MY VACATION

You all know how much I have been looking forward to this trip to Milwaukee for my 60th high school
reunion and my cousin's 60 th wedding celebration. It's coming soon. I will be driving to Calif and
catching the Super Chief train in Fullerton on Wed. 6/18 (my dad's birthday) and will arrive in Milwaukee
on Friday the 20th. I have a roomette and plan on fully enjoying the whole experience. I call it a
"land cruise". I have contacted many old friends and family members to see whether we can get
together and share some memories. So far, this has been a positive adventure, but that ended today.

My friend Shirley had not responded to my e mail, altho she usually does and I know how cyberspace
can take the best intended message, and lose it. You know, like boarding passes, etc. Ok, I didn't
hear from Audrey either, but when I called her, she said ohmygosh, didn't I answer your e mail. No
she hadn't, but it's ok and we will spend several days together when I am there. Audrey and I met
in the 6th grade and BFF takes on a whole new meaning when it spans over 60 years.

I met Shirley in high school and we became good friends. Her cousin Dianne I had known since
Kindergarten, but Shirl was a new friend in High School. One summer when my dad's union had
their annual picnic I had invited Shirley to go along with us, and it was at this picnic that Shirley
met her future husband, Dick Kureck. The summer after graduation Dick and Shirley married and
somehow or another, we kind of lost touch, even tho I was a member of her wedding party. Our
lives just took different paths.

One year when I was vacationing in Wisconsin, I was thinking about her and looked her up in the
phone book. I found a number and called it. How excited we both were to resume contact with
each other. Dick had passed away as Wayne had. We would meet for lunch or dinner whenever
I was in town, and the last reunion we had that I attended I went home with Shirley and spent the
night there. We kept in touch via e mail.

I tried calling Shirley tonight, only to have the operator state that number is no longer in service.
You know that creepy feeling you get when 2 and 2 does not equal 4, well, I called information
and tried to get a new number. No such luck. They said they had two Kureck's, one name did
not register with me, but the second one did. Wallace Kureck. That was Shirl's father-in-laws
name. I got his number, now I know he would be over 100, but I did remember he had a son by
the same name. I called him, identified myself and he remembered me. After all, I was Art Steffen's
daughter and the Kurecks, were members of the same union my dad was president of. He told me
Shirley had just passed away, having suffered thru pancreatic cancer and was buried on the 1st of
June. I am numb.

To my friend, i will miss you. I was so looking forward to our reunion in a couple of weeks, but
will smile thru my tears knowing that you are safe in the arms of Jesus. How I wish we could have
gotten together this one last time, but know that I loved you and am looking forward to the reunion
of all reunions. Rest easy my friend, you have fought the good fight. You have been a good friend
to me and my friends have made me who I am. I love you!

As Alyson's friend Kelli said, a blog is a good place to vent.

To the gilles's and the bruner's travel safely. I will be back on line after the 15th of July.

Love to all

MH