I found two of the greatest loves of my life on Indiana. And yes I said “loves”. Now let me take a moment to clarify before I begin their story. I am not, nor have I ever been "in love" with either of the two of which I am about to speak. But, never the less, I do love them. They taught me what it is to love and be loved all the same, yet never actually be in love. They have shown me what I want when I do fall into that deep love that everyone speaks so highly of. I love these two boys with my heart. They are two of the very best friends that I will ever be blessed to have.
And, thus, begins their part of the story.
I met Jonathan when I was a freshman in college. He was a high school senior. We were both in the same community play, GREASE, at Southwest Playhouse. He was hilarious! He played the part of Doody and fit the character perfectly. When he entered the room, friends flocked to him. Jonathan was always smiling and laughing and helping others to smile and laugh too. I wanted to be a part of that magic. But, me being the self-conscious young girl that I was, never took the opportunity to speak to him, instead watched from afar wishing all the time that I could be one of those fortunate enough to be considered his friend.
The play ran its course and I never expected to run into him again. I remember the last night of the play. The entire cast was in the Green Room after the last show, hanging out and reminiscing about the funny things that had happened. I got the courage to approach Jonathan, and said quietly, “You did a really good job.” He looked up from the beautiful blonde he was talking to, nodded his head, said a quick “thanks”, and turned back to her. I thought to myself, “Why would I ever think this guy would pay attention to me.” I left that night not giving it much thought. (Although to this day I still try to make him feel bad for not talking to me.)
The next year, I was at a friend's apartment. I went with another friend to the apartment two doors down. And who was inside but Jonathan. I re-introduced myself and he said, “ Oh yeah!! Cha-cha!” Even though I hated being known as the homely character, I was still flattered that he even remembered me. That's also the night I met Tucker. Tucker was Jonathan’s roommate and they along with their other roommate Brant, soon became a new form of entertainment for me. I loved going to their apartment to listen to their silly stories or hear their songs that they would make up on the spot. (It’s funny that I still find them and the silly songs they sing one of the greatest forms of entertainment that I’ve ever come across.) They were in a band, Ephraim, and I enjoyed going to their shows. They were extremely talented performers and musicians. All along, I never thought in my wildest dreams that these boys would want to be my friend. I just considered myself a friend of their friend.
The school year came and went and my friend moved out of that apartment. So I didn’t really have an excuse to go see the boys anymore.
That next school year, I spent quite a bit of time at Amanda’s house. She and Chelsea were always talking about the “hot guys that lived next door”. They didn’t know their names and said that many times they would see each other and simply say “Hi Neighbor!” (That name stuck and developed a brand new meaning for us all.) One day when I was walking up the sidewalk, I saw at the house to the north of me, Jonathan. I hurried into the house and told the girls that I knew him. We decided to take the neighbors some “hot” cookies. (We put animal crackers in the microwave.) We giggled as we walked to the their door. Ringing the doorbell, we set the plate on the porch with the note and ran! Just ten minutes later our doorbell rang and to our surprise when we answered Jonathan and Tucker and their other roommate Nathan were all standing on the porch with guitars. They sang some silly song that they had made up. We invited them in and they stayed for a short time. Still, I never fathomed being their friend.
At that time there was a game that all of us girls liked to play. We would steal eachother's car and drive around town playing “Cat and Mouse.” One night during this game we took advantage of the fact that we now knew the neighbors and used their house to hide the other girl's keys in. Someday, if you ever meet Shambra, you will have to ask her yourself just what she said to those boys. To this day I have never seen Jonathan’s face as red or known him and Tucker to be speechless!
In June that next year, I officially moved to Indiana Street. It was just Amanda and I, because Chelsea was out of state doing an internship. I don’t remember exactly the first time we hung out with Jonathan; it’s all mixed together. I think it might have been the time Amanda and he and I sang karaoke in our living room. Boy, was that an experience! That was the beginning of one of the best summer's of my life. Seriously, one of the best. Thank God for cameras is all I can say. We have almost everything documented in still's and video.
The three of us became good friends and Jonathan was at our house till all hours, many times just staying the night because we actually turned on our air conditioner.
He would ring the doorbell at 2:00 in the morning to borrow a towel, tell us something funny, or ask for advice. When we all got more comfortable, he would just come in and I would often wake up to him lying on my bedroom floor hiding behind the fan, playing a game with Amanda's dog Molly. I used to get so frustrated at him for waking me up, but now there are still nights that I long to be awakened by a doorbell or a snicker of a laugh into a fan.
