ASHLEY'S LIST

We could be cowboys or Indians. We had swords and dolls with lemonade mustaches and gum woven in our hair.

We had logos and big wheels, tents and picnics. We had elevators instead of stairs, closets filled with little sweaters and tutus. We snuck into sister's sleeping quarters and laughed beneath her crib while she slept.

We watched gum balls turn our mouths from pink to blue. We poured Elmer’s glue on our hands and peeled it away when it dried. We slept with our blankies, well, most of us did. Some put the blankets in their ears and ended up at the Doctors office with a sudden earache.

We jumped on beds then slept in them. We laughed so loud and hard that one of us got sent to the bathtub to sleep for the night. Whoopee cushions were magical, and sugar and peanut butter sandwiches were our staples. Go carts and firecrackers kept us full during the summer nights. Little wading pools and diving boards, sunburns and scabs. Clouds and rain never interrupted E.T. or Sesame Street. Santa and his reindeer stopped by each Christmas Eve, leaving trails of snow and dung on the balcony. Christmas trees were lit long and tall...dancing and deviled eggs filled our winter season.

Easter bunnies hiding eggs with pennies and candy, turkey's laid on platters at our tables, and all the kids always had to sit at the little plastic table.

The lake and rubber yellow raft, red ants and Jessica Hosler, fishing and snakes, Elsa and Patches. Camp and tire swings, climbing trees and playhouses. Barbie's, trains, star wars strawberry shortcake, Mr. Rogers, The Electric Company, Twinkies and diet Pepsi.

Pink leotards, soccer, diaries, Ricky Schroeder, sledding down the stairs on old boxes, hide and seek, ghost in the graveyard, spooky haunted houses, crickets, frogs, lipstick and field trips. Baths and bedtime stories, shopping, laughing, skiing through trees, hiding in forts....

We were but little children, nothing but imagination to bring us to the next adventure, story, fairy tale. We hid beneath trees and prayed to God, we pulled little red wagons and ate corn on the cob. We spilled buckets of freezing water from balconies and campers, we bar-b-qued hamburgers and always wanted McDonalds. We had grass stains on our knees and peed the bed. We licked our lips of cotton candy and screamed in terror at late night window creatures. We ate fudge brownies on the day Spence died; we wore blue eye shadow and got bad perms. We slept all that we could our knees wrapped around pillows that we would wrestle over.

We pulled weeds and broomed cobwebs. WE read the Family Circus and Luanne, in the Sunday paper. WE played patty cake and house, we ripped the
Heads off Barbie’s, we celebrated birthday's, stayed late at summer parties, raked the fall leaves, watched Miami Vice. We got bit by mosquitoes and ran around with wigs and bras stuffed with toilet paper.

We were children. We were heroes, angels, cowgirls, musicians, movie stars, villains, famous, gymnasts, and basketball players, soccer players. WE were the best snowball throwers, the best eaters; we had the best ideas, and an unstoppable desire for laughter. We were funny and talented. We fought fires and fell asleep to "OH WHAT A BUSY DAY!"

We were Amy and Ashley. We were children. WE were best friends. We were blood sisters. We are still magical. We are still cowgirls with candle light beaming from our eyes. Our imaginations are brilliant and star tipped. Our friendship is as round and open as our mouths. Our life as best friends, sisters, companions, is as real as the laughter that breaks from our ribs where we are in each others presence, near or far.