Meet my friends: Leanne

I have a friend named Leanne (not to be confused with Leigh Anne) who I've known for forevs. I have no idea when we met. I can't remember. What I do remember is that basically we met in 9th grade because she started coming to youth group with the other kids from "South" junior high who were driven in a van by the type of guy you'd expect to drive a big van full of kids.

I asked her to share a memory of us meeting and she said,

Leanne: "Well it was 9th grade, so '98-ish. When you and I wore similar dresses and you sang "Come as you are," that was in '99" (I know you want to see a video of that. I'll do it sometime. I will)

Leanne: Or maybe it was the "Lock-in" of '97. The 8th grade lock-in. You weren't there?

Me: Oh, I'm sure I was. Pining over Ben Wheeler*

Leanne: I held hands with Matt Strobel?

*Quick note on the 'pining over Ben Wheeler' comment. He's a dear friend I will let you 'meet' sometime who I've known since I was 2 and liked until 8th grade. I told him on the night before my wedding. It was good times. He didn't care. I kept it a secret all these years and he didn't even care. He's an ox.

Anyway, clearly Leanne & I don't remember when we met. My first memories of Leanne (or as I randomly refer to her "Annie") come from a missions trip to Mexico in '99 where we wore simliar flower dresses & I sang in spanish. That trip holds some of my dearest high school years memories. It was then that I realized the power that Leanne holds over Mexican men. She's a 'mamacita.'

Leanne and I were put together in a host home for a few days where we met Karina- a Mexican girl who we've remained friends with to this day. Maybe that's when we solidified our friendship? Maybe? All I really remember is the amazing quesadillas Karina made us.

Leanne was always there in my life- even though I can't remember a single memory. I do know that she thinks, quite often, of our amazing senior week with our girlfriends after we graduated high school. We all do. It was that amazing.

What I really want to talk about is how hilarious Leanne is. You would never expect it. She's not the loud one in the crowd, and doesn't go out of her way to be the "funny one." But she is. In fact, next to Bob Saget, who I of course know since my dad worked in the Deli with him in high school in Abington, PA, she's the funniest person I know.

Oh, did I mention Leanne is a 3rd wife and a member of a small, relatively unknown polygamist sect in the Green Lane park in Green Lane, PA? This was the picture from the ad she took out in their little newspaper when she was looking to settle down. Luckily "Peter" saw the ad and married her. He's 1 of 2 men in their community, so she was really lucky.

Actually this picture was on facebook captioned: "Saturday date night @ the Continental in Philly" which is a swanky restaurant in the city.

I asked her more:

Yes, this was a special night for us. Brian took me out for an evening of fun. I even tasted some wine, It was delightful. To be completely honest, he touched the small of my back that night

I love her.

This was when we celebrated her being kicked out of the polygamist sect. Turns our her modest dress bore too much "back," and Peter annulled the marriage

Meet my other friends here!