Jarrod

My dear friend, Amy (read more about her here), introduced me to Jarrod one Saturday afternoon when we rode our bikes to his house from her house.  We lived in Germany, and you can't drive until you are 18, so we did a lot of bike riding.  I stayed the night at Amy's house, and borrowed one of her bikes--possibly her mom's.  We must have ridden at least 6 or 7 miles to his house.  He was sitting on his porch steps waiting for us (I assume Amy had called and told him we were on our way--I don't remember exactly), and he was as kind and nice as Amy had described him.



Jarrod is at the very top on the right. 
Serena, Helen, and I are on the left in the middle.

Jarrod is brilliant.  He graduated third in our high school class and went to WPI where he got his undergrad and grad degree in five years.  The only other person from our class who did this to my knowledge was yours truly, but I certainly didn't finish third in our class!  He took all the A.P. classes our school offered and the highest level of German (was it German V?).  Did I mention he is brilliant? 

 



AP English class. 
Jarrod is on the left looking like he is about to slide down the mountain!

We were in A.P. English, and U.S. Government/Economics together.  Helen (read more about Helen here)and I sat behind him and Serena (read more about Serena here) in Government class, and we used to toss paper wads back and forth.  So childish, I know, but in our defense, it was the last hour of the school day, and it was our senior year, and we had senioritis, and, well....what more can I say?   We were also on the tennis team together with Helen.



AP English Class

Jarrod considered himself conservative when it came to politics, much to the chagrin of our liberal friend, Serena.  Our teacher, Mr. Gage (read about Mr. Gage here), had us take a survey in class, and Jarrod's results showed he was much more liberal than he originally thought.  Serena was delighted to hear this!  Jarrod maintained his conservatism.

 

Such an adorable couple!

Jarrod was in student government.  He was our senior class president, and Denise was either the secretary or the treasurer.  They were "just friends," and never dated in high school.  It wasn't until they were both in college that they fell in love and later married!   How endearing is that?  They now live in Colorado and have two beautiful children that look like a mini-Jarrod and a mini-Denise!   So precious!   I love that they knew each other through high school and have that history together.  They are both gentle, kind souls, extremely talented, and very much in love. 



Jarrod and Tim are on the far left.  Serena and I are across from
them, and Helen is on my right.  Kalin, Meg and Bill are across
from her, and Ron is at the end of the table.

Serena, Jarrod, Tim, and I attended senior prom together.  Serena and Jarrod took care of the details.  We met at Serena's house, and Tim and Jarrod presented us with yellow roses.  (Serena and I joked about this later and remarked that they were making sure we all knew we were just going to be friends.  We got the signal loud and clear!).  They were both perfect gentlemen, and our table was filled with tons of our friends.  It was a fun night taking place in a castle.  That was commonplace in Europe to have prom in a castle.  Doesn't it sound so extravagant?

 

Peter, John, and Jarrod in Amsterdam on Senior Skip Day

Jarrod was with us on the famous trip to Amsterdam on Senior Skip Day.  That was such a fun day!  I can't help but think of him and the rest of the crew whenever I drink an Orange Malibu.  

 

Jarrod is in there somewhere...Serena, Kari,
and I are on the bottom step on the right

Jarrod also participated in the amazing, very memorable, once-in-a-lifetime-experience, Czechoslovakian Student Exchange Program.  We walked all over Prague and spent much time at the Bunker.  Our group also toured the Jewish Cemetery and the Bones Cathedral, two very solemn visits.  We went ice skating, rode the metro, and saw as much of the city as possible.  When the Czech students came to visit us in Germany and the Netherlands, we took them to see Robin Hood Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner and Christian Slater.  We had already seen the movie and wanted to chat and make comments throughout, but the Czech students were seeing it for the first time and trying to translate the English to their language.  When we realized what was happening and how rude we were being, we stopped instantly...but we all belted out the Bryan Adams song at the end, "Everything I Do (I Do for You)." 

 

I am grateful for Jarrod's friendship.  I don't ever remember him saying an unkind word to or about anyone.  He was very focused, a great listener, and so much fun to be with.  He was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" our senior year along with Serena.  And I truly believe he has.  He works hard, adores his family, and loves life.  He maintains that he lives in the best state in the union, and he takes advantage of all the hiking and skiing that Colorado has to offer.  It has been a distinct honor to know him and call him my friend.  I hope nothing but life's very best for him and his sweet family now and always.