Tucker was often away that summer. But when he did come home he, Jonathan, Amanda and I enjoyed playing pranks on one another. One time, in particular, Amanda and I decided it would be funny to “antique” them. This is when you throw water on a person and follow it with flour. It's hilarious and disgusting and a terrible mess to clean up since it pretty much becomes paste. Well, it turned out that we all got antiqued that night and due to a mishap, so did the boys kitchen. Amanda and I payed our dues when we ended up cleaning their house for 5 hours. That was a disaster. I'm certain that was the first time since they lived there that the house and been cleaned.
Another fun time was when we were all sitting around the living room seeing who could hit themselves in the head with a tablespoon the longest. I to this day, have no idea why were doing that. Well, after awhile we began to hit one another. Okay, I probably smacked Jonathan because I was a jerk, and that turned into an all out war! Allison and I against Tucker and Jonathan, with Emily commentating and Amanda doing the soundtrack! (They were on the injured list because Emily had kidney stones and Amanda had rolled her ankle in another prank earlier that week.) Because we had cleaned their kitchen and done their dishes...that had never been done, they ended up with an ENTIRE kitchen drawer full of spoons. These became ammo. It ended an hour later when I was showing Jonathan my knuckle that he had hit and busted open and decided to hit him while his guard was down and I nailed him square on the elbow with a ladle. He went down like a sack of potatoes. We found spoons in the yards even a year later. Poor mower...
Jonathan and I often talked about everything. We got along really well and would talk about the play and just joke around with each other. But I didn’t feel all that close to Tucker. Yet.
Until, one night, when it was just Tucker and I in those three houses. I went over to say hi and we ended up standing in my front yard and talking about anything and everything for who knows how long and then moved into the living room where we talked some more. I don't remember what we talked about but I do remember that that was the night that I learned that Tucker is one of the most considerate people that I know and that he never wants anyone to hurt. And he also doesn’t like for people to know that he hurts. It turned out that Tucker and I are a lot alike and we became good friends through that talk. I owe a lot to those talks and for a long time I had to have my “Jonathan Talk” and my “Tucker Talk” just to get by.
After that, nights of water balloon fights, boxing matches, and late night talks with the neighbors and honorary neighbors followed. We often took rode trips to see the boys band play staying out until 4 am only to get up at 6 to head to work. Who needs sleep when you're that age, right?
Even though we had so much fun, I didn’t expect it to last into the school year. I just figured it was a summer thing and when the boy’s real friends came back they wouldn’t need us anymore. I still couldn’t believe that they would want to be friends with me. But, the school year came, and it turns out WE were their friends. We spent the next year with those boys. They kept us up at night and we got them up for school. We talked about boy/girl problems. We took numerous trips together. Hours were spent at IHOP’s across the state, music videos were made, and friends became family. The houses became one and we even considered adding hallways to join them.
And oh the hugs! How can I forget about the hugs. Tucker hugs and Jonathan hugs have gotten us through so much. If ever I had a bad day, it could be made all right with a hug from one of those boys. If I needed encouragement, a hug would do it. If I needed to laugh, yep, you guessed it, a hug. When the boys moved away from Indiana it was those hugs I missed the most.
We joked a lot about how Jonathan was Amanda’s neighbor because they are both so much alike(picture Phoebe and Joey from FRIENDS) and how Tucker was my neighbor because we are both so sarcastic and dry and Eduardo (Jonathan’s and Tucker’s roommate they gained during the summer) and Chelsea were neighbors because they were the babies. But, I considered them all neighbors/best friends. I could talk to either of those boys and feel completely comfortable and confident that they truly cared. Nothing made me feel better than when I would hear one of them refer to us "his girls".
The relationships that we all had with each other were and still are something pretty special when I think about it. We once discussed buying the lot across the street, affectionately named “The Prairie” and building one big house that we could all live in together as a family. Kind of like a colony. I don’t think you’ll ever meet a group of people who loved and still do love, the others as much as we did and do.
Not only did we all have special relationships with each other but Jonathan and Tucker's friendship in itself was amazing. It was a friendship that inspired me to be a better friend. They knew each other through and through. Theirs was a friendship that at many times needed no words. They knew the others moods, facial expressions, and sometimes, I’m pretty certain, they even knew the others thoughts.. I liked to refer to them as each others “wife” because they were so close. The friendship that those two boys have is a relationship to be admired my many and desired by all.
