Flashback Friday...it's back!

So, I have been slacking on the Flashback Friday thing. Instead of letting it go altogether I figured I would bring it back. Better late than never! So, here goes:

This memory dates back to 8th grade. Must be 1984-ish. I was in middle school and I was one of those very shy and quiet kids that no one knew existed, but I was really good with names and faces so I knew a lot of people. There were a couple of adorable, sweet and very popular girls and I just happened to have a class with one of them. I actually sat right in front of her. I never talked to her and we weren't friends, but one day I was at home going through my box of "treasures" that my mom had kept for me. In that box was a newspaper clipping of baby pictures. They were pictures of babies that were turning one! I was included in said newspaper clipping and I noticed another baby with the same name as this girl who sat behind me. Her name was Kari (said like Carrie). Somewhat an unusual spelling for her name so I figured maybe it was her. I took the clipping to school and then during our class together I turned around and showed it to her and the only thing I said was, "is this you?" She said, "yes! oh my gosh!" with excitement and a smile. She had never seen it before and had no idea it existed. That was the ice breaker we needed to begin a very long and wonderful friendship. To this day, we are still friends. She is there for me no matter what and no matter how much time passes. We can go without contact for a time and pick right up where we started. We have so much history together. We cheered in high school together. We took driver's ed together and actually drove with each other. We took the handicapped kids on activities together. She was my rock when my parents divorced. We lived/worked/went to school together freshman year in college. We both became paralegals. She moved to Idaho and met her husband and then moved back to Utah. She hosted and helped me celebrate Don's 30th party. We both got married and had babies one month apart from each other. I moved to Iowa and then back to Utah. We had second children six months apart from each other. Our kids went to preschool together. We had our third babies a year apart from each other. She moved up to Logan. She was my rock when I got divorced. She has always been there for me and I love her to death! I am so glad that I made that first move (which was totally out of my comfort zone - btw) and that she is so sweet and kind that she actually befriended me despite my nerdy and borderline stalker approach. The Lord puts people into our lives when we need them and I am so glad he brought us together. Thanks Kari for everything and thanks for the funny memories.