA Suz and I walked home from school together for the first time. We cut through the back hill to my house. She told me her phone number in such a unique way that I could walk to the phone and call her mom right now.

And Tina...who could forget the first time we tied her to her chair in one of our classes. It may have been some class like Political Science or one equally as boring. We thought we were really funny. We didn't do it to be mean (hindsight..it may have been mean) it was such a boring class and those ties to her pink shirt were so tempting. If memory serves me right, it was Suz that did it. Angie, AKA Ang, had moved to town by then. I doubt it was Ang that tied up Tina because she was pretty busy hiding from us the answers on her worksheet. Wow, who would have thought that boring class would be so much fun!

This is the foundation to the friendships

that have lasted at least 40 years.

This is also my memory of how things began.

Regardless, this was the start for the class of 79 First Friday group.