Staying Connected

There is something about growing up with people in the same place for years and years, then, later in life, you want to stay connected.

This Saturday I am gathering with some girl friends that all grew up in the Silver Valley, and, at least one time a year, we gather together for lunch, to have a Christmas gift exchange, and to get caught up on life.

After I moved back to Kellogg nine years ago, we started getting together.  There are six of us who have been together for almost every lunch each year since Christmas 2001. 

I have a history with each of these women.

CM is one of my oldest friends...meaning I have known her since I was four years old.  We attended kindergarden together, and her mother babysat me when I was in kindergarden.  We attended school together through junior high, then she moved to Coeur d'Alene for a few years.  She returned in ninth grade, then we graduated from high school together.  We were at U of I together one year.  We have know each other for almost 42 years.  She now lives in Coeur d'Alene, and is working on her Masters of Social Work degree.  Two of our daughters were born within weeks of each other. 

BB was also in my kindergarden class.  We then were in sixth grade together, and on through graduation.  Her daughter is right between Kiki Aru and Z2, so I get to catch up with BB at sporting events, usually track in the spring.  BB is a hair stylist in Hayden.

CD came to Kellogg while we were in junior high, but had relatives living in Kellogg, so her Silver Valley roots run deep.  She married a guy from Mullan and her mom still lives in Kellogg.  Her daughter runs cross country and her son runs track, so again, I see her at sporting events.

PS was a Pinehurst girl, so I didn't meet her until junior high. She is the "planner".  She always gets our get together organized.  PS has the youngest child of all of us.  As many of us have children out on their own, or in middle school or high school, PS has a daughter in grade school, and loves every moment of it!!

TF returned to the Silver Valley the same summer we did, and both of our husbands were hired by the Wallace School District the same year.  Our oldest daughters graduated from high school together, and we occasionally run into each other as well. 

MR is a new comer to our luncheon this year.  She was raised in Kellogg, and I got to know her when she came to Sunnyside School in fourth grade.  Her mother was my Campfire leader for many years.  She was a fellow flute player, and we were always in competition for first chair.  One of my memories of MR is when, in sixth grade, the Little League babeball allowed girls for the first time to try out for a team.  Both MR and I tried out and made the same team.  She was the best player on the team....I was the worst.  MR moved away after our freshman year and moved to Wisconsin.  She is know back in Kellogg, and I look forward to rekindling our friendship after many, many years.

My brother also sees the value in gathering with his friends.  For many years, Thanksgiving has been a time for him to reconnect with his high school buddies, either somewhere in Oregon, or here in the Silver Valley.  For him, the catalyst for spending time with old friends was our father's funeral.  He was very moved by the way Dad's friends responded as Dad lay in his bed dieing of cancer, and how his many friends he grew up with in the Silver Valley came and spent time with him as he lay in bed.  My brother realized there was a special bond between Dad and his friends, and he wanted to experience that bond with the buddies he grew up with as well.

And I, too, realize the specialness in old friends.  AL will not be with us on Saturday, but is arriving on Sunday to be here in the Silver Valley for about a month.  AL and I can say one or two words, and be on the floor laughing, remember a funny story or joke from years gone by.  It has been too long since I spend time with AL, and I look forward to getting caught up, and laughing until I cry.

KM is like that as well.  She will also miss the lunch on Saturday, but will be here at her parent's house for Christmas, so we will find some time to get together.  KM's house and my house had kitty corner back yards.  Again, I have known KM since I was three or four years old. 

What amazes me is the remarkable women the friends of mine have become, with beautiful families.  Yes, there have been struggles....grief, pain, life....but we gather together, and it doesn't matter, because our bond is stronger than the circumstances of life. 

We are social workers, nurses, mothers, wives, counselors, educators, lovers, friends, volunteers, hair stylists, insurance industry workers, substitute teachers, daughters.

Our roots go back to the hey days of the Silver Valley, when mining was big, and smelter smoke was even bigger!!  But we didn't care. 

It has forged in us a connection that we never want to break, as we continue our ritual of our yearly Christmas gathering, to share stories, share gifts, share lives.

Thank You For Being A Friend

I am blessed with wonderful friends, and have a wide variety of people I consider my friends.

But this hasn't always been the case.