Amy Michelle

Amy Michelle and her beautiful daughter, Isabella

I have a lot of friends named Amy.  I decided when I first started my blog I wouldn't use last names.  I'm not sure why, but I do try to be consistent (and of course I reserve the right to change my mind later!).  Amy Michelle (isn't that a lovely combination?  I love the "m" sounds...very T.S. Elliot) and I met in Germany.  Both our dads were in the Air Force, and both were stationed at Geilenkirchen NATO Air Base.  I met Amy my first day of my sophomore year.  German buses picked up all elementary, middle school, and high school students and brought them to Geilenkirchen (G.K.).  They dropped off the elementary kids at G.K. elementary school (the school only went up to 5th grade), and the rest of us loaded up on three buses that took us across the border to AFCENT International Middle and High School in The Netherlands.  Our bus came a little before 7 A.M., and we got to the high school a little before 9 A.M.  Talk about a long bus ride! 



Rob, Amy, Suzanne, Laura, Shannon, Tammy

My first day as a sophomore, my brother and I walked down the street to catch the bus and then were transported to G.K.  When it was time to load onto 3 buses, I sat next to Amy.  She was the friendliest, genuinely nicest person, and I was so grateful to meet her!  The 20 minute drive across the border passed quickly.  Amy was very easy and fun to talk to!  I do remember being disappointed to learn that she was a grade level ahead.  I had hoped to meet someone in my grade level.

 

I don't think we ever had a class together.  She knew she wanted to be a nurse and took a ton of advanced science and math classes...my least favorite classes.  She loved art, and she was very talented.   She even helped design the Fine Arts Festival logo one year that was used for flyers and t-shirts.  

She was on swim team and experienced the joys of travel by bus.  She was always willing to share an ear bud with me when she was listening to her music.  She had such a generous heart.



Amy, Christine, Tracy, and Tammi at their baccalaureate.

Amy loved to have fun and was constantly smiling.  She loved The Police and would turn up the volume whenever "Roxanne" was playing.  We watched Pretty Woman on VHS.  She loved the line where Vivian said, "Let's veg.  You know.  Lay like broccoli."  She would always talk about the SNL sketch where Dana Carvey would play the piano and sing "Chopping Broccoli." 
 

We enjoyed riding our bikes through the different German villages.  (You have to understand that you couldn't drive in Germany until you were 18 years old.  High school students rode bikes or mopeds...or walked.)  Once we stopped at a tiny local restaurant to grab a bite to eat.  Everyone turned to look at us when we walked inside.  We instantly felt like outsiders as a hush fell over the crowd.  We sat down and tried to ignore the awkward silence and blatant stares.  I was wearing my letter jacket which screamed we were both Americans.  The Germans in the northern part of the country generally weren't as hospitable and welcoming to Americans as they were in the touristy southern region of the country.  We laughed and tried to make the best of it.  I think we took the disposable German coasters with us when we left--a silent snubbing if you will. 


Amy, Serena, Tammi, Jisca, Suzanne, Helen

Amy was nice to everyone and earnestly tried  to bring people together.  Whenever events were planned, she would always make a point to invite as many people as possible.  She wanted all her friends to be present for the fun!  Her mantra was the more the merrier. 

She had beautiful naturally curly hair that drove her crazy.  Her brown eyes were always shining.  Her room was meticulous.  She encouraged me in ways she will never know, and she chose me to be her friend even though she was surrounded by masses of people clamoring for her attention.

 



Amy and her brother, Tim.  They are truly
two of the nicest people I know!

I loved talking with Amy.  She was open and honest and so encouraging.  She shared her hopes and dreams for the future and wasn't afraid to laugh at herself.  She had experienced heartache as a child when her mother passed away, but it made her stronger and, at the same time, more tender-hearted to others.  She was very bright and always seemed to be working on homework.  I admired her determination to get good grades and to learn all she could.  She was extremely self-sufficient.  Amy was not afraid of hard work.

Amy and her husband, Fabio, holding 
gorgeous Isabella  

Her first year of college, she went to school in Munich, Germany.  When our swim team traveled there for championships, Meg (read more about Meg here) and I visited her at her apartment with her roommate, Shannon.  Amy's boyfriend, Fab, (now hubby) played guitar and sang oldies but goodies.  We had a fun weekend.  Amy was the perfect hostess. 

 

Amy married her college sweetheart, and they now live in California with their two beautiful daughters, Isabella and Olivia, who were born two years apart on the exact same date!  Through a lot of hard work and determination, Amy earned a degree in nursing and financed it completely on her own.  She continues to be the best nurse ever, and I can't imagine how wonderful she is to her patients and how she makes them feel at ease and well taken care of.  I would trust her with any of my relatives and have no doubts that she would give them only her very best care and medical expertise.

Amy is still one of the most gracious, sweetest, kindest people I know.  I am so thankful for her friendship in high school.    What a lucky girl I am to know her and call her one of my fondest friends!  She made long bus rides bearable, lunch more fun, and demonstrated the qualities of a true friend.