Heidi – I stole your picture!!

One of the first specific memories I have with Heidi was a day or two after the end of fourth grade. Heidi & I had Mrs. Cunningham that year, and I was originally terribly disappointed. I had heard that Mrs. Cunningham was the hardest fourth grade teacher – why in the world had they stuck me with her? As it turns out, that was one of my most favorite years of elementary school, and I believe it was the first time Heidi & I had been classmates. We were fast friends. Her mom had a baby that year, which I thought was ultra-cool! How cool to have a baby to take care of and dress up and take places!?! I was so jealous! So a day or two after school ended, she invited me over to swim and ski (?maybe?). I’m not sure if we forgot sunscreen or it wore off, or what, but that day I got probably the worst sunburn ever in my life. My whole shoulders/upper back were blistered and my skin was never the same again! But alas, our friendship soldiered on…

Heidi & I went to different middle schools so we didn’t hang out much during those years. In high school, we landed in many of the same classes, including Mr. Van Dam’s Art I class our freshman year. Early on, we both realized we’d made a mistake by signing up for that class. But we made the best of it and got through the semester. Throughout high school, Heidi proved to be the most faithful of friends. She challenged me as a Christian and as a student. She started an accountability group for her & I and one other friend – before I even knew what an accountability group was. We stayed in touch through college and even beyond.

I was lucky enough to meet up with her for lunch while in Florida, and we had a great time catching up and seeing our girls together. (My C does enough talking for all 3 of them – her girls were probably so quiet because they couldn’t get a word in edgewise). I always looked up to her spiritually (and still do), and am thankful for her friendship, which has endured through many years and many miles. Love you heidi!! (And I’m sorry for stealing your picture).