Lordy, lordy! All my friends are turning 40! Because I have a March birthday, I fall to the younger side of my peer group. Those born in the fall and winter have all crossed over into the next decade. It is fun to run into people from my graduating class, because the first question we ask each other is, "Did you turn 40 yet?" I just ran into my old locker buddy Renee Parton Kertulis at the Harbor Creek vs. North East basketball match-up and it was the first topic of conversation. It amazes me how I can usually remember the month of their birthdays--even if they were just acquaintances. When you are friends with people during their youth, you experience the "big birthdays" with them: 13, 16, and of course 21. I can remember the month of the birthday usually by remembering which bar I met them at to share our first drink. Was it in the summer or during Christmas break?
Two of my special friends will be turning 40 this year. Both are named Tracy. Both are very dear to me. Tracy #1 is Tracy Montgomery Cargioli whom I met the first day of Kindergarten and have been friends with ever since. She was known throughout my college years as "my sidekick" as she was my college roommate, fellow Pizza Hut and Marketplace Grill waitress, and even for one summer---Cheerleader! She has a great power of persuasion packed into her 4' 10" body, and convinced me to try out with her for the Erie Wave Cheerleading squad in the early 1990's. Tracy is front and center. Eloise is one of the big-hairs in the back. Have fun trying to find me! Being such a positive thinker, she was convinced I stood a chance against the 200 other girls trying out, despite the fact that I had never cheered before in my life. She gave me a crash course as I drove us to the Gannon Rec Center for try outs. Imagine my shock when the letter came in the mail to my Darrow College apartment that we both made the squad. Because Tracy is a talented graphic artist, I assumed that she doctored the letter to pull a prank on me, which is consistent with her funny sense of humor. It took an hour or so of convincing me that the letter was authentic. I guess there is something to the power of positive thinking. In college I had a pickle green, 1980 Omega that I drove around. Tracy was always my co-pilot. The car's previous owner must have tried to soup it up and cut in a sunroof to attempt to make the vehicle look more cool. It didn't work. The sunroof was prone to leaks, and it made the headliner inside the car fall down. I kept a stapler between the bucket seats to temporarily reattach it when it let go. Because I am tall, it sometimes rested on my head. Given the hairstyles of the early 90's, I had tons of curls and hairspray, so my own stiff hair served as a fine support for the drooping headliner. I also kept an umbrella in between the seats, too. When I turned corners too fast when it was raining, water would rush in and dump on Tracy's head. Sometimes she'd ride around with that open umbrella over her inside the car. Oh what we must have looked like!
There is only one thing that I have never forgiven her for--her "black and white" art assignment for a photography class she was taking. Youngsters, when you do go to college, I highly recommend living with an art major--it is really interesting. Caution though--you could find yourself being the subject of art assignments, often against your will. We had another roommate named Stephanie. She was a beauty from Pittsburgh of Italian heritage. She had shiny black hair, big brown eyes, stunning cheek bones, and a dazzling smile filled with perfect white teeth. Tracy dressed Stephanie in black from head to toe--black turtle neck, black leggings, and pulled her jet black hair away from her beautiful face. I was not so lucky. I was deemed "white" which is actually fitting for me given the pasty hue my skin takes on during the long winter months. She put me in a white turtle neck, white puffy sweatpants, and pulled my curly blonde hair away from my face. And oh yeah--told me to wear no make up. And so began a series of poses with Stephanie and I side by side, back to back, and face to face. Ladies--you know what happens when you wear white---it really does make you look bigger. I have opted for wearing black ever since I saw those photos. Hideous.
Tracy and I had always discussed the adventure of moving south together after college. We were kind of in the middle of formulating those plans after college graduation when I met this guy named Louie. We began dating and I told Tracy I thought I was going to stick around home for awhile to see about this guy........ Being adventurous herself, that didn't stop Tracy. She grabbed another high school friend named Jay, and took him along on her adventure to North Carolina. Glad she did, because they have been married for 13 years and have two boys named Tommy and Mikey. See how things work out?
When she left town, I felt like a part of me left too. I was happy that we both were beginning new chapters of our lives. I knew we would always be friends, and we have maintained our close friendship despite the 500 miles between us. She is still my first call when I have news to share or need a shoulder to cry on. However the distance between us makes meeting for coffee and a chit chat a little difficult. When she left, I prayed to God to prepare her path for her and make her journey safe and fruitful. I also prayed to God to send me someone to fill the void for me, too. I would miss my friend and the companionship someone living close by brings.
Tracy is such inspiration to me because of her dedication to her family and her stick-to-itiveness. She started running a few years ago and has kept pushing herself for continuous improvement. 5K's turned into triathlons. Now the triathlons have given way to dreams of a half marathon. She was discussing the training regimen for it while we had our butts planted in the bleachers watching her son's basketball game a few weekends ago. The training regimen does not sound fun. I told her that if and when she did go for it, I'd be there at the finish line waiting for her.
The funniest story I had about Tracy #2's dedication as a friend happened this summer during her August 21st birthday. I had purchased a triathlon t-shirt for her as a special gift. I can never catch her at home it seems because she is always at some sporting event for one of her boys. I grabbed the pink t-shirt and tied a simple ribbon around the middle of it, and left it on the back door of her house. She stopped by my house wearing the t-shirt that evening to thank me for the gift. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and I found her wearing a t-shirt I had purchased for my daughter at the same place. A special order one that I chose for Ellen--also in pink. The shirt read: LIFE IS BETTER IN MY TREE HOUSE.
I did what only a good friend would do--screamed at her and bodily shoved her out of the house, down the garage step and into the driveway. I told her I gave her the wrong shirt and I didn't want Ellen to see it because it was a special surprise for her birthday that was a few weeks later. My husband built Ellen a fabulous tree house this summer and the t-shirt commemorated the event.
Tracy did only what any good friend would do in return...stripped her shirt off and was soon sitting in the front seat of her van only in her sports bra. What a friend! I ran in and got her the intended t-shirt to wear--a pink t-shirt that said TRIATHLETE. Luckily Tracy Scotch has a great sense of humor and we laughed together until our sides hurt. I asked her if she wondered why on earth I would get her a tree house t-shirt. She said she did, but knows that I always have my reasons for everything and she was sort of anxious to hear my explanation. The only thing she was annoyed with was the fact that I got her a medium! She is in great shape from all that exercise, but still is my height and prefers a roomier shirt. I get that.
The lyrics to the song prove so true to my friends whom each turn 40 this year. Tracy Cargioli turns 40 today, January 21st. Tracy Scotch turns 40 exactly seven months from now on August 21st. "We've traveled down the road and back again." We sure have! Tracy C. was my co-pilot in a 1980 pickle green Omega. Traveling down Tracy S.'s road is a bit harder as I will be chasing her to snap her photo as she runs her races. Girls, pretend I am singing you each this part: "your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidant."
God brought me two friends named Tracy. Each came into my life at just the right time and I know that neither will ever leave me, no matter how far they move or how long it is between our coffee visits. My goal is to get to Heaven someday, and to do that I have to make it through this life. That is not always easy, but it would be deemed an impossible task if I didn't have friends to take along on my journey.
So ladies, the above song is posted just for you--thank you for being a friend, moreover thank you for being MY friends. I am looking forward to all we experience in the next chapter of our lives.
Always and Forever,
Eloise
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