Carla Ann

Today my childhood friend Carla is celebrating her 55th birthday! I can't think of December 19th without thinking of her. It's her day and I send happy birthday wishes her way!! I talked to her this morning and it was good to hear that things in her life are going well. She's traveled a bumpy road and has had her fair share of heartache. I admire her courage and strength to keep going and to not ever give up. She is the mother of three wonderful children and she has four cute little grandchildren. She remains active in and committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, even when there have been many times that her faith has been tried. She is a disciple and follower of Christ. Except for a few years in late high school and early college days when we liked the same boy, we have been fast friends. We've been through thick and thin together. We've shared all our ups and down through letters, email and phone conversations through these nearing 50 years. Luckily, we only live about 45 minutes apart, and we try and see each other several times a year. Carla has so many talents and abilities. One time she even saved my life. She was good at the things I couldn't do and I could do a few things she couldn't do. She could balance on her dad's horse corral fence for yards and yards, and I always fell off. She was on the high school marching/drill team and I got cut in 10th grade because I was too skinny. I could give talks in speech and debate and boss just about any group of people around. She was a natural beauty, I had to work at it. I wore braces and she did not. I was a leader, she was more of a follower. We made a good team. And on it goes today.
Every single year on Christmas morning, I would no sooner open my gifts than I would run to the phone and call Carla's home 6-3777 to find out "what she got." I'm sure it annoyed the heck out of her parents. One year we both got new bikes. Hers was white and mine was blue. Wow, the places we went on those bikes, all up and down the streets of Rupert having adventures of every kind. Later we traded those bikes in for our parents cars and we had endless adventures making up our own fun. Great, great memories are a part of my friendship with Carla Ann.
My life has been enriched because she has been my friend. We met in second grade and now we're growing into older age together. We love to compare aging problems and we laugh our way through them. We're proud parents and grandparents. We are dear, dear friends. May it ever be so.