I'm not exactly sure of the precise moment I met Billie Jo. We were both in Conway - she went to UCA and I was at Hendrix, but we met at Taekwondo. She was the girl who taught the tiny tigers. I was the girl who worked the front desk. Somehow we became friends. :)
It probably didn't hurt that we quickly learned that we had a lot in common. Obviously, we both did taekwondo and we were the same age. We were both majoring in psychology, had both come from small towns. She was a majorette in high school, and I was on the flag line. We were band nerds. Our birthdays are only 3 days apart. We supported eachother in our work with the taekwondo kids and bonded over the job we shared teaching. After college, we both went on to go to grad school in school psychology.
Over the years we did a lot together. Kyle and I drove to Atlanta one night to go to a Braves game with Billie Jo the weekend she and Ricky got engaged. Billie Jo was there on my first airplane ride and switched seats with me when I was freaked out by sitting by the window. We traveled to Boston together before I knew I'd be living here. I was in her wedding, and she was in mine. She moved to Oregon where I was able to go visit. Just this summer, we went to Hawaii together. It's been really great. Of course, our husbands are a whole other topic - when Kyle and Ricky get together - well, I'm not sure how to explain it. I don't know if regression or hilarity or kindred spirits is the best term to use...but they match just as well as we do.
As mentioned, Billie Jo now lives almost as far away from me as is possible and still be in the US. She lives in Oregon while we hold down the eastern coast here in Boston. I always miss her, but we talk a lot. She's almost done with her doctoral degree in school psychology...and I think that sometimes she is as excited about Abigail as I am. She teases me that she is living vicariously through my pregnancy. Of course, I'm living vicariously through her PhD. I'm so very proud of her. Billie Jo has always been the put-together organized ideal of what I strive to be.
So, Billie Jo, Happy Birthday. I hope you have a great day and know that I miss you very much, but love you even more.
wine tasting in Oregon
arriving in Hawaii
bachelorette party
being helpful at my wedding
fun in Boston
always friends.
1 comment:
what a great friend you are. I loved all the pictures :)
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