Friend Memories #4

I’ve written about bullies and shared some of the bad stuff that I’ve been through.  Though while it’s easy to write and complain about people, sometimes we forget to cherish those that we have.  So I’m going to take time and do write ups about friends that have come into my life who I still know and hang out with to this day and how these people were able to see through the lies and cruelty of those others around us, and get to know me for who I am. This time I’m sharing the story of Amber, a friend who was in Season 3 of Cowabunga Corner.  In fact, you can find her in other videos throughout Cowabunga Corner at different events that I’ve held or attended.

I met Amber in theater class in 1997.  She was a new girl to our school.  I got use to new kids being friendly to me on the first day then getting warned about me and never talking to me again.  So when Amber came into class I did not know we were going to become friends.  She saw me wearing my Ninja Turtles and came up to me.  Turns out she liked Ninja Turtles, as well.  Then she express her fandom for Star Trek.  Amber and I found a connection fast, we were both fans of something and had a lot of stories of our fandoms to share with each other.

After Amber walked away from me, kids from our class came up to warn her that I’m the school nerd and not to talk with me.  Though Amber told them she’d decides who her friends are and came right back over to me telling me what those girls said.  It was the first time someone ever stood back up against the rest of the class, to defend their friendship with me.  At that moment, I knew I had a new friend.  Amber and I later learned we shared another class, science, which is where I sat next to Nadine.

With Amber, we could share stories of what we’ve done with our fandoms.  She was big into Star Trek and had even been to a few conventions.  It was funny that we could mention a normal convention goer and know who each other were talking about.  She had this drawing she did of the Star Trek Voyager, which she was getting autographed up by the cast of the show.  It was great to finally have a friend who enjoyed a fandom as deep as I was with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  We both liked each others fandoms, so it was really easy to go on and on about what we enjoyed.

In 1999, I convinced Amber to go with me to Northampton for the fan closing of the Words & Pictures Museum.  There she was kind enough to play Bebop for us in the party, and she got to go with the other TMNT fans through the tour of Mirage Studios.  She was surprised by how much Star Trek stuff she saw there at the Studio.  It was a real treat getting to bring one of my friends there who could enjoy it as much as the rest of us.  Amber had been there for other events including the booths I held at Motor City Comic Con to help save the Turtles, and she even was there the day that Fanatical was filming.

Amber left Michigan and moved to Ohio some years ago, where she lived for a few years with her husband and two children.  After that she moved to Florida and worked at Disney World for some time.   Now she lives in California.  Out of my school friends, she’s the one that has moved away and never moved back to Michigan.  She escaped!  Though we still talk on the phone often and when I am around the areas where she lives, I do make sure to swing in and visit with her.

Amber’s two kids were both in the same episode of Cowabunga Corner that Amber was in.  They’re fun kids and both of them like Turtles and hold TMNT conversations with me.  Of course they have many other things they like, as well.  It’s fun getting to go and visit the family since I’m friends with each of them.   I look forward to each time we meet up.

Amber, these days, is not into Star Trek as much as she use to be, though has gotten into Stargate.  The movie and the TV series.  I don’t know that area as well, so I will admit to getting lost when we’re talking about it since I’ve never sat down through many episodes.  Though it’s good to hear her get excited about what she enjoys still.  And she’ll still let me go on and on about Turtles when I have something to say.

This was all about taking a moment out to share that there are those in my life, outside of my family, who have been there for me and to say thank you to good friends, and remind everyone that while it’s easy to see those hard days over and over again in your head.  It’s more important to focus on the good times and what life is all about, great memories and wonderful people.

Do you have a friend who has been there for you in tough times?  Is there a memory of making a friend that you would like to share?   Please Comment or ask questions in the comment area below!  All email addresses are kept private.