Shreveport Baby!

So I realized last night that apparently I am not sharing my excitement with my loved one's. I was talking to my sister and was telling her about how my best girl Jodi found a great house and purchased it in Shreveport, since her husband took a job at Centenary College there as a professor.

I have known this for probably a month now, and am so fucking excited it's not even funny! She will only be a 3 hour drive from me now! Pictures of their new house!

So I've talked and posted pics of Jodi in the past, but as a refresher, let me give you a little history on my best girl ever!

I lived in Jacksonville, Oregon until my parent's divorce in 1989. My father moved back to Texas, where all his family is, and after I finished my eight grade year, my mom shipped me out to him to live. Let's just say I was less than excited about moving to Texas. Even less excited about moving to a town named Scurry. Yes folks, that is correct, Scurry, Texas! Insert all your "Scurvy, did you say scurvy" jokes here. Yep, it's a hick ass town with nothing to do but have sex, drink alcohol and do drugs. Why do parents think that moving their kids to the country will help? The country is where most kids learn about all the bad stuff, because there is nothing else to do!

So I start school in August (which is also completely bizarro to me, as on the west coast, school doesn't start until after Labor Day back then) and am totally unimpressed with the school. The high school is tiny, I mean TINY. Total students from freshman to senior is about 40 per class, so yeah, only about 120 students. Oh. My. Fucking. God. The high school is one building, one story and teeny. It's designed in a circle, so yeah, you'd probably have to do 100 laps around the school to hit a mile. This may be an exaggeration, but trust me, it is small and I'm freaking the fuck out.

I was very athletic back in the day. Played basketball, so of course I joined the basketball team. I still had to take P.E., which was also foreign to me, because on the west coast, if you are in a sport, you do not have to take P.E. as a class. Not in Texas....or at least in Scurry. So as you can imagine, with my athleticism, I am actually participating in P.E. and doing my best to win whatever activity they have on the agenda for the day. Jodi was in my P.E. class and hated me. Jodi is not athletic and never has been. Hate her too, as she is tiny, and you'd think worked out like a maniac. Nope, good genes.

So I had been in school for a few weeks, and one day in P.E. I walked up to Jodi and told her that she reminded me of this girl from a movie starring Charlie Sheen. Three for the Road. Horrible movie, but the girl to me, looked like Jodi (at the time). The girl is Keri Green, she was also in Goonies and some other movies of the 80's. It was more the hair style at the time than anything. Jodi had her hair. I think that made her dislike me even more. I don't know why, I think a lot of guys back then wanted to bone Kerri Green, she was a little movie hottie for a while. Anyway, that was our first conversation, and it was short. I think I started "dating" my now "first" soon after that (not a lot of selection in Scurry, that's for sure) and needed a second girl to go out with, so I could meet up with my boyfriend. His buddy had the hots for Jodi, so I asked her to hang out with us one night. After then, we became friends. There was a group of girls that started hanging out and it just went from there. We were the "bad kids" in school. You know, the one's that drank and hung out with the boys who smoked pot and stuff. I hadn't tried anything other than drinking up until I moved to Scurry. I know, hard to believe I grew up near a hippy commune in Oregon, and didn't try pot until I moved to Hickville, Texas! Jodi was with me the first time I smoked pot. This is also a funny story.

So I believe it was winter by now. We had our little click of boys and girls going and we were over at one of the guys houses one night. I'm sure I was spending the night with someone or something, because my dad was kinda strict with me. Anyway, we are partying with these boys, all the girls are drinking Strawberry Hill, except me, I liked beer and could chug a 12 pack no problem back then. Don't get me wrong, I'd be stinkin' drunk, but boy I could pound 'em back w/the best of 'em. So I'm drunk and the boys go into "the smoking room" and I am curious and ask if I can go. Of course they let me, what's better than a drunk girl? A drunk girl that is also high on marijuana!

Jodi knows what is going on and pulls me aside and says, "You are going to go smoke pot? Pot is bad Shawna, you should NOT smoke pot. I am very disappointed in you, I mean drinking is one thing, but ILLEGAL DRUGS? I really wish you wouldn't go, it's bad! I will never smoke marijuana!" HAHAHAHAHA Famous last words...

For some reason she is really concerned and says she's going to go in to "watch me, make sure I'm ok" so we go in. I don't think I got high (they say sometimes the first time doesn't really work) but had fun trying. We all sat in a big circle (Jodi behind us all of course, glaring at us all disapprovingly) and passed joints around. I think we smoked about 4-5 joints, I don't really remember, I was 14, that was a long time ago. I do know that after we left that room, the hijinx kicked up to a whole new level and we were running around outside 1/2 clothed. That I do remember. "She's got a load!" (that's for you Jodi)

I think that was the night that we truly sealed our friendship. Lots of things happened that night, secrets were made, confidences trusted.

So I always say that we started being friends in August of 1989. That brings us to 18 years this summer. Wow. There were a few years that we weren't that close, but after high school, things really kicked into high gear and we have been best buddies since. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without her. She knows me inside and out, and pretty much can read me like a book! I like to think I can do the same with her.

I have promised her, and am writing it here now, so it's in writing, that I will go to Shreveport at least once a month for the entire first year they are there. So there it is J, in WRITING that I promise to come and play with you once a month. Hell, could be more than that. I finally get my girl back, life is good!