Let me tell you about Laura…

She was funny. My goodness was she funny. Sometimes she was funny without even trying to be. Sometimes she knew just how funny she was. She was definitely in on the joke.

She was relatively quiet as a young child but came out of her shell later on. We had quite a system worked out when we were little kids where she would whisper what she wanted me to say in my ear and I would repeat it out loud for her. It worked out perfectly for both of us as I loved to talk and she was just finding her voice.

We would play fiercely in our little neighborhood in Queensbury, NY and often explore deep into the woods for many hours.

One time, when I was about 10 years old, I was into climbing trees when I decided to climb much higher than I probably should have. Laura and her sister Liz, dared me to jump from the very top of a tall tree. Knowing I would likely break my neck if I jumped from that height, I declined and started to climb down the tree when I lost my footing and fell about 10 feet from the tree all the way to the ground. Laura was certain she and Liz had cursed me with their dare and the fall had been their fault. We all cried. Although in truth, my tears were probably more from the broken ankle I suffered rather than the guilt they were suffering from, but it was a story we would laugh about for many years to come. The look on their Mom, Sally’s face as she drove across my front lawn in her little white Saab after we had to call her to come help us! I will never forget it!!

When it was time to choose where to go to college, Laura simply leaned forward one day when we were sitting in Math class and said, “Where are we going to college, Mandy?” I said, “Well, I’m going to SUNY Potsdam, Laura” and she just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Ok.” She leaned forward once more and said, “Can Juliet come too?” That was that. End of discussion, and off to college we all went. The three of us ended up living across the hall from each other coincidentally freshman year too.

My friend was the best.

She was beautiful but she had no idea how beautiful she was, and she didn’t even try. People loved her and wanted to be around her all the time. Whether she was running around campus in 15° weather in her shorty shorts and flip flops with her baseball cap on or if she was with her favorite person on the planet, Liz, eating Sour Patch Kids by the pound, she radiated life and everyone could see it.

I made a promise to her once that if “anything ever happened to her” I would “keep saying nice things about her.” It’s not hard to do. I could tell Laura stories all day long to anyone who will listen. She was the definition of GOOD. And today was her birthday. I miss you Laura Austin Sanford. Happy Birthday sweet girl.