Through the talks and relationships that year I learned what I want in a husband and what I don’t want and I never even had to date those guys. I wish that everyone had a Tucker and Jonathan in their lives. Because if they did, I just know there would be so much more happiness in this world.
Those boys are my family, but most importantly they are my neighbors and no matter where they go, what our addresses may be, we will always be neighbors.
They will always be "my boys".
Friday, May 13, 2011
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Chapter 2--NeighBOR Chelsea
Chelsea packed her things and moved on a Friday. May 5, 2006 to be exact. She would be back the following semester, but it wouldn’t be the same. She wouldn’t have her own room and the house wouldn’t contain all of her things.
In my dreams, we all left at the same time. The three houses would pack together and go their separate ways all at once.
But that’s not how life happens. First, Emily left.
Then Jonathan and Tucker moved away.
Shambra got married and moved a couple of blocks away.
Allison bought a house all the way across town.
And then, it was Chelsea's turn.
It was so strange to go outside and see new cars at Southside. And to not be able to walk into either of those houses so freely was such and unfamiliar feeling.
It was odd to walk down the hall, open the door and not see Chelsea’s things.
So many times I would walk in there to borrow clothing and realize that those weren't her things.
To not know exactly where everything was made me feel like a stranger in my own home at times.
Who knew that looking in the kitchen cabinet and not seeing her dishes could make a person sad. But it did.
I remember the very first time that I met Chelsea. I went to 919 for Karaoke and Chelse came in, went straight to the kitchen, got a wine glass and filled it with red kool-aid and I thought to myself then, “I want to be her friend.” We then sang karaoke together and I learned that she not only was hilarious and entertaining, but also that she had a beautiful voice. A voice that would join mine at church functions and such through the next years. Her sense of humor was sadly, just like mine. We would randomly come up with characters such as “Claudia and Suzanne—the New York Talent Scouts” or “Sabatoo and Minotia—the Yoga Instructors” and even “Joey and Vick—Claudia and Suzanne’s mafia husbands”. Bless those around us who had to endure our random performances. We both had a lot of free time on our hands and would sometimes come up with musical acts to perform for Amanda when she got home from work.
One day I came home for lunch and my video camera was connected to my television. It had a note on it that simply sad, "Play Me". When I hit play, Chelsea appeared on the screen in full costume and character. She performed an entire skit by herself. That's one of my favorite memories!
We both love to write and express our emotions. I enjoyed being able to share my work with her. She was always so positive in her critiques, yet still honest.
Chelsea is so much more talented than I ever dreamed of being. She is what I would call a true artist. She can do anything—paint, draw, write, sing, acting—you name it and she can do it.
When I moved into the house, I knew that I would have roommates, but I never knew that I would also find my soul-mates. But that is what they are. They know me and love me, even when I don’t really know or love myself so much. They have been there when I was so mad that I couldn’t see straight and they got mad with me. They laughed with me until we all hurt. And, they cried with me, until I had no tears left.
I remember one time in particular that will always be so special to me. It seems insignificant to others, but not to me.
I had had one of my first heartbreaks and Chelsea and I were the only one’s left in the house. I was sitting on one couch and Chelsea sat on the other, opposite the room from me. We were both silent for along time; she never pressured me to talk if I didn't want to. But then, she rose quietly from her seat, came and sat next to me, put her arm around me, and as the tears flooded out of me, she hugged me and cried with me.
You see, those are real friends. The ones that are not just there for you when you hurt or cry or are mad, but those that feel those emotions with you.
Chelsea, Amanda and I often made time for “Roommate Dates”, going to Bricktown to eat and just spending time together. Maybe if you are lucky, we will share with you the story about the famous game of “Scrabble” we once played... On these dates, we took each other out for the others birthdays and one time, an unbirthday.
We also had what we referred to as "Bathroom Tuesdays". This started one evening when we decided we would do pedicures. We all sat on the edge of the tub and washed our feet and began talking. We ended up sitting in that tiny bathroom together talking for hours. Why we didn't move into another room, I'll never know. But this became one of those things that we did often.
Chelsea’s parents owned an Angus ranch and every year they were invited to Express Ranches to the big Angus sale, dinner and concert. Amanda and I were invited to join and got to share in the fun. On those nights, to be able to get in to the event, we became the Thomas Sisters. Our families became one another's. We really loved each other like sister’s do.
