Melinda was my 1st Best Friend, we grew up together almost like sisters. I had 5 of my own, but she didn’t… we would spend the night at each other’s houses more times than I can count, but more at hers than mine… obviously \ud83d\ude44 because I had 5 sisters and 2 brothers at home! Our Dad’s bowled on the same Bowling League and so it wasn’t a stretch to find me at her house on a Saturday Morning watching All Star Wrestling with her Dad and brother. As we grew older we loved listening to music and with that our Love for the teen idols started showing up in posters on our walls… first Shawn Cassidy, then Leif Garrett \ud83d\ude0d
Once we were old enough the mopeds were a must for an 8th grader and we made the most of our freedom. We rode all over Ames, there wasn’t a road we had not covered with friends that we dubbed the Mooed Gang! Though the most driven road was the one from her house to the A&W restaurant where we both worked. So many friends made there that would shape our lives. Some of those girls were old enough to drive a car \u263a\ufe0f
Our families went to St Andrew’s Church and so we were in the same Sunday School classes and were even Confirmed together along with so many of the friends that we still have kept in touch with.
My family moved north of Ames in late 1978 and so I also changed jobs to work closer to home. We were still in each others lives but the school and sports groups were different.
I missed the daily interactions with my cousin but we still kept in touch and rooted each other on.
She got married before me and I was so excited to watch them Welcome their two children and go visit as often as I could.
Life went on but then we ended up with children in the same school district, and so we were in more direct contact again 🙏\ud83c\udffc
Melinda was such a Beautiful girl who grew up into a Gorgeous Young Lady and then a Mom and she Absolutely Loved and doted in her kids. There was not a thing that she would not do for her kids and for her Grandkids once they came along.
As we grew older we started grabbing dinners together with Renny and my Aunt Val and Uncle Don and any family members who could also join us trying out different restaurants, the Mexican Restaurants always made the top of the list for us \ud83c\udf79
For those of us who knew her Best She had such a Beautiful smile and I will remember that and her kind Heart forever \u2665\ufe0f
