Dear Mom's friends,

Boy, it sure looks like you guys had a ton of fun. I was just paging through one of her old scrapbooks she made of all of your adventures, and I must say, you guys were (and still are) pretty darn cool.

My favorite picture is the one of all of you standing outside an old RV in Colorado: the men in short-shorts and the women with perms that stood higher than the Empire State Building. Everyone has genuine smiles on their faces - nothing posed. Mom told me about your adventures while whitewater rafting and that some of the boys sunk one of the rafts. (How hard did you have to try to do that?!) My favorite, though, was her telling me about driving a truck up the side of the mountain then getting it stuck on a tree, leaving you all to hitchhike to get help.

I also always feel as though I used to be part of "Club Collingdale" (the party apartment) crew. Mom has told me about her 3-11 shifts, where she would throw on some clean clothes and join everyone for some cigars, drinks and laughs.

You guys have enhanced my mom's abilities to be adventurous. Confident. Kind. Accepting. Whenever you are all together, I know it feels like old times (even though I wasn't there, of course.) I can almost bet your kids are also extremely appreciative for all of the love and memories you've all shared: wishing for everlasting friendships just like yours. Those that people hang out with are the ones that they turn in to. I'm thankful that you've all bounced your positive energy off of each other to shape who all of you are today.

My mom has done her best to transfer these wonderful traits that you have to me, so thank you for being the ones to shape her into the amazing woman that she is.

With love (and gratitude!!!)

Caroline