![a treasured gift from another pen pal](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-96gSdq2/0/86b2f55c/M/i-96gSdq2-M.jpg)
a treasured gift from a newer pen pal
How many people now, in this day of modern technology, still have pen pals? How many people younger than me even know what a pen pal is???
![pen pal days](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BhLZjPv/0/8987c466/M/i-BhLZjPv-M.jpg)
my favorite childhood letter-writing tools
Kristia and I met in a hotel swimming pool in 1970. She'll be the first to tell anyone she saved my life. :) My siblings and I were watching some older kids do somersaults over the pool divider, and I decided I could do it, too. After all, I was an aspiring gymnast. I did somersaults over the bar at school every single day!
![splash](https://photos.smugmug.com/Critters/Snowy-White/i-38hfMGt/0/37f21f6e/M/DLA_8562a-M.jpg)
this character is more graceful than I was
Water, however, has a different gravitational effect on twirling than air. Back in the days of pants on boys and dresses on girls in grade school, the biggest worry I had doing somersaults on the playground bar was making sure I wore "bloomers" beneath my dress (because shorts were not allowed in school back then).
![best hotel swimming pool I know of](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/2019-Snowbow/i-hcFHpq3/0/30d37b0e/M/1066-M.jpg)
my favorite hotel swimming pool is in Moab
I lost my bearings when I went under the water. I didn't know how to swim and was, in fact, terrified of deep water. I've always thought I must have fallen in a pool when I was very, very young because I've been afraid of deep water as long as I can remember. I panicked, and Kristia, a year younger than me and an expert swimmer, wasted no time rescuing me. We've been pen pals ever since.
![Family and Friends are the Best Blessings](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-qhp74xj/2/4832cfb3/M/i-qhp74xj-M.jpg)
Back then, postage stamps cost six cents. I remember finding a nickel in the street every now and then while walking my baby sister in her stroller around the block. I'd walk to the post office next chance I got to buy a stamp. I'd save my babysitting money to buy fancy unicorn stationary. I looked forward to Kristia's cards and letters in the mail every month, and sometimes more often, depending upon how often we could afford to write.
![best friends forever](https://photos.smugmug.com/Fun-Stuff/Challenges/Starfleet-Fiber-Arts-Corps/i-drXchkf/0/1fbca825/M/DLA85052-M.jpg)
We were best friends from a distance through our education, dating, hobbies, jobs, marriages, child-reading, traumas, heartaches, celebrations and dreams. Every time I go through an old box of correspondence in the basement, I find another treasured letter or card from Kristia. She tells me she hangs my cards (which have my photography) all around her house so she can look at them often. I save all my Christmas cards every year; but the Hawaiian Christmas cards Kristia sends each year... Always one of a kind and always good for an awesome belly laugh!
![mele kalikimaka](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-PvdFXQC/0/f8e458cd/M/i-PvdFXQC-M.jpg)
Kristia's parents lived in New Mexico and Colorado. Kristia spent a good many years right here, in my current digs, as well as in my younger stomping grounds. You'd think that might have given us multiple opportunities to get together again.
![I do love New Mexico!](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-L86Tfqh/0/b8457bba/M/i-L86Tfqh-M.jpg)
Colorado is my home, but I LOVE New Mexico!
Alas, we had only one other in-person meeting. Kristia permanently moved to Hawaii upon her high school graduation. Albuquerque was not on my routine trip map when I visited relatives in Salt Lake. I detoured that year specifically to visit Kristia when she was visiting her parents with her new little daughter. Now Stevie is grown and married with a baby of her own! This visit was back in the day before everyone had cell phones with cameras. Back in the day before anyone had cell phones! Even though I carried my camera with me everywhere even then, I have no photos of us together. NONE.
![Kristia & Family](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-gQPkR3p/0/d1be940c/M/i-gQPkR3p-M.jpg)
We had planned to celebrate our 50-year golden friendship anniverary with Lizard and I making the awesome journey to Hawaii. What a celebration that would have been for all of us! Lizard's unexpected Parkinson's diagnosis and 2020 in general changed our plans.
![49 years](https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-f3WPQft/0/10519dea/M/i-f3WPQft-M.jpg)
49 years of pen pal friendship
I'm still holding out hope of one day being able to take Lizard to Hawaii. Lizard deserves one more trip of a lifetime. And Kristia and I deserve to be able to enjoy each other's company in person again one day. I still am not a very good swimmer at all. Perhaps we could even reinact our first meeting. Ha ha. In the ocean!!!
![D Loves B](https://photos.smugmug.com/Treasures/Aloha/i-RBMJd4V/0/5605d0f6/M/6June2004-M.jpg)
some dreams never die
Never give up your dream. :-)
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