My Dear Friend Ann: a 70s Girl!

First, it's important to note that Ann Gehring is older than I am.  She celebrated her 70th birthday at a festive beach gathering near the Gehring home at Oden Bay last night.  

Since I remind Ann every single year that she is older than I, it is journalistically sound to mention that she was born in March of 1947, while I was born in June.  She simply decided to celebrate in August. 

We have often commented over the years that it's pretty darned lucky that the two of us did not attend the same school.  Ann attended Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy in her hometown of Coeur d'Alene, while I attended schools in Sandpoint. 

The two of us working together could have caused havoc----not to say that we haven't over the years since we first met as liturgical readers for the Mass at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.  

Our friendship has lasted more than 40 years, and I'm assuming it will continue to do so as we giggle our way into the 80s. 

Ann is a fun lady, and that's an understatement.  I was telling one of the party goers last night that when I wrote the stories for my first book Pocket Girdles, I would try them out on two different listeners:  my mother and Ann.  Don't know which one laughed the most, but will say Mother occasionally told me she needed some Kleenex. 

Well, Ann could give my mother a good run for her money in the sense of humor department.  Hers is well-oiled and ready to go at any moment.  And, that's why everyone loves Ann. 

Last night's gathering included Ann's family, her two book clubs, former colleagues and just plain longtime friends who have always gone away with a smile after spending time with this lovable soul.

That sense of humor made me feel absolutely NO CATHOLIC GUILT for shopping around Ponderay yesterday afternoon, looking for marbles.  You see with plenty of years to go, I wanted to make sure that if Ann lost her marbles, she'd have a back-up supply.

By golly, the Dollar Tree at the mall helped me out, and so Ann has her supply, and we'll go on through the next decade with hopes of having just as much fun as we've experienced over the past four. 

And, that's about all I've got to say, except it was a fabulous party, alive with fun, good visiting and especially with a lot of good friends who came together to celebrate a mutual friend and 70s PRICELESS PRINCESS. 

Yay, Ann.  Happy Sunday.