When I was in college I lived at home and commuted 20 minutes to Western Oregon State University...I loved the small campus, small class sizes and that it was a known teaching school. There came a point when I felt I needed more freedom if you will and wanted to move out into an apartment. My good friend Sara had been at BYU Hawaii and had a friend who's girlfriend was looking to go to Oregon State University and needed a roommate. Viola, there you go, I met and roomed with Elissa. We lived in what we called, "the cactus house" and shared a room with pink painted walls for just under a year. We had some fun get together, parties (which included a opossum cake that when you cut into it, it oozed red, like it was bleeding), she had many dates..I didn't, rice, banana bread with chocolate chips, Don down the street and his pranks and the modeling in my large canvas frame as cars passed by..... Good times. Shortly after I moved back home I met Mark and was engaged. Elissa and I were married on the same day in the Portland temple, she to that same boyfriend of BYU Hawaii I mentioned.
Elissa is a writer, a very talented one. She has gone on to have her writings published, a book published, she has done readings, taught college courses and I'm sure some more things I'm not mentioning...... I'm writing this all to tell you to take a moment, check out her website and she recently started a blog. You will be intrigued, drawn in and awed by her skill in writing and expressing her life and daily comings and goings of emotion.
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Ah, the cactus apartment. You know, I found a picture of that bleeding possum cake in a box a year or two ago. My kids loved it and begged me to make one for them, but I just couldn't bring myself. Someday, maybe.
There are so many things are remember about Elissa -- in fact, come time for the holidays I wanted to write about what Elissa termed "butts", as in butt ugly (those festive flags that people hang in front of their house).
Amy
I think of you two every time we drive by the cactus house.
I have spent the last hour immune to the world (ie. caos of kids) reading Elissa's works. I have been touched. Thank you so much for reminding me of the past, the need to hold on to now, and a reason to look forward to the future.
I need to get in touch with Elissa and Chris again.
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