Meet Three Special Friends!!

I am fortunate enough to have three very special friends that all have birthdays today--Jan 3!!

Happy Birthday Vinnie Schoenfelder!! I met Vinnie and his wife, Marianne back in 1976...Vinnie is better known as 'Marianne's husband' and doesn't mind shining his own little glow in her shadow. (As her friend, I hung in her shadow and loved it!) Vinnie was an 'athlete extraordinaire' in a northern New Jersey high school and went on to play college baseball. In the most delightful of ways, when sitting with Vinnie for more that 10 minutes you are bound to hear the replay of his 'glory days'... Vinnie and Marianne were Bob's and my best friends back in some of the best days of my life. Bob and Marianne were the jokesters and Vinnie and I provided them a good audience. Fond memories...A year after Bob died, Vinnie suffered a massive heart attack at the way-too-young age of 40. I remember driving down to Roanoke with Sue Brown to be with Marianne and Vinnie. The three of us girls climbed on the bed with the convalescing Vinnie...the doctor came in and asked if Vinnie was trying to have another heart attack??!? And because we obeyed 'doctors orders', Vinnie is celebrating his 64th (??) birthday today. Vinnie, so glad you decided to hang around a lot longer...love you!

Happy Birthday, Bobby Downs!! Bob and I met Bobby Downs (a golf professional in Hilton Head, South Carolina) the year after Bobby had graduated from Ferris State in Michigan (well known for it's golf academy and golf management courses). My husband, Bob had talked to Bobby about trying to teach me how to golf (a rather hopeless endeavor). Bobby Downs was patient and tried hard (he really did!) but as I said, it was pretty hopeless. There were a few moments of 'greatness'--potential, I guess you could stretch it? Anyway, we came back every year (as we had a timeshare there) and I took more lessons from Bobby. The year that Bob was diagnosed with his brain tumor, we took Vinnie and Marianne and Sue Brown with us...Bobby Downs was so distraught that his buddy Bob was dying, he made sure that we had everything we needed on the golf course...including free golf. After Bob had passed away, three of my bestest buddies, Carlene, Sue Beale, and Sue Brown began a 22 year tradition of gathering for the week of timeshare. And over all these years, Bobby Downs has taken care of us...we figured we have saved well over $20,000 in green fees. Thank you Bobby...you are the BEST! Don't think Bobby is following this blog but just in case, HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bobby!!

Happy Birthday Susan Dent!! Those of you that know Susan Dent would never forget her!! She is a force, a freak of nature, an amazing woman...Way before there was the 'Survivor' show on TV, there was this sports/adventure/nature event called the Raid Gauloises that is held yearly at varying remote places on this planet. A team consists of five members and had to include at least one female. (Guess you know who the female was!!) Yep, Susan plus three Navy Seals and Mark Burnett (founder of the TV 'Survivor' obviously inspired by this event...) That year, the event took place in Madagascar that started with parashooting out of a plane, navigating treacherous mountain terrain in frigid temperatures, crossing desert plains in heat exceeding 115 degrees, paddling over 100 miles and walking well more than that with all their gear. Had they not made one critical navigational error (because they were in first place at that point), they may have taken home the gold. Just finishing the race is an unbelievable accomplishment as more than half the teams entered from all over the world don't cross the finish line. If any member of the team has to be medevaced(sp?) the team no longer qualifies for competition. After twelve days, Susan's team finished 11th out of the 40 that crossed the finish line out of the 85 teams that had entered. Years later, she picked up a tennis racquet for the first time and was an instant ace! I know that better than most as I had the good fortune to be her tennis partner. My best fortune was to be her friend.

So January 3rd is a pretty special day...love you all and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

God bless us all...tracy