Bert and Miss America

This is my oldest and dearest friend.  We have know each other since we were probably five years old.  We grew up in the same neighborhood 3 houses between us.  There are so many memories from grade school, to junior high and then high school not to mention all of our neighbor escapades. The one I will tell you about is Bert and Miss America and it has stuck with us through the years.  To this day I receive many cards and gifts from her, signed Bert.  :)

My mom had several friends who were in Eastern Star (a masonic organization for women) and they would give me all of their long formal dresses and high heels.  I loved to play dress up.  There were two other girls in our neighborhood and we would gather at my house and have a Miss America pageant and my dear friend was always Bert Parks.  The rest of us girls would decide what state we were from and we waited in the garage until our state was called by "Bert" and then we waltzed out of the garage in our long dresses and high heels and made our way down the run way (which was a long sidewalk to my dad's dog pin where he kept his birddogs) LOL.  I wish we had this on video.  The ending to this story is she always let me win "Miss America." So, to this day I'm Miss American and she is Bert.

I can never begin to tell you how much I admire her and of all her accomplishments.  She never went to college but was second in command with the IRS at one time(I don't know her official title) and she teaches at Auburn University several times a year. In fact, during her interview with the IRS position they couldn't believe she hadn't attended college. I've never know anyone with her sense of humor.  I told her she missed her calling, she should have been a comedy writer because she is hilarious!  She holds a special place in my heart and I love her very much.  She lives out of state and we don't get to see each other very often.  But we keep in touch through e-mails.

The picture above was over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Her niece and I helped her with a surprise birthday party for her sister who turned 70.  I always cherish the time we get to spend with each other.  She is the "godmother, I call her the godgrandmother" of my grandson.  Dutch got to see her for the first time at this party and he became quit smitten with her.  Maybe, she will make more trips back to OKC. :)