Friday Flashback: The Loopy and Latoosha Show

From left to right: Loopy and Latoosha
in High school

Growing up, Molly and I were like peas and carrots. We were the best of friends. We traded heart-shaped BE-FRI/ST-END necklaces, and practically every friend-related happy moment of my youth, from kindergarten through senior year, Molly was sitting right there next to me.

in Elementary School

Growing up, we were also like oil and vinegar. We were the worst of enemies. We threw our broken-heart shaped necklace halves back at each other, declaring that we were never speaking to each other ever again, and nearly every moment of my pre-teen angst was linked with Molly.

Her dad called us Loopy and Latoosha and we lived our lives in The Loopy and Latoosha Show. It was hilarious. It was dramatic. It was heartwarming. It was tumultuous. It was more fun than I could ever imagine a childhood friendship being.

Molly and I have been friends for 24 years now, and I wouldn't take back a single second of it, not even our second grade tanbark wars, or the middle school angst, because she was the only friend who loved me - and hated me - like the sister I always wished I had.

We grew up living a block away from each other, always sitting next to each other in school, always in the same circle of friends. Our mom's even had garage sales together when we were growing up.

Our moms, rockin' the mid '90s

We spent a lifetime sitting in her bedroom, adhering Lee press-on nails to our pre-teen finger tips, sharing Babysitter's Club books, and scribbling words into notebooks with the hopes of one day becoming published authors.

We watched ridiculous amounts of Ricki Lake and Happy Day's reruns, played Spit and Truth-or-Dare like it was going out of style, tore up our neighborhood on roller blades, and organized epic neighborhood-wide games of hide-'n-go-seek tag.

After we grew up, and I had baby Gracie, Molly would swing by my house with her baby nephew in tow, and we would take them to story time at the library, then out for amazing amounts of greasy pizza dipped in ranch sauce.

in Middle School
We can't be held responsible for our outfits
and tinsel-rimmed berets...
But by all means, snicker away at my glasses.

Though its been three and a half years since I've moved away from California, and since Molly and I have even seen each other, it doesn't really matter because this friendship spans the continent, spans the world, spans our lives, and The Loopy and Latoosha Show will always be on-air.

So, I'll leave you now, with our childhood hand-clapping, finger-snapping anthem and the intro to The Loopy and Latoosha Show:

Down by the banks of the hanky-panky
where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
with an eeeps, eiips, ohps, opps.
Hey Mr. Bullfrog, go KER-PLOP!

I know her dad has our 4th grade-selves on video, singing and hand-clapping to this song.

I miss ya, Molls!

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Have a flashback of your own? Swing by Tia's blog at www.christopherandtia.blogspot.com and join in the fun!

xoxo,