Today’s post is going to be a little different. It’s not going to be about the boys, it’s going to be about my dear friend Ren. She’s going through a little rough patch right now, and I want everyone to know how awesome she is. And I want her to realize it.
Do you know Ren? If not, meet Ren…
(That’s Ren on the right, by the way. Chloe, my future daughter-in-law, is on the left.)
I’ve known Ren since 1991. Or was is 1990? In any case, a long time. (Oh man, I feel old now.) I can remember the exact moment we met, too. It was Interview/Audition Weekend at Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts. We were both trying to get in, and we started talking while washing our hands in the bathroom.
I was so glad that a few months later, when school started, to see Ren around. Of course, then, she was Katherine. But I haven’t called her that in years. Renny is more like it.
Here are things I love about Renny:
– her beautiful golden curls. In class, I would sit behind her and pull on them and *bo-i-i-i-ng* they’d spring back. She claimed to covet my long, straight brown hair, but why? She was very dismayed when I got a perm senior year. Well, I was just trying to have hair like hers! Unfortunately, it didn’t quite work out like that, so yeah, not a great decision on my part.
– her generosity. Okay, so I had this cat, right? Named Derkins (after Suzy Derkins from Calvin + Hobbes.) I got Derkins in about 1995. Ren and I were roommates in 1996-97, and when I went off to London for six months, she took care of Derkins for me.
Fast forward 12 years, and she still has Derkins. I’m pretty sure Derkins recognized who was the better mama.
She also brings us the most delicious food in times of need (when the boys were born, for instance. Never mind she had a baby only a month older than them!) Mmmm. Yum.
– her sense of humor. She threw me and our friend Kristie a surprise Armed Forces Day party one year. (It sucks that so much of our history is pre-digital-camera. I’m going to have to dig out some old pics and scan them.)
– she WROTE A BOOK! And got a fancy New York City agent because of that book! Life got in the way of it getting published, but I’ve read it, and I promise, it’s awesome. One day it will get published.
– she is an awesome mama. She doesn’t stress about things, and whenever I have baby questions, I always call her first. I want to be the kind of mom she is – goes with the flow, lets her kids be themselves and is just generally pretty zen about everything. This has resulted in two awesome little girls that are going to grow up to be amazing women. (And at least one of which, as mentioned before, will marry one of my boys. It’s GOT to happen! How cool would that be? Hee!)
(From the looks of this, it’ll probably be Miles.)
(or maybe Linus)
– she loves my boys. Whenever we go out with them, she likes to pretend they’re hers. (And let’s face it, they look more like her than me!) I’ve got to stop answering peoples’ questions for her, though. It ruins the game. Heh.
Oh, this is too hard. I keep remembering all of our stories. Like…
– Our time living together. That was fun. She put up with my messiness. I was so groggy in the mornings before class, I would make coffee but forget to put the coffee pot underneath. Oops! (I still get teased for that!)
– Visiting her (and some other friends) in London when she had her 6-month stint there.
– Visiting her in Natchitoches when she was in college there.
– Environmental Issues class in high school and the video we made. It involved an interpretive dance about billboards on the interstate, set to “Rump Shaker”. (No, I don’t remember what grade we got for that!)
– Working at Daiquiri Cafe together (which, unfortunately, ended badly for her, getting robbed and locked in the cooler. Hmm. And I got her that job. Hmm. I didn’t say they were all good memories!)
– Being pregnant together.
Here she is in the middle at 32 weeks pregnant, looking much tinier than I was at 24 weeks. Oh yeah. I had three. Ha.
Oh, there is so much more. Almost 20 years of memories. I was so happy when she moved back to Louisiana after being in Virginia for a few years.
Anyway, I could go on and on. But tomorrow is Ren’s birthday, so if you know Ren, leave her a birthday message!
pyjammy dot blog 
Chris
YAY! Hi Ren! Happy birthday! As a college friend of Pam (FOP), I always loved hearing fun stories and being the lone boy tag-along to the high school FOPs! Especially Ren! I’m so excited you got your very own post! Plus, Ren and I share the rare distinction of being the only two FOPs to accopmany Pam to marathon greatness!