A couple of days after Chelsea moved out, she came back to the house to stay with Amanda and I. She, Amanda, our new roommate Margarite and I were driving around in the rain, playing a prank on some of our other friends. We were laughing and listening to the radio when Delilah came on with a classic. We were singing along to “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing” when Amanda laughed and said something to the effect of how sad the song was and I remember thinking that it really wasn’t at all. But then, as I listened to the words about how this guy had had the time of his life with this girl and his life was forever changed, it hit me. She was right, it was sad. It was the perfect song to conclude this part of the soundtrack of our lives. Chelsea, Amanda, and I laughed and cried so hard all at the same time. I’ll never forget that moment. We just kept laughing as the tears flowed down our cheeks. We went home and pulled out the old green couch bed and slept on it together like little girls do. We giggled as we drifted off to sleep.
The next semester when Chelsea came back, the green couch bed became her bed. Many nights were again spent on it. We would all just lay there with our "butts together like quail" (no clue what that means but Chelsea always said it) and talk until we fell asleep.
The night of before college graduation, we slept there for the final time. We took turns before going to bed, doing a video diary to each other. We went into the bathroom for one last "Bathroom Tuesday", one by one and sat in that bathtub and spoke freely to the camera, expressing our love to the other girls. And then, we watched it together and made fun of ourselves for blubbering like babies.
I was a Communications major and Amanda and Chelsea were Art Majors so when we lined up we were not together. But, as we all sat down, it somehow worked out that we all were able to sit near each other. I think that was a little graduation gift from God to us.
I will never in my life find another “Celse”. She is truly one of a kind. When God made her, He smiled and said, “ I did good”. And she is--so very good. She is one of my life’s greatest blessings and joys.
Life was never really the same for 919 North Indiana. Another one had gone, leaving an imprint on my heart that had it’s own shaped hole that could only be filled with wonderful memories.
And oh, the memories it holds! Because “I’ve had the time of my life, I swear it’s the truth” and Chelsea, I owe a lot of it to you!
In my dreams, we all left at the same time. The three houses would pack together and go their separate ways all at once.
But that’s not how life happens. First, Emily left.
Then Jonathan and Tucker moved away.
Shambra got married and moved a couple of blocks away.
Allison bought a house all the way across town.
And then, it was Chelsea's turn.
It was so strange to go outside and see new cars at Southside. And to not be able to walk into either of those houses so freely was such and unfamiliar feeling.
It was odd to walk down the hall, open the door and not see Chelsea’s things.
So many times I would walk in there to borrow clothing and realize that those weren't her things.
To not know exactly where everything was made me feel like a stranger in my own home at times.
Who knew that looking in the kitchen cabinet and not seeing her dishes could make a person sad. But it did.
I remember the very first time that I met Chelsea. I went to 919 for Karaoke and Chelse came in, went straight to the kitchen, got a wine glass and filled it with red kool-aid and I thought to myself then, “I want to be her friend.” We then sang karaoke together and I learned that she not only was hilarious and entertaining, but also that she had a beautiful voice. A voice that would join mine at church functions and such through the next years. Her sense of humor was sadly, just like mine. We would randomly come up with characters such as “Claudia and Suzanne—the New York Talent Scouts” or “Sabatoo and Minotia—the Yoga Instructors” and even “Joey and Vick—Claudia and Suzanne’s mafia husbands”. Bless those around us who had to endure our random performances. We both had a lot of free time on our hands and would sometimes come up with musical acts to perform for Amanda when she got home from work.
One day I came home for lunch and my video camera was connected to my television. It had a note on it that simply sad, "Play Me". When I hit play, Chelsea appeared on the screen in full costume and character. She performed an entire skit by herself. That's one of my favorite memories!
We both love to write and express our emotions. I enjoyed being able to share my work with her. She was always so positive in her critiques, yet still honest.
Chelsea is so much more talented than I ever dreamed of being. She is what I would call a true artist. She can do anything—paint, draw, write, sing, acting—you name it and she can do it.
When I moved into the house, I knew that I would have roommates, but I never knew that I would also find my soul-mates. But that is what they are. They know me and love me, even when I don’t really know or love myself so much. They have been there when I was so mad that I couldn’t see straight and they got mad with me. They laughed with me until we all hurt. And, they cried with me, until I had no tears left.
I remember one time in particular that will always be so special to me. It seems insignificant to others, but not to me.
