Year of the Big Four-O

Before I go to bed, I must write about the milestone that happened today:
my very best friend turned FORTY!! Being little chicks hatched in 1971,
2011 is our big year. I think she's been a little mixed bag of feelings, but
ultimately, she's embraced it. I mean, did she really have a choice?

Let me just say that everyone should be so lucky to have a best friend like
I've got in her. Our moms were friends in highschool, so we joke about being besties
in utero. The similarities only begin there: we both have a wicked & silly sense of humor; we have that eerie twin-like ability to know what the other would think or
say about something; we both snort when we get really tickled about something; we're both short, curvy, and blonde....and of all things, we're both named Dana.

This girl can evoke a laugh with just a look. A slitty-eyed look, as she brands it.
She can tell a story with such detail and candor that it's like watching a movie. Don't dare cross her or anyone she cares about, unless you just like to be diced up verbally. She seems to have the memory of an elephant--a pro, yet a con. You know that saying, "The purpose of life is not to arrive at the end in a well preserved state, but rather to slide in sideways shouting "HOLY CRAP, WHAT A RIDE!"...they obviously had her in mind. Best of all, she is the most generous and loyal person you'd ever have the priveledge to hang out with.

As a kid, I've seen her pick up a cat by the nape of the neck...with her teeth. I've seen her throw a Big Mac farther than you'd think possible. I've drawn cartoons in church with her...about other people in the church. Shame on us, but those were some funny cartoons, and we were KIDS. I've seen a frog tied to the end of a string, but that's all I can tell you about that story.

As a teen, I've been tossed about in the family van (I'm talking about those back-in-the-day BIG vans, too) as she drove it recklessly down a winding path while on a vacay in the mountains. That was so much fun. I've feared for my life when she verbally assaulted a carfull of teen boys passing by and yelling at us. They sooo had it coming, and she took care of business in one breath and never blinked.

As an adult, she's cried with me when my heart was broken...then most likely said something irreverent to ease the pain. She's kept every secret I've ever shared with her in "The Vault" as we call it. We can talk for hours, then not talk for weeks, and pick right back up where we left off. She can be elegant and classy, and the life of the party--depending on the hat she's chosen.
I am most proud of the way she has seemed to find a new zest for life. She's become a Zumba fanatic, and trying all kinds of new things people always say they're gonna do, but never really do. One of her new passions come to life is ballroom dancing.
She is obsessed! I love seeing her so excited about just living life. We could all learn from that: stop talking and start doing.

She and I have packed a lot of living and great memories into four decades, and I guarantee if the Good Lord's willing, we will have at least than many more. You know, life is full of acquaintances, friends, loves... and most turn out to be temporary relationships. It takes years to build a genuine, heartfelt friendship. You step out on faith, and if your lucky, it gets stronger with each memory you make, lots of laughing, support, loyalty, silliness, and plain ol' fun. It should come easy, but at the same time you work at it because it matters.

So, dear crazy friend, Dana Morgan Buse(aka "Mahboo") HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY TO YOU. Keep trying new things and enjoying every day you're given. Much love always and God bless you. "A friend loveth at all times." --Proverbs 17:17

The Other Dana