Surprise at The California State Fair

The other day, I was scanning the home page of facebook looking for interesting updates and newly uploaded photos when one in particular practically screamed at me .  It was brief and to the point, but packed full of news. It was an update from my childhood friend, whom I met in the first grade.  We were the best of friends all the way up through the sixth grade, until my family moved out of town.

We didn't keep in touch even though I thought about her through the years.  Then in 1982 when I was 18 years old, I received a letter from her.   I couldn't believe it.  She had found me.  It was all very exciting.  I think I received about two or three letters from her and she probably received the same from me.  Again, we didn't hear from each other until a few years later when I was about 22.  She happened to be in my town and once again, she had found me.  She stayed about a week at my house and we went out dancing almost every night that she was there.  We had so much fun.  She asked me to come back to Lynwood and stay with her for a week or so. At the time, she lived with her sister and her sister's husband and kids.  (Tina had two kids of her own at that time, also living there) I was up for a new adventure, so I said yes.  (I'm not sure what was up with the job situation.......except that I was probably an irresponsible twenty something and blew my job off to go have fun in a different town) 

Anyhow, after those two weeks, we lost contact again, for almost 20 years.  When I became a Private Investigator, I used all my resources and after a couple of years of looking, I finally found her through a newspaper article that featured her sister's family mourning the murder of their 17 year old son.  It was so sad.  I remember meeting that little boy when he was just about two years old.  Anyway, It mentioned my friend as the aunt and that's how I discovered her married name and was able to track her down that way.  Long story short, we talked on the phone for a long time, and I mailed her a package.  I never got a response and it was as if she fell off the face of the earth.  She had moved again, but there was no trace.  About every two months I would try locating her whereabouts.  One day, it was like the light bulb went off.  I remembered her last name from her first marriage and I remembered her two kids names, so I thought I would run her kids name on myspace and see if anything popped up.  Lo and behold, viola.  A profile picture of her daughter popped up, but I still wasn't sure if I had the right person.  Then I looked at the daughter's friend's llist and there was a tiny picture of a woman that resembled my friend.  I couldn't tell because the photo was too tiny and her profile was private.  What to do?  Well, I sent her a message through myspace and she answered it.  I got her phone number, etc. and we've been talking ever since.  That was just a little over a year ago.

Keep in mind I've only seen her twice in the last 33 years.  Even so, we still have such a strong bond.  We can talk on the phone for hours and not run out of anything to say.  We must be soul sisters!

So, back to my first paragraph.  As I said, there was one facebook update that practically screamed at me.  It was an update from Tina.  In her own words....  "Hello everyone, just wanted to let you all know Im getting married. Shawn asked me to marry him on tv, yep fox 40s 10 o-clock news filmed him asking me, it was unreal. My head is still spinning...the big day will be June 12, 2010. My wonderful mother will be giving me away. I love her so much. See you soon ."  

Well, we talked on the phone this morning and I got the whole scoop.  He asked her while they were at the State fair.  Apparently, he knows the owners of the carnival part of the State Fair, and so with their help, he was able to have the news crew filiming his proposal at an exact time at one of the carnival rides.  Tina told me she was embarrassed to be on the news and very self conscious that people were staring at her during the proposal.   But still........it's nice to know that romance is still alive

I am so happy for her.  This is a big deal, because just a few months earlier she told me she would never get married again. Then along comes Shawn and she is swept up.  I think it's wonderful.  Even though she hasn't known him for very long, sometimes, you just know when it's right. 

Cheers to a new life!