I had had one of my first heartbreaks and Chelsea and I were the only one’s left in the house. I was sitting on one couch and Chelsea sat on the other, opposite the room from me. We were both silent for along time; she never pressured me to talk if I didn't want to. But then, she rose quietly from her seat, came and sat next to me, put her arm around me, and as the tears flooded out of me, she hugged me and cried with me.
You see, those are real friends. The ones that are not just there for you when you hurt or cry or are mad, but those that feel those emotions with you.
Chelsea, Amanda and I often made time for “Roommate Dates”, going to Bricktown to eat and just spending time together. Maybe if you are lucky, we will share with you the story about the famous game of “Scrabble” we once played... On these dates, we took each other out for the others birthdays and one time, an unbirthday.
We also had what we referred to as "Bathroom Tuesdays". This started one evening when we decided we would do pedicures. We all sat on the edge of the tub and washed our feet and began talking. We ended up sitting in that tiny bathroom together talking for hours. Why we didn't move into another room, I'll never know. But this became one of those things that we did often.
Chelsea’s parents owned an Angus ranch and every year they were invited to Express Ranches to the big Angus sale, dinner and concert. Amanda and I were invited to join and got to share in the fun. On those nights, to be able to get in to the event, we became the Thomas Sisters. Our families became one another's. We really loved each other like sister’s do.
A couple of days after Chelsea moved out, she came back to the house to stay with Amanda and I. She, Amanda, our new roommate Margarite and I were driving around in the rain, playing a prank on some of our other friends. We were laughing and listening to the radio when Delilah came on with a classic. We were singing along to “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” from “Dirty Dancing” when Amanda laughed and said something to the effect of how sad the song was and I remember thinking that it really wasn’t at all. But then, as I listened to the words about how this guy had had the time of his life with this girl and his life was forever changed, it hit me. She was right, it was sad. It was the perfect song to conclude this part of the soundtrack of our lives. Chelsea, Amanda, and I laughed and cried so hard all at the same time. I’ll never forget that moment. We just kept laughing as the tears flowed down our cheeks. We went home and pulled out the old green couch bed and slept on it together like little girls do. We giggled as we drifted off to sleep.
The next semester when Chelsea came back, the green couch bed became her bed. Many nights were again spent on it. We would all just lay there with our "butts together like quail" (no clue what that means but Chelsea always said it) and talk until we fell asleep.
The night of before college graduation, we slept there for the final time. We took turns before going to bed, doing a video diary to each other. We went into the bathroom for one last "Bathroom Tuesday", one by one and sat in that bathtub and spoke freely to the camera, expressing our love to the other girls. And then, we watched it together and made fun of ourselves for blubbering like babies.
I was a Communications major and Amanda and Chelsea were Art Majors so when we lined up we were not together. But, as we all sat down, it somehow worked out that we all were able to sit near each other. I think that was a little graduation gift from God to us.
I will never in my life find another “Celse”. She is truly one of a kind. When God made her, He smiled and said, “ I did good”. And she is--so very good. She is one of my life’s greatest blessings and joys.
Life was never really the same for 919 North Indiana. Another one had gone, leaving an imprint on my heart that had it’s own shaped hole that could only be filled with wonderful memories.
And oh, the memories it holds! Because “I’ve had the time of my life, I swear it’s the truth” and Chelsea, I owe a lot of it to you!
Chapter 1--NeighBOR Amanda
The green couch was one of three pieces of furniture still left in the house that night. I was sitting on it, tears streaming down my face, when Amanda brought me a glass of very old wine that Chelsea had left in the refrigerator. She sat down beside me and we both took a drink and then immediately spit it out and started laughing. Neither of us even liked wine at that time.
“It just seemed appropriate,” she said.
It was the evening after graduation and Chelsea had already packed her things and moved out for the second and final time. Everyone else had pretty much gone home for the summer. I had already moved all of my things into my parent’s house and was ready to leave for Croatia in just two days.
It hit me then that it was really over. This time we were all really moving and never coming back to that house or that street.
As we sat on the couch the memories flashed through my mind like scenes from a television show; like they do in the series finale. I watched as three years flashed before me in seconds and all I could do was smile through my tears and know I had been blessed with some of the best days of my life.
The scenes played before me from beginning to end.
It was quite appropriate that Amanda was the last one with me, seeing as how she was the one who first invited me to 919 North Indiana.
It actually took me a long time and a lot of thinking to remember the first time I met Amanda. It just felt like we had always been friends.
