Ann Hanson

"We met in 6th grade at La Tercera Elementary. I was the new kid and Ann was a friend right away. Ann's house was for hanging out before, (during...ahem), and after school. Hot chocolate on cold mornings, long talks with mom, stinking up the kids bathroom with perfume (sorry Don) and trying to avoid the always present camera. We excelled at making a book of bus tickets last longer than anyone else's, and getting kicked off that bus for giving unsolicited make-up advice to the elderly. During the summer we rode our bikes, beautified the neighborhood with toilet paper, shopped, and made prank phone calls. We had crushes on boys (poor Chris), cut morning classes to do our hair, joined the banner line and tortured any upper classman we thought deserved it. Later on she came to visit me at boarding school (our shenanigans certainly helped get me there), she sent me funny cards and enlisted her mom's help with reminding me I got suspended for drinking from the forbidden bottle in the cafeteria. Once we made it through adolescence we giggled our way through our first real job. We lived through boyfriends, dates and breakups. I flew to Idaho to go wedding dress shopping with Ann and mom, and happily went back to be her maid of honor. We have laughed, cried, loved each other, fought like siblings for over 40 years. She was my bestie, I loved her and she will never be replaced. "