Day 7 -- The Day You Found Your First Best Friend

I don't remember THE DAY that I met Sheree. Just seems like she was always in my life but I think we met when I was about 4 and she was about 5.  She lived in the house across the street from my aunt and uncle and just a few blocks away from my house. Once my mother switched to day shift, my aunt and uncle would watch me while my parents were at work and Sheree and I would play with each other whenever I was over there. 

I remember going to her house and her parents would treat me like I was their own. In fact, her mom would introduce me to folks as "her other daughter". Her older brothers, Steve and Harold, would treat me like their sister. Playing games with us. Cracking jokes. Taking us trick or treating, etc. 

I can't count how many times I scraped my knuckles playing jacks on my aunt's stoop. Sheree's stoop had carpet so while we wouldn't hurt our hands, the ball wouldn't bounce as high either. lol. We'd skate in the street, TRY to double dutch, play board games and with Barbie dolls. You know...girl stuff. Her mom would  also make Tang. My mom would never buy it so Mrs. Anderson was way cooler. lol. 

As you can see (because I swiped her pic with permission), we are still friends. We're so close that her oldest and my middle child were actually due on the same day. My son decided that he couldn't wait...fast ass.  

Whenever I go to Richmond and time permits, I stop by to see her and her husband and kids. After her mother passed away, she and her family moved back into her childhood home...and my uncle still lives across the street. So it's nice to revisit them in my old 'hood. 

I could write a book about Sheree. She has the biggest heart and the softest voice of anyone I know. Just don't get her mad because it ain't pretty. LOL But she is...look at her up there looking like she's 21. 

So that's part of the story about my first best friend. I loved her then. I love her now. Any questions?

*This blog is dedicated to the memory of my 2nd family, Mr. & Mrs. Anderson and Steven Anderson...RIP Loved Ones*

10~ List 10 people you love and explain what they mean to you

10 people?  Wow.  I mean, I know I love more than 10 people but not everyone is worth writing about (no offense).  But here goes...

1, 2, and 3. My kids, LaSean, Damian and Keith, Jr.~My personal Three Stooges.  These three are my world.  They are my life.  They are my reasons.  Almost anything I do in my life is because of them.  Whenever I am faced with a big decision, I think of them and how they would feel and how they would be impacted.  At 20, 17 and 12 years of age, respectively, I know they're not babies but they're my babies and I couldn't imagine my life without them.

4.  My Daddy, James~James is the reason I'm still in NC.  Most everyone knows that if I could, I would escape this place so quickly, it's not even funny.  But because my dad is up in age and I'm the only child of his that's local (he has a son in Philly), here I stay.  This is the man that taught me how to ride a bike, how to drive, how to cook, how to hustle (there was a time that he worked 4 jobs at once) and just how to be a good and caring person.  I am forever and for always a daddy's girl.

5 and 6.  My sisters, Brenda and Sarah~Brenda, La (as Sarah is called) and I didn't grow up together because our mother was injured when she was pregnant with me and couldn't take care of me.  So her brother (James) and his wife adopted me.  But I've known they were my sisters since I was 5 years old and though we weren't raised in the same house, or the same state, to this day, if you mess with one of us, you got a lot of explaining and possibly some spitting of teeth to do.

7.  My Stacey~Stacey is one of my besties that I met on Yahoo 360 some years back at a time when we both were going through some confusion and conflict in our lives.  Our meeting was so random...she put up a blast saying that she had an odd number of friends on her list and she hated odd numbers so I invited her to my page to even hers out...and the rest is history. We both have 1 daughter and 2 sons (our daughters are less than 4 months apart in age and our middle sons are about the same age as well), we're both Virgos, and we both are crazier than cooked bat shit.  A match made in Heaven.

8.  My Kali~Lawd, lawd, lawd!  What do I say about my Kali?  Kali is a woman that I met on facebook but I had seen her around on 360.  We ran in the same circle but never made a connection until it was discovered that she and I shared an ex (by discovered, I mean she knew and I had a big ass feeling). So I decided one day to hit her in her inbox to ask and we've been besties (yes, I have more than one bestie) ever since.  We've laughed, we've cried, we've bitched and complained.  We've asked why more times than should be allowed.  And all of that has only made our relationship stronger.

9.  I have a lot of friends that can fill this spot so I dedicate #9 to all of you. I don't want to say names because I don't want to offend anyone so I'll say to my blood fam, my chosen fam (friends that have been there since we were knee-high to a june bug), my VA fam, my NC fam, my fb fam (most of y'all), my 360 fam, and to anyone else that's ever touched my heart, Ria loves you.

10.  I'm leaving #10 blank.  I'm saving this spot for my one true love...whoever that may be.  When he comes along, I'm quite sure I'll have a great story to tell. Or maybe not.  But I'm marking this space RESERVED.