Who was your best friend while growing up,

or who is your best friend now?

Let us know a little about the friends you have had in your life.

From: Lois Rotella

Friends, they vary with years. When I was a child I had several best friends. Their names were Christine and Linda. Linda was my closest because our mother's were very good friends. We even went on vacation together. We loved to play with our Barbie dolls. We lost touch after High School. In high school I had 2 best friends. Their names were Joanie and Pat. I still occasionally here from Pat. We used to call each other after we got home from school and go to movies. It was a fun time. Now as an adult I have several best friends. They are Carmen, Marcene, Debbie, Kim and Arlene. Carmen i meet at work and I have known her for over 30 years. She is there for me and I for her. Marcene is another co worker that I have know for at least 10 years. She is there for me also I for her. Debbie and Kim are my nieces and we love being together and have fun or just talk. Arlene is my sister in law. We love being together and shop and eat out. We love to craft and have taught each other fun things to do. We also have fun just talking or playing board games. I just wish we had more time to be with each other. Life is so short that I miss time with them.

From: Connie Olson

Growing up there was a neighbor girl who I did just about everything with. We were always at each other houses. Not so much in her house but in her yard. She was a tomboy type gal quite tiny and built thin. She always dressed as a boy to cover her scared body from bad burns. She was 4 when she was tossed into a leaf fire by some wild and rowdy boys who lived in their neighborhood before they moved into ours. People considered her a "tomboy " because of the way dressed in jeans and long sleeve shirts, she wore to cover what she called her ugly skin.

Her mom and dad had been divorced and the mother re-married a man who turned out to be a tyrant. He treated her kids very bad, except the one they had together, he favored him. The others were always expected to do lots of work and heavy mans work too. His son was to sit on the porch and read comic books. I would try to help her out so we could play, but I was as scared of her step father as she was. She came to our house often as we had good treats. My mom was a stay at home mom who baked and cooked constantly. Her mom and step dad worked nights and slept days. They weren't allowed in the house when they were sleeping. Step-dad's orders. (My father worked the swing shift 11pm - 7am as a switchmen on the railroad. We were never banned from our house and we made lots of noise too. Those kids went without meals many times scared to go in the house in case they would wake them up. I realize now the mother was as scared of him as the kids were.

She ate many a supper with us. We walked to school together. She was a year older then I was, but was in my grade because of all the school she missed from being in the hospital from her burns. When I out grew my clothes we tried to give them to her. She was so excited to get them, but when she brought them home she couldn't keep them. They weren't allowed to take handouts the step father said. So she came back to our house crying to give them back.

Her family moved away when she was 14. We kept in touch for awhile. I grew up married and moved away too. We lost touch for about 15 years. When I ran into her again she was married to a man 30 years older than she was. She had 3 boys, 8-7-6. She was living in an upstairs apartment in the same home as her in-laws. He was good to her. She was very happy. I then moved up north and lost touch with her again,. I often wonder where she is. Is she still alive? What she is doing? This friend Barbara was my first best friend. I'll always remember here and the fun we had.

I've had many other friends since. I've lived in Calif and in other parts of Minnesota state. I consider many people my best friends as I get older. When my hubby was alive I considered him "my best friend" we did lots of things together. He taught me much and made me very happy.

What is that old saying, thats it, " we sometimes make bad choices" This is so true with friends or people we think are friends

From: Amy Freeman

I have had several close friends while growing up. The ones closest to me I either new my whole life or were friends throughout school. Shanelle and I have known each other since birth. We didn't live near each other the majority of the time, but still remained friends. Then there were Danielle, TJ, and Timmy. We all went to Headstart together and could be found playing together in the neighborhood all the time. This was all until I went into Kindergarten. After we moved, I became good friends with Stacey, Melissa , and Jennifer. In 3rd grade we moved again and I met Tracy. Then Melissa moved into the same area and came to my school. We all remained friends throughout high school. In high school I met Steve, Mark, Brian, "Moose", and a few others that we hung out with but I wasn't as close with. Unfortunately, I do not talk or see any of these guys anymore, and the only time we saw each other recently was at Steve's funeral 2 years ago. I did run into my friend Danielle from Headstart almost a year ago and we've kept in touch ever since. Although I still talk to Shanelle once in a while, I consider Danielle a closer and more mature friend that Shanelle.

