MAJORETTES WE WERE!!

Nanette twirling her cane at McDonalds!!

When I attended my class reunion this past weekend I took my BFF Tennessee Tami with me.  Now everyone at East Limestone knew our senior year that I had two BFFs, Judith Pressnell and Tammy Turpen.  Let me add that our class was a very close knit bunch and I felt that I had numerous best friends, but Judith and Tammy were my absolute two BFFs! As I introduced Tam (short for Tami) to everyone Saturday I made the distinction that she's my Tennessee Tami and not Tammy Turpen from East Limestone.  Tammy Turpen was about 3 grades younger than me, but was elected Majorette for my senior year.  I was Head Majorette and developed a closeness with Tammy Turpen, Marla Pritchard, and Jane Webster who were all younger than me.  Growing up in the rural south, you pretty much know everyone in the school, so Tammy Turpen and I had known each other our entire lives, we just hadn't really hung out together because she was younger.

Try-outs are in the Spring before the new school session starts in the Fall.  Of course, you have practice on and off all summer long!!  During summer band practice Ms. Crosslin (our band director)  would always give us a break and most of the kids would walk or drive down the road to the little country store.  Now most days we had practice I would drive my Mama's bright blue Corvette.  When it was time to go to the store I would take the T-tops out and load all of my majorettes in the car with me.  My beloved grandmother, Mama Crouch, was very sick and in the hospital dying (we thought) and I had to miss practice this particular day.   Somehow, Tammy managed to fall off the tailgate of the station wagon she was riding to the store in and really messed up her knee.  They ended up having to graft skin from her hip to put on her knee!!  As a result Tammy had to miss the first few ballgames of the Fall Season of 1979.

Tammy and I became fast friends during all of this.  I spent so much time at her house with her family.  Her Mama and Daddy became parents to me.  I loved her Grandparents like they were mine.  I was always welcome at her parents house no matter what day of the week or what time it was!!  I still love Miss Betty and Mr. Bobby to this day.  It seemed that during that year of being Majorettes together we developed a closeness that will last a life time.  We have gone through periods in our adult lives where we don't see each other for a number of years, but that makes no difference.  When we do get together and see each other it's like we have never been apart.  We've been through marriage and divorce together.  Dating and heartache together.  You name it and we've been through it together!! BFFs FOREVER!!

The day I brought Enola from the hospital Tammy came over and wanted to know all the details of childbirth.  Well, I told her the complete horror story and after holding Enola she decided it was time for a baby.  She went off her birth control and in 3 months she was pregnant.  Would you believe her son was born the day after Enola's first birthday.  Tammy was in the hospital trying to have Tyler while we were having a birthday party.    Our children grew up a big portion of their lives together.  Enola used to go and spend the night at Tammy's house along with Tyler and Tammy's 2nd husband Mark Bell!!  Tammy and I always talked about how great it would be for Enola and Tyler to fall in love, get married and have grandbabies that would belong to both of us.  Unfortunately that didn't happen as we had hoped.

One year in the mid 90's we decide to go to Otter's (at the Marriot) in Huntsville, the night before Thanksgiving!!  Neither of us were big drinkers, we just liked to go and have fun and dance.  Well, this particular  night I saw  my 1st ex- husband, who was in town on business.  Now at this point I had divorced my 3rd husband and was once again single!!  Husband #1 asks me to spend the night with him and I say NO NO NO!!  I guess it must have unnerved me seeing husband #1 or something because the next thing I know I've had 7 double shots of Tequila!!  That was a massive amount of alcohol for me to consume.  Low and behold  I'm in the bathroom and can't get my pants pulled up and can't unlock the door for Tammy to help me.  I'll never forget I had on Guess jeans and a black silk shirt tucked into my pants.  I can't remember if I finally unlocked the door or if Tammy had to crawl under the door to get to my drunk ass!! lol  Seems that I remember some of her co-workers (men)  that we were drinking with carried me to the car!  



If Tammy hadn't been there with me I don't know if I could have pulled it off or not!!  What a BEST FRIEND she was then and now (even though we've not seen each other in nearly two years)!!  She and I formed a bond back in high school that will never be broken no matter how many days, months, or years go in between us seeing each other in person!!

I feel that in the South we tend to develop closer bonds that last a lifetime.  I could pull up to Bobby and Betty Turpen's house right now and they would welcome me into their home just like they always did.  How great it is to live in the South!!

Nanette

P.S.  I have been publicly drunk very seldom in my lifetime!!  Tennessee Tami has only seen me that way 1 time since we became friends in 2003!!  Also, since my home burned in 2005 I no longer have a baton to twirl, so today I twirled my cane to post on my blog!