Fairmont Friends

Nancy and Shelley are friends from childhood. The three of us lived next to each other on Day St. in Fairmont, MN, and were very close from elementary school through high school. Nancy was two years ahead of us in school, but we had so many things in common that it was bound to be a friendship that would last over the years.

As young girls we played dolls together, snuck lemon drops and pink peppermints from Nancy's family candy jar, and spent countless hours on our bikes, riding to 'the lake' to spend the summer afternoons swimming and just hanging out together. In later years we all played clarinet, we were all twirlers, and were a part of the marching band that went to California and performed in Disneyland, the Angels stadium, and Knots Berry Farm. There are many memories of a wonderful childhood with wonderful friends.

On March 18th we were togther for the first time in 32 years! We had seen each other on separate occasions but not all three of us at the same time. We are in touch at least a couple of times a year, so the information on each other was fairly current. But what was clear to me is that girls who play dolls together and raid the candy dish and make each other laugh so hard that one of them has to run to the sink because milk is coming out of her nose are friends for life!!

I raise a glass of milk to you, Nancy and Shelley. Cheers to our forever friendship!

Superhero Friend Turns Four!

Well, the Superhero had his fourth birthday the end of February. Jim and I were able to drive to Albuquerque the weekend before Nolan's birthday and celebrate an early birthday with him.

We got there late Friday afternoon and in less than an hour after our arrival this is the scene you would have seen at the Johnson household:

Nolan and Grandma Berson wearing superhero capes ( blankets tied around our necks) carrying the toy guns I had used as a child...cap guns that have lost the ability to work properly but not the ability to entertain and captivate the imagination of an almost four year old! We were the SUPERHERO FRIENDS and we were hunting the Monster.

Yes, you guessed it, Jim was the Monster. He hid and we searched. Nolan and I would hunt room by room to find that monster, but when it was a little bit dark the smaller of the superheros would duck behind the larger superhero and the monster would jump out and scare us. And it would start all over again...

After about a half hour of this game I plopped down on the floor in the livingroom with my cape still in tact and my capgun/pistol in hand. Jim said, " Oh, I wish I had a picture of this!" Sorry, no picture to share, only the memory of a great time with our grandson! Sharing another photo instead, and so thankful I have the picture of an event called SUPERHERO FRIENDS FIND THE MONSTER in my head and heart!