When I was in grade school, I had a best friend. We did everything together. We were inseperable.

One year, she replaced me with a different best friend. Oh, we were still friends, but I wasn't here favorite any more. Ouch!!

It took me years to get over that rejection. It made me wierd when I did have other close friends. I felt possessive. I felt fear.

It took me years and years to finally trust others with their friendship. I am amazed at how deep that one incident of rejection in grade school made a lasting impression on my life.

But now I have come through to the other side, and have women friends that I love with all my heart, and I know they love me for who I am, warts and all. I have friends all across the country, young friends, old friends, and I love them all.

It is a good place to be.

Thank you, ladies, for being my friend.

Visiting With April in April

I have three special people in my life named April. One lives in western Washington. One lives in southern Idaho. And ones lives with me here in the Silver Valley.



I could find no better way to celebrate the fourth month of the year than to have breakfast with one of my friends named April. Since she lives the closest, April from Kellogg had breakfast with me this morning.



She has a habit of going to coffee at a certain restaurant in Kellogg every morning, so I knew, if she was in town, she would be available for breakfast.



I called her last night, and found her at home. She said I must have been reading her mind, because she had been at coffee that morning, and saw three ladies having breakfast together, and thought how fun it would be to have breakfast with some lady friends. Plus, she had been thinking about me, and realized we hadn't seen each other in a while, so, as she put it, my call and invitation was very serendipitous.


We discovered each other when we were both working on a project as board members of the Staff House Museum here in Kellogg. April and I worked on creating a pamphlet to hand out to school children who came on field trips to the museum. April is the artist. I am the writer. Our talents complimented one another, and, through this project, we formed a bond.


One of the things I love about April is she is about 15-20 years older than me, and it is so fun having such a good friend with a different perspective on life. She is such a joy to be around, and she always inspires me to do more creative things.

It was fun to hear about her playing the bass fiddle in a bluegrass band last summer. And she has now moved onto another band.

April likes to journal with pictures in a sketch book. I love it when she shares with me her newest creations. She owns chickens, and frequently chickens are the subject of her drawings.

I'm glad I got to spend one of the first days of the month of April with my wonderful friend April!!

Sharing Time With Those We Love

Today was one of those rare days when my friend Carolyn and I set aside a day to leisurely spend some time together and enjoy one another's company.

Our plan was to drive east to Wallace, and visit some of the new shops that have opened, or older ones we haven't been to in a while, have lunch, and maybe get a little Christmas shopping done.

Idaho Silver Shop was our first stop. My friend Rayma, who I graduated from high school with, was a big help as we looked at all the beautiful jewelry. She is such a wonderful asset to the Wallace Business Community, and has been for over 20 years.

Then we went down the street to The Price Tag, and antique store housed in the old Coeur d'Alene Hardware building. It is a cool old building. The shop's owner, Anita, has some wonderful items for sale, and I hit the jackpot when I found 11 big plastic candy canes to purchase for our upcoming Christmas program at church.

Next we stopped in the Silver Capital Arts store, where I found a gift for someone on my list. Then we went to the antique shop located in the old Rullman's building, and visited with Terri, who runs this shop.

We had lunch at the 1313 Club. I had a wonderful Reuben sandwich with coleslaw, and Carolyn had fish and chips. Fortunately she opted to have the beer batter fries for her "chips", and I got to help her eat them. Yum!! To find out more about the 1313 Club, go here.

After lunch, we traveled back to Kellogg, and visited eMGee's, run by my good friend Mary Gail. Her daughter-in-law makes this wonderful homemade soap, and one of the bars is anise, or black licorice flavored, and I bought a bar to put in my bathroom. Now everytime I enter my bedroom, I can smell that wonderful anise smell. M-m-m-m-m-m-m.

We all need to take time to spend with friends. We had such an enjoyable time. Carolyn grew up in Wallace, and raised her son in Wallace, and it was fun as she would run into people she knew on the street.

At lunch, we visited about so many wonderful topics, mainly about finding balance in life, and learning to serve God through that balance.

I enjoy having friends of all ages. Carolyn is probably 15-20 years older than me, but we have a very special relationship, and one I am glad we continue to nurture through times like these.

As the Christmas season is upon us, this is what the season is all about...sharing our time with those we love.