But, I do remember.
One day I had gone to on campus christian student center to speak with the campus minister about dropping out of school. I was in a bad place in my life;unsure of who I was and where I needed to be,and so depressed that I was rarely coherent of my surroundings. I vaguely remember a tall girl with blonde hair who was sitting at the table by herself. She smiled at me and I’m sure that due to the state that I was in that I did not smile back.
Later, that semester I heard that same girl talking to someone about how she slept about 14 hours a day, and, recognizing the "symptom", I thought “Wow, that girl seems depressed.”
Well, that girl was a friend with some friends of mine and we would all hang out as a group on occasion. She and her roommate Cally, and our mutual friend Sarah spent a lot of time together. I remember stopping at the snow cone stand a lot to visit Amanda where she worked that following summer. I was in need of good Christian friends to spend time with.
One evening all of the girls and I got together to watch a movie. We went to our campus minister’s house and hung out. I was so excited to get to spend time with them. But that evening was the extent of the time I would spend with them that summer.
I’m not exactly sure how it came about, but the next year, Amanda and I became better friends. One evening after a devotional at the student center or "Bible Chair", she and I went to Taco Bell together. We were sitting in the drive-thru and were laughing about who knows what, and I said, “I’m glad we’re friends!” And Amanda laughed and said, “Oh! I’m glad we’re friends too!”
That saying stuck and I can’t begin to count how many times we would repeat it.
I spent the majority of the next semester at 919 North Indiana. I practically lived on their couch.
One night I went to the Bible Chair extremely upset about a family issue and had intended on talking to my friend Jake, who at the time was my confidant. He was busy and I’m not sure if I stopped Amanda or if she stopped me, but I told her I needed to talk to someone.
She sat down with me and as I told her what had happened, she began to cry. She was hurting for me.
I’ve told her several times and still believe to this day, that even though I went in there searching for Jake, God had had a better idea in mind and that He gave her to me just at the right time.
She has been my counselor and shoulder to cry on ever since.
At the end of the semester I knew it was time for me to move out of my parents house and on my own and I secretly hoped that I could move into the house. Chelsea, Amanda and I had talked about it but for some strange reason decided it wouldn’t be a good idea.
The boys next door, Jonathan and Tucker, even got in on it and talked to all three of us without the others knowing, trying to convince us that it was a great idea.
With the newspaper in hand one day, I set out to find a one-bedroom apartment. My phone rang and it was Amanda.
She said, “Chelsea and I found a place for you to live!” I replied, “Oh really, where?”
“919 North Indiana!”, they both screamed.
“919 North Indiana? Isn’t that…that’s where you live!” I screamed back.
And the rest is history. That was the easiest move I have ever made.
I moved in that June and was already home. My heart had already resided there, only now, I had my own room and didn’t have to sleep on the couch.
That following summer was filled with so much fun. That’s when everyone moved onto Indiana and we became a family.
I hardly have a memory on that street that doesn’t include Amanda. If I hadn’t had Amanda, I wouldn’t have the rest of the 7, and I am indebted to her for that.
The following year she and I decided to travel to Thailand together for the summer on a mission campaign. I can’t think of another girl that I would have rather gone on that trip with. Once again, Amanda was my sanity. She calmed me through an anxiety attack and put up with my short temper and fits of insanity.
Amanda is an encourager and a comforter. She is a true woman of God and pushes those around her to be better people.
I have so many “Amanda Stories” that I don’t know which ones to tell.
So, instead I’ll just hit the points that make up Amanda.
Amanda is, like mentioned before, an encourager. She can cheer anyone up.
She hates conflict.
She loves to sing, but in all honesty, is a bit tone deaf. But that doesn’t matter. That girl knows every word to every song ever written and will sing those songs in the car or in front of a crowded cafeteria and will smile all the while.
She is a faller-that is, she falls all the time! I cannot begin to tell you how clumsy she is. She once fell off of our front porch, face down in the flower bed.And of course, laughed the whole time.
She is confident in herself and in her God.
She is a peacemaker.
She hates for people to see her cry but will let you cry how ever long you need to.
She is the tie that brought us all together and many times has kept us together.
She, along with the others, has been my stepping stone, rather than a stumbling block.Which is what a true friend should be. And she is, a true friend.
At Senior Sunday at church the week before graduation, a friend of ours got up to speak about what his life at the Bible Chair had taught him. He spoke of many life lessons and I was shocked and flattered when he mentioned that the chair had helped to develop friendships like “Amanda’s and Carrie’s" and that "it was a friendship to be admired".
