The Adventures of Ryan & Tana

By now, you've heard me reference Tana as my best friend. We have been bff, besties, practically sisters... whatever you wanna call it... since 1995. We just realized recently that it had been 16 years like RIGHT now. SO crazy. I can't believe we are even old enough to have had a legitimate friend for that long!! Let alone the fact that we have been through thick and thin, through life and death, and through wild and crazy.  I could list a million different things, good and bad, that life has dealt us that we have gone through together. I can speak for both of us when I say that we have had several friends in the past, but our friendship is always the one that sticks. We can communicate without speaking. Don't believe me? Talk to our husbands. It drives them NUTS!!

How we met. I went to HTCS, an elementary school in Fort Smith. Tana came during the last week of 4th grade to see what the school was going to be like because she was going to attend school there the next year. Tana was from the town I lived in, Roland. Because we were from the same town, we carpooled together a lot. We were always at each other's houses from about then on. After 5th grade, she went back to Roland. That next summer, between 6th & &7th, I spent a lot of time at Tana's house, because they had a pool. My mom had to use their pool for exercising purposes due to a back surgery she'd had. I started Roland the following school year, and from there on we were inseparable. Now, we had our differences here and there... but in the end... we were always the last ones standing side by side. We've never lived more than a short car ride away for more than one 6-month period when she moved to Tulsa. I quickly followed with my husband as soon as I graduated and married him. :) The rest is history. We've gone through terrible news together, births, funerals... you name it, we went through it together. And rest assured... if it was a big life-changing event, you better believe we tell each other immediately. One time about 3 1/2 years ago, when I was working nights, Tana had received some very devastating news... she drove out to my house, in the middle of her work day, while I was sleeping (which was pretty far out of the way from where she was).  She couldn't get ahold of me, so she went into my backyard and started knocking on my window. She knew I'd be there. And I was. I came to the back door, let her in. And while I was just in pj's in my kitchen, I listened to her tell me that her mom had cancer. We cried, and I held her. And just so you know, I've also listened to her tell me every time she hears the news that her mom is still in remission. :)

We are not just best friends, we are family. Her family is my family and vice versa. I have heard my parents both say time and time again how special she is to us. And one of my most favorite memories of Tana's family growing up, was that her Gigi always sent me Valentine's gift on V-day because she knew I didn't get much. Also, much of our time spent together was at either of her grandparent's houses. Those grandparents of hers have always, always had a special place in my heart. :)


Ok, enough with the gushy stuff.

Anyway, I could go into a million hilarious stories too that would likely just embarrass both of us. So, I'm including the lighter humored stories to spare us both the misery. :) And also our most recent adventure, which will be at the end.

And this, my dear friends, is the first year our friendship began. Tana and I are the two in the middle. This is 1995! Represent!

Junior high here, Tana's little brother took these pictures. While he was snapping them, a copperhead popped out of the bushes THAT WE WERE SITTING IN!!! He tried to kill it by chopping off its head. He did not succeed. Mind you, he was probably like 12 at the time. We were extremely freaked out.

Junior prom, no need to comment.

Just a random high school picture.

This was on an FCCLA trip to OKC

On that FCCLA trip, we were late. The teacher's motto was, "if you're not five minutes early, you're ten minutes late". They left without us. We finagled the principal into somehow persuading the VERY stubborn teacher to stop the bus. The entire bus had to wait on the interstate onramp while we were riding in the backseat of A ROLAND CITY COP CAR, with sirens blaring and everything, doing WAY over the speed limit to catch up to the bus. We were in "trouble" and had to sit at the front of the bus (where I am certain we bugged the LIFE out of that teacher). Then we had to go wherever a certain guy went that we found to be really annoying. We drug him around with us and then convinced him to let us ditch him. :) Good times.

first day, senior year

graduation practice

Not sure what grade here, but I do know it's high school. Awesomely short shirts, right?!

Our senior year, we spent A LOT of time in the library. You must know that Roland's library, back then, was not full of quiet people reading... oh, no... it was full of very loud people, laughing and skipping class.

Senior English... was such a joke, but provided LOTS of memories!!

Tana's 21st birthday. I compiled a lot of the pictures you've already seen here and made her some sweet little pictures. :) That she still has, by the way.

Lake time, good times

Dancing the night away in Cancun

Again in Cancun, ready to go out to eat.

We helped with the Extreme Makeover Home Edition in Alma, AR!!

We both got married. Here we are at Tana's wedding... she's with her matron of honor. :)

Most recent girl's trip to NYC... here we are with that nasty naked cowboy. He's a perv.

Oh, my friends... yes, that is me. We proudly pilfered through this huge newspaper only receptacle.

Too receive this lovely treasure!!

Tana in deep concentration over the deals to be had!

Paid $4.50 for all of this.

Paid $3.79 for all this. Thank you, coupons!!

Everyone has a best friend during each stage of life. Only a precious few have the same one.

Thank you, Tana, for being the best friend ever!!