My best-friend-from-childhood, Suzanne turns 40 today. Her husband and mom are throwing her a surprise birthday party. I was invited but am unable to fly to New Jersey. How I wish I was there to spend it with her.
This is a copy of the letter I've sent her. It's filled with alot of insider stuff that only she and I know about. Even so, I hope reading it brings you some memories of a childhood friend or just a time when making crank phone calls was innocent fun.
I cannot believe we’ve reached the big 4-0. I’m glad 40 is the new 30, because I barely feel 29 and am wondering why I don’t get carded anymore. Do you feel the same way?
But seriously, did you know I’ve know you longer than anyone on the planet besides my mom and Baby Bear? It’s true. From the time your mom brought you over the fence looking for the “other little girl in the neighborhood” we’ve been through a lot.
Here are some of the memories in no particular order. (And there are so many more!)
- You teaching me to ride your old bike in the garage one gloomy day.
- Riding in the back of Harris’s car with you when he played Jim Morrison’s “American Prayer” album trying to shock us. Instead, we found the whole thing very funny in a giggly teenage girl sort of way, especially the lament-for-my-you-know part. Heck, LAMENT has become our secret code word.
- The Faith Patrol – enough said.
- Playing in the detach garage and in our backyards.
- The Der Life and writing very elaborate notes in French class
- Playing in my basement and you telling me you wanted to be an actress like Lucille Ball.
- Noshing on Grandma Mae’s lasagna when I would come over to your house after school. To this day I think Grandma Mae made the best lasagna ever. How do I know? The true test of good lasagna is: if it’s delicious when cold, it’s even better hot. And since this was before microwave ovens, we ate a great deal of cold lasagna.
- Being honored that your father would permit me to stay over for Seder dinner and enjoying learning about my Jewish background from such good friends.
- Going in to NYC with Mark and Gary for Chinese food. We had so much fun laughing. Remember that lady with the hat?
- The Saturday Night Dead tapes!
- Your bat mitzvah and your wedding – two of the most spectacular and fun parties that I’ve ever attended. Heck, Michele and I still talk about your bat mitzvah and the sundae bar!
- You coming back from summer camp in junior high knowing all the good dirty words.
- All the letters and cards we’ve written to each other over the years. Thank goodness for email because I’m running out of storage room in the basement.
- You coming over after a big snowstorm wearing snowshoes! Michele and I were so surprised when you came up to the back door of the patio. We thought it was hilarious that you had SNOWSHOES!
- Walking to school together. I remember when you were out sick with bronchitis for a month and how lonely I was walking all by myself.
- You bragging on Harris all the time. Everything from his SAT scores to his girlfriends. You thought the world of him and I just hope Lucie feels the same way about Nathan. (I know Gabrielle does of Noah.)
- Bringing home Pop Rocks from Butlers and your mom checking the label to make sure they weren’t drugs.
- Listening to Harris’ records, especially “Freebird” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness on the Edge of Town” album and “Candy’s Room” (still one of my favorite songs to this day). But the music that was just ours? The Osmonds, of course! (Do you remember “The Plan” and “Crazy Horses”?) Yeah, yeah, there was Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand on your part and Blondie and Cheap Trick on mine, too.
- Making crank phone calls in your dad’s den.
- Playing in your room for hours. You had the best dollhouse and great Barbies.
- You and Gary coming out to California and your trip with Noah to Colorado and Paul and my trip to NJ. We all need to visit each other more.
I wish I was there to spend this important milestone with you. Have a terrific birthday!!
Lots of love,
Anne-Marie
