Writer's Workshop High School

2. Are you still friends with your high school friends? Describe them.

This particular workshop is not that far off from where my heart has been the last couple of weeks. There are a handful of girls that I kept in touch with from high school and a few more I still think of fondly from time to time.

I was a member of a foursome that, since our ten-year reunion, got together monthly for a "t-party". Our t-parties are a traveling party where each of us takes turns hosting the gathering from month to month.

I, one year, hosted our Christmas party and went overboard. Our home had two Christmas trees and every surface indoors and out was covered in holiday cheer. The dining room table had a lovely runner down the center and the center piece was made up of glittered reindeer, three glass cylinders that held pillar candles and tiny crystal votives. Each place setting was perfectly set and the name cards were attached to ornaments that were glittered snowflakes. My home looked like we were going to try and summon the dead with all the candles we had going in every room. Entertaining is one of my very favorite things to do and I loved putting so much love and effort into every detail for the ones that are most important to me. I was aptly donned, Martha Stewart.

Ms. McButta' is like the middle child, the peace keeper. She is more neutral than Switzerland people! She has a pure and tender heart. Loyal to the core. So easy to talk to and one you can trust with absolutely anything. It would be easy for anyone reading this, who knew of our foursome, or any member of us, to decide who is who from the nicknames and personality traits. If you know me personally, you probably know Ms. McButta' and if you haven't already figured out who she is, this will for sure be a dead giveaway. Everybody loves Ms. McButta'! It's sort of an inside joke. Except that anyone who has ever met, or seen for that matter, Ms. McButta' is in on it because truly, if you know her, you love her. She has been this way since she arrived at Harwood Elementary in 5th grade.

Half of us karaoked and the other half watched in pure delight from the sidelines and danced along. One of us is crazy enough to impersonate Tina Turner, quite well too actually and crawl along the dance floor to Madonna's Like A Virgin. One of us does an extremely animated and totally hysterical version of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Actually, all her performances are extremely animated and she does a mean impersonation of just about any country song too. One of us is purely a one-hit-wonder whose only sold out performance was of Britney Spears Hit Me Baby One More Time. Last but not least, one of us sits on the sidelines and cries along to It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To. I will neither claim nor deny which, if any, of these performances are mine. Half of us are wild, crazy, outgoing, and unstoppable, while the other half lives vicariously through their adventures.

Boobs McGee, well her and I go back to fourth grade! We spent the worst day of our lives together. It was Father's Day, we made a huge mistake and that's all your getting out of me. I still often wonder if her mother has ever gotten over that day. Ah! I'm sure she has, or at least that's what I'll keep telling myself. I recently attended the a gathering in honor of Ms. McGee and each guest was asked to introduce themselves, explain how we know Ms. McGee, and what we appreciate most about her. I gave my name, explained we've been friends since 1776, and what I appreciate most about her is how direct she is. I always know where I stand with her, and where she stands on most things because she just tells ya like it is. Ms. McGee isn't the affectionate type which only makes me want to love on her more. I can't help it, she's got a built in set of pillows! The gathering in honor of Ms. McGee was her bachelorette party. She has since married her best friend and people, you should see the way he looks at her. The twinkle in his eye could blind someone! Mr. J, the game is not over!

Last but not least is Auntsy P. This part is both the easiest and the hardest. I know her the best and vice versa, but Auntsy P and I, if you have been following my blog, are recently estranged. Ms. P and I go back to Mr. McIntryes class in 7th grade. Stay on task! Mr. Gerling, Skate World, hotel parties, homecoming, smoking cigarettes, taunting boys, daisy dukes, and so many other things come to mind when I think of her. Ms. P shares my love of music and so many songs I hear hold a memory of a time I shared with her. We also share a love for dance, booty shaking, lip pouting, dancing! Each of us does have a "signature" move too by the way. Each of us also has at least one photo album full of over 400 pictures from these parties. Many of them are self portraits. Or, pictures we took ourselves with each other in lou of asking our mates to do it for us. But most of them are of us laughing so hard you can see clear to our tonsils! Just the music aspect reminds me of how much we have in common and we harshly disagree on certain things.

We've always had kind of a love/hate thing going. There is something that connects us. When we bond, we really bond. Our similarities can't be more similar but our differences couldn't be more different. We've fought like sisters, like cats and dogs, and for a long time overcame and resolved each issue. We've had seasons of distance between us before but there has always been something that somehow reconnects us.

We used to talk about living next door to each other, sitting on our front porches, sipping tea, and watching the kids and eventually grand kids play in the yard. I hope her future is a blessed one. She is also recently married, her husband has three children whose footsteps and laughter will fill the rooms in their new home. This place in her life is what she has been waiting for. She has a new life, newly married, new home, a family all her own. With the home came the big front porch she dreamed of. While the best friend that will swing with her there is not who occupied our previous plans, I'm certain he'll care for her. If there is any one thing I could do for her now, to draw a line, to move on, to provide closure, it would be the gift of a porch swing.

Mr. E & Mr. J, if ever you come upon this, Take care of her! When you offer to unload the dishwasher and she says "no, I've got it." Unload it! Keep the toilet seat down and for pete sake, don't pee on it! Remember, often times "no" means "yes" and "yes" really means "no." It's your responsibility to learn the difference. Buy her cards that play music. It's the little things in life that keep it fresh and make her feel loved. Take care of her, take care of you!

xoxo - M. Stewart aka Bear aka Kari

Now it's your turn. Choose a prompt:

1.) Tag! Post and write about the 6th picture from the 6th folder of your Flickr (or similar) account and then do the same for the 6th picture of the 6th folder on your computer.

2.) Are you still friends with you high school friends? Describe them.

3.) If you had to star in a reality tv show, which one would it be and why?

4.) Describe a time when your pet caused chaos.

And then post it on your blog and sign Mr. Linky at Mama's Losin' It to participate.