Here's a picture of my friend Dave Davis from Rich East High School with Debbie, his girlfriend at the time. And here he is with Violet, his long-term girlfriend. I am sooooooooo looking forward to seeing them when I visit ASAP! Thanks for getting in touch with me after all these years and have a blast running the river this year. I love running the river!

Chicago... my hometown... sooooooooooo homesick for the place and the people. Heidi went there all by herself last year. Without me. Well, we didn't know each other and I was tied up at the time. Well, I'm not tied up now and I'm goin! Haven't figured out when exactly, but this is the year! Wanna see Navy Pier and the Art Institute and my old neighborhoods... I'm a little afraid of the cold cuz you know how much I hate it!!! But the people... the best in the world. You'd never have a news story like this in the Chicago Trib, but it was in the SLC Trib: Why Rednecks Can't Be Paramedics

A couple of rednecks are out in the woods hunting when one of them
suddenly grabs his chest and falls to the ground. He doesn't seem to be
breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head.

The other redneck whips out his cell phone and calls 911. He gasps to
the operator, "I think Bubba is dead! What should do?"

The operator, in a calm soothing voice says, "Just take it easy and
follow my instructions. First, let's make sure he's dead."

There is a silence..........then a shot is heard.

The redneck's voice comes back on the line, "Okay, now what ?"

The Kidz I went to School With!

And yes, I do know that was a dangling participle! Ha! I've still got it! Very funny and very cool, looking up friends I had as a kid. So funny that I still think of them as 17 years old! That's my friend, Jane Beeson in the black dress. The order in the picture is: Mike Mandarino, Jon Warren, Greg Pember, Ira Kharasch, Jane, Craig Wood, Karen Wilson and Eric Rosenbery. After over 3 decades another friend, Jeannie Rosen remembers me the same way my friends describe me now.

She wrote, "Hi Debbie, I was a little confused by the name, Cross, but when I saw Deborah States it clicked. How are you! It's been sooo long. What I can remember about you is that you were fun to be around. You always seemed to be smiling and had something good to say. Jeannie

Don't worry. I didn't hurt her for calling me Debbie. No one who knows me calls me that now! Be Heidi loves reading this!!!

Mommikins, Mumsy, Mutti

So here's a picture of me and my mom when I was months old... quite awhile ago! Like a different century actually. Moms and their daughters... it's a theme this month-ish! Have I mentioned how much I miss my mom, still? Sheesh! She should still be here. We should be hanging out and doing things. She should have been here when my marrige dissolved and when my kids got married and when here other grandkids were born and just to hang out with.

So that is not possible. The next best thing, me making time to be there when my kids lives seem to be in shambles, or when they are completely excited about things or just to hang out.

Gotta start writing about the funny things they do and say so you can have a clear picture of the life of Roxy and clan! Like when 5 of us are all talking over and around each other at once and responding to each other and some poor girlfriend, say, Kami, is stuck in the middle trying to figure out how we can do that! Poor thing, doesn't have ADHD up the wazoo like the rest of us. Wonder what it's like to be normal?