Can we get some photos of Pam and Ren, circa the Daiquiri Café era? I want to see pictures of you two whipping up “Attitude Adjustments” to the perilous youth of Sherwood Forest Blvd!
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Ren
awww! TP! you made me cry though!! (good happy tears, so it’s okay).
lurve,
ren
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Lani
She sounds like a great person and a great friend:)
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jenny
A book? Way cool! I wanna read it!!!!!
Happy Birthday, Ren! You are a fabulous person and should be way proud of your adorable girls!
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kristie g
v cute post pammy! for this occassion (ms renny’s bday) i have penned the following poem:
where do i begin
on my ode to ren?
she sparkles, is a light with glee
and i’m super glad she’s friends with me
a big smile, a big heart
(i guess i figured out where to start!)
as my partner in crime (only once!) and in fun shenanigans (many times)
her friendship is way cooler than these past few lines!
ok, that is all i got. it must prove my love for her to display my elementary poetry skills on such a blog!
anyway, i can only echo what pam has already written about the things she loves about ren. i love those tooo! but, to build on top of those:
eye control: i love how she would laugh with one eye open, and usually had her eyes closed in pictures, despite all efforts to to the contrary.
bald lovin: i love that she thinks bald men are sexy. she believes this completely, vocally (yes, out loud!) and totally unapologetically. john malkovich better watch out if she ever sees him in person. that’s all i’m sayin!
patience: i love that she’s been encouraging and supportive through all the loser boyfriends, poorly thought out plans, and other things i’m probably not even aware of that could challenge our friendship. she’s been there, and been great for a laugh, for an ear to listen, and has gone so far as donning a wig and fake fur in the summer just to help in a time of need 😉
wow, ren stories. where to begin? i have great ren stories, including (but not limited to):
– the kebab incident (london,craig)
– blood sucking vampires (baton rouge, dirty hippies)
– polo mints + the hand dance (london, some club)
– tuesday night revenge club (baton rouge, the lucky winner)
– deangelo’s!
– the vanilla ice doll experiment (ahem, richard)
a story i tell to this day is of her parent’s bringing her to hangover creek on the weekends when she was little, only to find out there was no such thing as hangover creek when she got older. i tell this to all my married friends with kids- in the hope they too can keep hangover creek alive with their children!
yay for renny- happy happy birthday!
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Mar Mar
Happy Birthday, Renny! You are such a phenomenal woman. I have been very blessed to call you my friend for the past – ugh! has it been that long already? – 18 years. We’ve now known each other longer than we haven’t. I just realized that.
You are so sensitive and kind. I’m always amazed at how easily you can pick up on what is bothering someone and you know exactly the right thing to say. I feel like an emotional klutz most of the time, but I try to learn from you. You have so much compassion, and so much love in you. I wish I could be like that.
That’s enough of serious Mar, so how about some more memories of Renny? I remember watching those Rump Shaker rehaearsals in Caddo. Check Baby, Check Baby, 1…2…3. It still cracks me up to think about it. Renny was equally amazing in Eagle Rock. We were one really dysfunctional Brady Bunch that year. All the cute, adoring, take-him-home-to-meet-your-mother boys had a thing for her (including that super dreamy senior named Gordy). I miss our girls’ trips – like the one to Natchitoches and the other to New Orleans. Who else can I mention the phrase “peach velvet” to and have her instantly respond in the most Southern of accents, “it’s like a sitting room, only you don’t sit.” I also miss seeing Ren dressed up as Pam, the server at Ryan’s, during some of those summer parties in Baton Rouge. I may have had to sleep on a random dorm room floor, but visiting Ren for Lights whens he was at NSU was a blast. Pam’s right – Ren is a great cook. And a mischevious she-devil as well (which only makes me love her more). To really annoy Pam, she once hid onions in the eggplant paremsan she made and we all had a great time watching Pam dry heave when she found out.