That last night the images of years past unfolded before me and as Amanda and I sat on the green couch one last time, my heart hurt because I knew that I would no longer share this house with my best friend.
Amanda sat there with me as the tears poured out and she encouraged and comforted me, yet again.
Amanda, I am and will always be, glad that we are friends.
“It just seemed appropriate,” she said.
It was the evening after graduation and Chelsea had already packed her things and moved out for the second and final time. Everyone else had pretty much gone home for the summer. I had already moved all of my things into my parent’s house and was ready to leave for Croatia in just two days.
It hit me then that it was really over. This time we were all really moving and never coming back to that house or that street.
As we sat on the couch the memories flashed through my mind like scenes from a television show; like they do in the series finale. I watched as three years flashed before me in seconds and all I could do was smile through my tears and know I had been blessed with some of the best days of my life.
The scenes played before me from beginning to end.
It was quite appropriate that Amanda was the last one with me, seeing as how she was the one who first invited me to 919 North Indiana.
It actually took me a long time and a lot of thinking to remember the first time I met Amanda. It just felt like we had always been friends.
But, I do remember.
One day I had gone to on campus christian student center to speak with the campus minister about dropping out of school. I was in a bad place in my life;unsure of who I was and where I needed to be,and so depressed that I was rarely coherent of my surroundings. I vaguely remember a tall girl with blonde hair who was sitting at the table by herself. She smiled at me and I’m sure that due to the state that I was in that I did not smile back.
Later, that semester I heard that same girl talking to someone about how she slept about 14 hours a day, and, recognizing the "symptom", I thought “Wow, that girl seems depressed.”
Well, that girl was a friend with some friends of mine and we would all hang out as a group on occasion. She and her roommate Cally, and our mutual friend Sarah spent a lot of time together. I remember stopping at the snow cone stand a lot to visit Amanda where she worked that following summer. I was in need of good Christian friends to spend time with.
One evening all of the girls and I got together to watch a movie. We went to our campus minister’s house and hung out. I was so excited to get to spend time with them. But that evening was the extent of the time I would spend with them that summer.
I’m not exactly sure how it came about, but the next year, Amanda and I became better friends. One evening after a devotional at the student center or "Bible Chair", she and I went to Taco Bell together. We were sitting in the drive-thru and were laughing about who knows what, and I said, “I’m glad we’re friends!” And Amanda laughed and said, “Oh! I’m glad we’re friends too!”
That saying stuck and I can’t begin to count how many times we would repeat it.
I spent the majority of the next semester at 919 North Indiana. I practically lived on their couch.
One night I went to the Bible Chair extremely upset about a family issue and had intended on talking to my friend Jake, who at the time was my confidant. He was busy and I’m not sure if I stopped Amanda or if she stopped me, but I told her I needed to talk to someone.
She sat down with me and as I told her what had happened, she began to cry. She was hurting for me.
I’ve told her several times and still believe to this day, that even though I went in there searching for Jake, God had had a better idea in mind and that He gave her to me just at the right time.
She has been my counselor and shoulder to cry on ever since.
At the end of the semester I knew it was time for me to move out of my parents house and on my own and I secretly hoped that I could move into the house. Chelsea, Amanda and I had talked about it but for some strange reason decided it wouldn’t be a good idea.
The boys next door, Jonathan and Tucker, even got in on it and talked to all three of us without the others knowing, trying to convince us that it was a great idea.
With the newspaper in hand one day, I set out to find a one-bedroom apartment. My phone rang and it was Amanda.
She said, “Chelsea and I found a place for you to live!” I replied, “Oh really, where?”
“919 North Indiana!”, they both screamed.
“919 North Indiana? Isn’t that…that’s where you live!” I screamed back.
And the rest is history. That was the easiest move I have ever made.
I moved in that June and was already home. My heart had already resided there, only now, I had my own room and didn’t have to sleep on the couch.
That following summer was filled with so much fun. That’s when everyone moved onto Indiana and we became a family.
I hardly have a memory on that street that doesn’t include Amanda. If I hadn’t had Amanda, I wouldn’t have the rest of the 7, and I am indebted to her for that.
The following year she and I decided to travel to Thailand together for the summer on a mission campaign. I can’t think of another girl that I would have rather gone on that trip with. Once again, Amanda was my sanity. She calmed me through an anxiety attack and put up with my short temper and fits of insanity.
