I was obsessed with beanie babies back in those days. I’m not sure how I managed to get Rick to jump on the bandwagon with me, but he did. We would sometimes become privy to inside information about a new shipment of beanies, and we’d rush out during our lunch hour to see what we could score. Whereas I just thought beanies were cute and cuddly, Rick was convinced that they would one day make him rich!

Then there were the jokes. Rick got loads of them in his AOL inbox, and he would often share them with me. I still remember his laughter as he told me a not so clean joke about a guy who had taken a trip to Jamaica. The punch line was, “Welcome to Jamaica. Have a nice day!” I have to admit that the joke was hilarious, but Rick’s laughter made it all the better. We laughed so hard that day. The next day when I got to work, I found a slip of paper resting on my keyboard. It said simply, “Welcome to Jamaica. Have a nice day!”

In 1998, I was involved in a car accident on the way to work one morning. Though I wasn’t injured, I was incredibly upset and couldn’t stop crying. I called Rick to tell him what had happened and that I’d be late for work. Within minutes, he was at my side. I’m not sure if I ever told him how much that meant to me, but I have never forgotten it, and I never will.

The following year, I had the opportunity to be there for Rick. For some time, he had been treated unfairly by upper management. And when they terminated his employment one morning, I followed him out the door. Without a moment’s hesitation, I left my job behind. I still remember how incredibly touched he was at my show of friendship and loyalty.

I started a new job a few days later, and Rick moved back to his home state of Florida. We kept in touch by phone and email over the next six years. He often talked of moving back to Tennessee, but never found a suitable job here. The last conversation I had with him was in 2005. I wish I could remember more about it, but I remember only a few things. He was planning a visit to Tennessee and wanted to see me. And when I mentioned that I didn’t know if I’d recognize him, he said that he “still looked the same, but his waistline was bigger.” And then there was the laughter that Rick was so well known for. I will never forget that laugh.

For the past five years, Rick’s whereabouts have been a mystery to me. His phone was disconnected. My emails went unanswered. My Google searches were fruitless. I couldn’t even locate him on MySpace or Facebook. Until a couple of weeks ago. I did another Google search and came across a newspaper article that confirmed my worst fears. Rick was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2005.

Rick Pietschman didn’t get rich from his beanie baby investment, but he certainly enriched the lives of all those around him. He didn’t travel to Jamaica, at least not that I know of, but his laugh brought about many nice days. And today, as I mourn this incredible loss, it is my hope that Rick is resting peacefully with our Lord, and that he is aware of just how many lives he touched during his 49 years on this earth.

Goodbye, my friend. You were, are, and will always be, one of the closest friends I have ever known. I will love you always.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

I now face the task of deciding on a topic for this post.  I could talk about the dogs and how great they are both doing.  I could tell you about the latest book I’ve read, or the new recipes I’ve tried.  I could tell you about the upcoming retirement of my pastor, or the fact that I’ve recently become addicted to Facebook.  I could write about the guy I recently met and his vow to make sure I’m wearing underwear if I ever need to be rushed to the hospital.

In fact, I believe I’ll write about all those things – in due time.  But for now, I’ll just pick on Rick.

I’ve known Rick for a few years now.  He has been a loyal Kat House reader for quite some time.  He also reads the many random posts I make on Facebook.  And he peeks in on my MySpace page from time to time too – though there’s never anything new to see there.  Rick is one of those friends who mysteriously showed up one day, and I just can’t imagine what life would be like if he hadn’t.

I can’t mention Rick without telling you how great of an artist he is.  His company, Imagination Atmospheres, creates amazing airbrush murals and themed environments.  And take a look at this amazing portrait of Jesus that Rick painted just yesterday!

All that, and the man even has his own blog!  Of course, it hasn’t been updated since April 25th!

I think it’s time for an intervention.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

He has been a rock star and an insomniac.  He has toured the country as part of a pop sensation.  He has been an Olympic swimmer.  And we certainly can’t forget the time he wore his birthday suit, which promptly landed him in the dog house.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.  This man is the master of disguise!  So Barry, I regret to inform you that I will not be posting a list of 10 costumes for you to consider wearing tonight, because there is only one that comes to mind.  I think you should be…

Barry.

Now there’s an idea!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

I doubt that even my own family members could name my favorite flower, but he left them at my doorstep on Valentine’s Day.

He gave me the most thoughtful gifts for my 36th birthday, each with a handwritten note explaining its significance.

When my heart ached from loneliness, he called from the Las Vegas hotels where he staying. He missed me too.

He has given me so many wonderful things that I will be forever grateful for…

encouragement to keep working toward my career goals

a helping hand to guide me through new endeavors

a reason to smile

the ability to trust again

a friendship that surpasses all others

and last but certainly not least, hope for the future.

Thank you, friend, just for being you!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

Larry was a year younger than me. I met him when we both started working on the yearbook staff. We became instant friends. What I liked most about him is that he made me laugh. He was always joking and playing pranks, and just hearing his laugh could make me smile. We were both huge pro wrestling fans, and our favorite wrestlers just happened to be bitter enemies. I loved Ric Flair, and Larry had some crazy fascination with Lex Luger. I don’t remember how it originally got started, but we wrote poems to each other nearly every day – poems about our wrestlers. Poems about how Ric was going to kick Lex’s ass, and how Lex was going to pulverize Ric. I know I still have those poems somewhere. I sure wish I could find them.

I don’t remember all the details of Larry’s life, but I do know that he had not had an easy one. He lived in a boys’ home run by a local church. Some of the other boys attended our school as well, and though they had been through harder times than most of us could have ever imagined, they were some of the nicest kids I’d ever met. They truly knew the meaning of the word “respect”.