From: Lucy Welden

My best friend while growing up was Lois we used to spend a lot of time together after school and during the summer. The friends that I spend the most time with now are Amy and Dot we go on vacations together to Florida, W. Va., Las Vegas and short trips. My former co-workers Elaine, Rita and I go out to lunch or breakfast once a month. My best friends in later years are my husband Hank we spend a lot if time together we enjoy going out to eat. My sister Barbara and Jim and I go on day trips and longer trips with Senior group which we belong to.

From: Renee Zamora

My best friend was Karleen Lashway while growing up. We met in kindergarten and rode the same bus together. We spent alot of time at each other houses. My best friend at the end of high school was Laura Harubin we still are close and email each other. But now I guess my best friend is Teresa Rogers. We go shopping and talk on the phone together. We both have fibromyalgia so we have alot in common. I used to think she was crazy until I got the same disease she has. It's nice to have someone to share your complaints with and they totally understand.

From: Connie Farrington

While growing up, I had no social graces (and I haven't changed a lot). I had no "best friends" in the one room school house or at Lake George Central, maybe not even any "ordinary friends". At junior college I did befriend another "loner" and we were first in line for breakfast every day.
Here's a sample of the pranks we played on each other.

There were may showers but only ONE bathtub in the dormitory for 300+ girls. Patsy liked taking baths. One fine night while she was drawing the water for the bath, I "enhanced" the water in the tub. She had the tub more than half full of hot water and was sitting in the tub with her back to the full force stream of water coming from the faucet.

By standing on the toilet seat, I could just manage to see over the top of the wooden cubicle that housed the tub. I opened up a new giant size Nestle's hot chocolate box, and poured the entire box into the churning water under the downspout. It made a very noticeable change in the color of
the water and the smell of the room. Since I had left the door of the "tub room" open for my quick getaway, the aroma drifted down the hall. I tossed the empty box into the tub-room wastebasket.

As I walked nonchalantly to my room way down the corridor, doors were opening and girls were emerging with mugs, wanting to share the hot chocolate that they assumed was being made in the kitchen area on the floor. Patsy, knowing full well who most likely messed with her relaxing bath,
emerged from the tub room swathed in her big white towel, shrieking wildly, and dripping chocolate. I had locked myself in my room to laugh myself silly on my bed. Before long, Patsy was kneeling at my door with a bowl of the chocolate water and a straw. She would suck up a strawful and then blow it into my room through the old fashioned keyhole. After the first couple of
shots, I continued my laughter much more quietly while catching the chocolate water in my emptied wastebasket. Hearing no response to her antics, she eventually gave up and went back to clean up the tub. There had been no witnesses and I reacted with shocked indignation when she told me of the prank. We soon were back to eating breakfast together but she swore off tub-baths for the duration of our college years.

From: Philip Harris

My best friend while growing up and as a teenager was Puzzy Coon. We hunted, fished,and went to dances We were very close friend. We went camping on the islands of Lake George. My wife Alice was also a best friend. My wife Wanda is my best friend and companion. We have made several good friends here in Florida. We play cards and go to dances with friends almost every night.

From: Joyce Eggleston

My best friend when I was growing up was my cousin Toad (Mary Archard). We used to spend about every day together. I guess we grew apart when we got married and she had illness. My other friend was Ginger Flynn. I used to stay overnight at her house. She got me to smoke one of her bothers camel cigarettes and I got deathly sick. I thought I was going to die.

From: Heidi MacDuff

My best friend growing up was my neighbor Thelma. My mom babysat for her when we were both 3 years old and we still keep in touch today. I feel I still keep in touch with friends that are special that I have met over the years. I do so by keeping in touch by email or sending cards.

From: Marie Zamora

My best friend now is my buddy Sarah Hatton. She's a self-proclaimed Molly Mormon, but it's still cool :) I'd agree with her, but I like that I can talk to her about the church. My friend Ryan Nelson runs in at a close second. He always lets me know about new music that I'd never heard of.

From: Brenda Olszewski

My best friend while growing up was Michelle Spellacy. We were great friends and always enjoyed each others company. We had fun singing and dancing. The thing I remember the most was we sang and danced to the Wayne Newton sang "Danka Shane" and we were going to contact Lawrence Welk and tell him we would like to be on his show! I think we were only about 11 or 12 then. We had the best times.