Amanda is an encourager and a comforter. She is a true woman of God and pushes those around her to be better people.
I have so many “Amanda Stories” that I don’t know which ones to tell.
So, instead I’ll just hit the points that make up Amanda.
Amanda is, like mentioned before, an encourager. She can cheer anyone up.
She hates conflict.
She loves to sing, but in all honesty, is a bit tone deaf. But that doesn’t matter. That girl knows every word to every song ever written and will sing those songs in the car or in front of a crowded cafeteria and will smile all the while.
She is a faller-that is, she falls all the time! I cannot begin to tell you how clumsy she is. She once fell off of our front porch, face down in the flower bed.And of course, laughed the whole time.
She is confident in herself and in her God.
She is a peacemaker.
She hates for people to see her cry but will let you cry how ever long you need to.
She is the tie that brought us all together and many times has kept us together.
She, along with the others, has been my stepping stone, rather than a stumbling block.Which is what a true friend should be. And she is, a true friend.
At Senior Sunday at church the week before graduation, a friend of ours got up to speak about what his life at the Bible Chair had taught him. He spoke of many life lessons and I was shocked and flattered when he mentioned that the chair had helped to develop friendships like “Amanda’s and Carrie’s" and that "it was a friendship to be admired".
That last night the images of years past unfolded before me and as Amanda and I sat on the green couch one last time, my heart hurt because I knew that I would no longer share this house with my best friend.
Amanda sat there with me as the tears poured out and she encouraged and comforted me, yet again.
Amanda, I am and will always be, glad that we are friends.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Preface
There were three houses on Indiana Street that were unlike any other. Three houses whose tenants were so different yet in many ways, so alike. These people will be connected forever.
My life on Indiana began in the summer of 2004, with two houses. At that time there were only four of us--Tucker, Jonathan, Amanda and I--923 North Indiana and 919 North Indiana. Tucker and Jonathan were best friends. They had a bond that to this day still amazes me. Amanda and I had begun our friendship the year before and were at the time just “pretty good friends”. I don’t think any of us had any idea of the friendship that lay in store.
Amanda, Jonathan and I began to hang out with one another on a regular basis. Nights of karaoke, endless movie watching and the occasional midnight disturbance so Jonathan could borrow a towel followed.
Allison, who lived a few blocks from us was practically a roommate already. She spent almost every night on our old green pull out couch. That is until, 913 North Indiana, the house to the south of us, became available. Allison became an Indiana resident that summer. Emily then joined. She instantly clicked with “us girls” and I personally will always be grateful for those talks and those days she spent my lunch breaks with me.
Eduardo moved in next with the boys after we ALL decided that he should. Not just the two that would be his roommates.
Chelsea, Amanda's and my roommate, came home at the end of that summer from her internship to join us.
Then Shambra joined Allison and Emily. There were the boy neighbors, the girl neighbors, and south side. And that completed the family.
The houses were treated as one large house. We came and went as we pleased so often that trails formed between the three houses
Those three houses have so many stories to be told. Yes, there was drama at times, but overall the good times that we had will always fill my heart with so much joy. Those 8 people, not to mention the many other “honorary” neighbors who came later, will always hold a place in my heart. I know the Lord brought us together. He is our common bond. The one who gives us life and all of it’s many blessings.
We are all so complex, each having his or her own view, yet so accepting of the other. My life is so much better for having them in it. I am truly a better person because of the love and lessons they shared with me.
And, just like the paths that were worn in the grass between our houses, so is the path that is worn in my heart.
This is our story.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Giving it a try
So, I'm writing a book. Well, I'm attempting to write a book. I've got a collection of stories and I'm going to put them together in book form. They are stories of my college years and the people who helped to make them wonderful! I've been working on it for sometime now, but have gotten out of the habit of writing. And really, I don't know if anyone would even read it, if it actually turned out.
So, this blog is gonna be kind of like a test run. I'm gonna post the chapters on here and see how that goes. Let me know if you think it's lame or not.
My intentions for my book are not for it to be famous, but just something fun to read. Especially for the people in it.
Here goes! Let me know what you think!
So, this blog is gonna be kind of like a test run. I'm gonna post the chapters on here and see how that goes. Let me know if you think it's lame or not.
My intentions for my book are not for it to be famous, but just something fun to read. Especially for the people in it.
Here goes! Let me know what you think!
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