Larry and I never dated; though there were times that I suspected he might be interested in me. But it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. We lost touch after graduation. We met up a few years later and renewed our friendship. Unfortunately, that didn’t last either. We had some silly misunderstanding, and he chose to walk away.

I haven’t seen or heard from Larry since, but sometimes I am reminded of those days gone by, of those wrestlers now old and gray, and of that beautiful friendship that slipped right through my fingers. And I pray that he’s out there, and that he knows I’m truly sorry that our friendship didn’t last a lifetime.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

My friends Matt and Dustin moved from Ohio to Tennessee a few years ago. The three of us spent a lot of time hanging out at various bars around town. I’ve never had so much fun just sitting around, drinking a few cold beers, and shooting the shit. Those guys were great! I remember one particular conversation where Matt told me that he had been afraid to move to Knoxville because he imagined it being like the movie Deliverance. Like everyone else, I had heard all the jokes about this movie, but I had never actually seen it. When Matt heard that, he insisted that I watch it. In fact, he quickly volunteered perhaps a little too much information. “I’ll let you borrow it! I have it on DVD!”

To make a long story short, I did watch the movie, though I remember very little about it – other than the dueling banjos. But seeing that t shirt makes me chuckle and think of Matt. He ended up loving Tennessee but got homesick and moved back to Ohio a couple of years later. I sure do miss him and Dustin. They definitely kept things interesting.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

We met at Cotton Eyed Joe back in 2000. I was hanging out with a large group of people from an AOL chat room at the time. I had never seen David in the chat room, but he seemed to know everyone I was with. He asked me to slow dance, and we spent the next few minutes giving each other the shortened versions of our life stories. I was recently out of a relationship and not sure I was ready for another, so I politely declined when he asked me out. But that wasn’t the last of David – not by a long shot. I was a regular at the Joe, and so was he, so we saw each other on occasion.

One night I was online and got an instant message from a woman named Charlene. I knew her from the chat room and from The Joe. She said, “My ex-husband really likes you a lot, Tish. I think you should give him a chance. Things didn’t work out between us, but he’s a really wonderful guy and he would treat you like a princess.” I had no idea who this woman’s husband was! I asked, and when she mentioned David, I decided right then and there that I would give him a chance. It’s certainly not every day that a woman has only nice things to say about her ex-husband!

Charlene gave me David’s phone number, and I called him the same night. I was still a little scared of the relationship idea, so we concentrated on friendship. I came to really care about him as more than just a friend, and we eventually started dating. I remember our first date. We decided to meet for lunch on a workday. I had fallen down a flight of stairs and severely sprained my ankle a few days before, so I was wearing an ankle brace. I met David at the restaurant, where he gave me a single red rose. I remember thinking how sweet and romantic that was. But imagine my surprise when I got back to work and found 11 more waiting in a vase on my desk! The note said “Here are the other 11 to go with the one I gave you during lunch.”

We spent several months together, and every day was just like that first one. David did the sweetest things. He gave me so many thoughtful greeting cards. He owned a lawn care business, and he mowed my lawn while I was at work. He even mowed my best friend’s lawn! He stayed on the phone with me every night until I fell asleep. It was during one of those late night phone calls that I mentioned having a craving for strawberry Twizzlers. The next day he brought over a huge bag of them for me. And then there was the time I got pissed at him. When he found out that he was in the dog house, he stopped by my house with a stuffed toy dog. He had even put a leash on it, explaining that the dog was him – on his short leash. How could I stay mad at such a cute gesture?

David and I were best friends. He respected the fact that I needed alone time. He did his thing – martial arts competitions and motorcycle racing. And I did mine. We had an incredible trust between us, each knowing that the other wouldn’t even consider cheating. It was a very nice relationship – until we started talking about a more permanent future together. I got scared and ran away. And though I didn’t handle it in the fashion I should have, David remained my friend.

He eventually married someone else, and I got involved with a long line of jerks. We continued to talk on a pretty regular basis and saw each other on rare occasions. David divorced last year, and we went out a couple of times after that. Then I pulled another Houdini on him. I disappeared. I had so much going on in my life that I did what us Cancers do best – retreated to my shell. Months passed. David left messages and sent emails. He remained a caring friend even though I was a jerk. I did, however, call him back a couple of days ago. We had a great conversation, and we’ve talked a couple of times since.

I’ve included two photos of David. The first is a recent one. The second is a photo of us from 2000. And yes, I’m embarrassed to say that I had an eyebrow piercing!

As for what the future holds, I have no idea. I’m just glad to have my friend back!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

A friend of mine in New York is now moving into a new home, and my heart goes out to him. I just don’t think I could do it – especially in such a populous location. Given the crazy traffic he’s probably dealing with, I think I’d just hire some New York movers to take care of it for me!

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.

I have a sister who lives in Nashville with her family, and a brother who lives in Rutledge with his. They had holiday plans of their own. My other brother, Jake, lives with his wife and two children only five minutes from me. We decided to have Thanksgiving dinner at his house.

Jake and his wife cooked the turkey and tons of other food. I made a ham, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Several of Jake and Rebekah’s friends came as well. We had a total of 12 people, and a great time was had by all.

At one point during the evening, someone asked one of the guys there, “Is your mom doing anything for Thanksgiving?” to which he replied, “Yes, but she didn’t invite me.” In any “normal” family, that would be followed by exclamations of shock, but not in mine. Someone else said, “Yeah, my family didn’t invite me either.” And then Jake pointed out that we were in the same situation. As sad as it may be, we all started laughing when someone in the party called us a “bunch of rejects”.

Rejects we may be, but it was nice to be in the company of all these people, each of varying circumstances but with one major thing in common – friends who assumed the role of family. And for that, I’m thankful.

©2012 The Kat House. All Rights Reserved.