Even my Dad adores Ren’s golden locks. He asked me recently if she still had her hair. (Please, no comments about how ridiculous that question is and what it means for my gene pool. Just focus on the fact that he remembers Ren from 1991.)
What a great post, Pam. It just makes me miss the two of you even more. Sniff…sniff. Must find Kettie so I can meet up with her here in Dallas and get my LSMSA/bestest friends/most amazing women on the planet fix.
Ren, I hope you spend the day celebrating you. You are so special!
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Laura
Wow, your friend is absolutely beautiful. She has such a pretty smile.
You’re lucky to have a friend like that, and it’s even better that she is the first one to call for ‘mom advice’! Those kinds of laidback, wise mom friends are invaluable!
I hope she has a wonderful birthday!
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Amy
What a beautiful and fun friend you have! Happy birthday, Ren 🙂
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Beth
What a nice post about your friend Ren. She is so beautiful! And she sounds like an amazing friend, mom and person! Happy birthday to your friend Ren!!
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Erin @ What A Trip
Ren sounds like a wonderful friend and just a fun person to be around. How nice of you to write this tribute to her. Happy birthday to Ren!
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Laurie
Aww, so true! Happy Birthday, Ren!
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Ryl
I don’t know Ren, but wanted to say Happy Birthday anyway! There are few things in life that are better than a good friend who shares 20 years of history with you.
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Grandee
Happy Birthday Ren – I would say I look forward to the day you are part of the family – as when LINUS marries Chloe, but I already consider you family. You are a wonderful person.
Have a Great Day.
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Kristina
Happy Birthday Renny! You are the most endearingly quirky person I know. I remember the time you decided you wouldn’t use the microwave until you knew how it worked so I sent you the Mini Pages from the newspaper. Oh and your paper towel and newspaper aversion. You are the best!
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cami
What a beautiful and great friend! I hope she has a very happy birthday! 🙂
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Wendy
Hope your friend has an awesome birthday, she sounds totally rad ❤
Happy birthday, Ren — from another total stranger 😛
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Nancy
happy birthday to ren!
love you and miss you
p: i watch your vids at work with no sound. it is very hilarious to see them all running around. it is surreal and like some strange video game or multiplying baby screen saver.
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Megan
What a nice post!! Ren sounds like a lovely person, and it sounds like you guys have an amazing friendship. Happy birthday to her!! 🙂
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jo
What a good friend YOU are , to be so complimentary of your dear friend. A lovely post, obviously for a lovely person. Happy Birthday to Ren!
JO
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Kettie Sim
Renny! Am I too late to add my 2 cents? My parents always ask about the curls too…they are quite fabulous. And I have great memories of the 2 weeks you let me crash on your couch in London…including the Indian dinner that you hated and having beers during the ONLY sunny day I was there. You were the best hostess! When I got home I decided to get a dog and in the spirit of my recent trip to see you, named her Margaret Thatcher(aww! Thatcher). And I loved having you as a neighbor in New Orleans. When packing the house last week I found the BEST card you sent me about 8 years ago. I was moving to Dallas, but hadn’t moved my apartment yet and had left a bunch of furniture and clothes in NO. I asked you to mail me some shoes and they arrived…with the funniest card.
I so enjoy our girls weekends in Louisiana (remember when I stepped in the dog poop in Natchitoches?) and can’t wait to do it again soon!
Ket
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Paula
Happy Birthday, Ren!
I fell in love with you (and your hair) the first time I went to visit Pam at LSMSA (Only time? I can’t remember. All I remember is the bus ride up there. And Ren’s hair. And the story of someone losing their virginity on a motorcycle? OH – and Pam finding a very yucky hair on her tube of toothpaste.) Pam is an awesome mom and if she calls you for parenting advice, then from now on I’m calling her!
You rock, woman!
Paula
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Paula
Okay, so the picture of the letter jacket made me cry. Then I’m thinking, how the heck do you get a cooked spaghetti noodle into a hot dog?
God, I’m an idiot.
P.S. Hi again, Ren!
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Ren
aww! you guys are awesome! this is the best birthday present ever! i’m going to have to print it out and save it! thank you all so much! love, ren
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