Back in 2004, the NCAA held its Regional Compliance Seminar in New York City. Shannon had just taken over as the athletic academic coordinator and I was working in compliance. Somehow we conned, I mean convinced the Athletic Director to send us to the New York seminar rather than the western location which I think was Seattle. Then Laurel signed on for the trip and it was history in the making. That 2004 adventure is so full of stories that it is a whole separate blog.
What I do remember most from that trip, is coming home on such a high. It is all we talked about for weeks, yes we were the annoying girls who forced their vacation on everyone. And I think it’s the first time I truly recognized what amazing friends Laurel and Shannon would be to me. I literally crashed their friendship and demanded attention and they gave it to me unconditionally.
Laurel had to fill her days while Shannon and I attended the seminar (Laurel had a sidekick but that’s a substory for another time). I also remember trying to get Shannon to ditch the seminar classes so that we could be exploring the city with Laurel. However, she insisted we attend since she was going into her first year of administration. Just one example of the utmost professionalism that Shannon always displays, it’s one of the many examples I try to learn from her.
Anyway, Laurel was able to attend a matinee of Mamma Mia one of the days while Shannon and I were in classes. We ran out of time in New York for Shannon to see this one, so we made arrangements to see it in Vegas together later that summer at the Mandalay Bay.
On July 10, 2004; after a long day of softball camp we ventured to Vegas for Mamma Mia. Laurel had booked us a $29 dollar room at the Gold Spike Hotel thinking it was the Golden Nugget. For the record, the Gold Spike Hotel is NOT remotely close to the Golden Nugget. A $29 room on a Friday night in Vegas should have been a red flag.
We loved the show, loved that it was about three friends and loved that we still knew all the words to Dancing Queen. Back in the room, I presented my friends with a plan. Still reeling from the energy of our New York venture, I proposed we meet back there on the Brooklyn Bridge in five years no matter what. I had written up an idea of what I thought our lives would be like in five years (boy was I way off, but it’s still poetic) and a contract guaranteeing attendance.
Sitting in the hot, muggy Gold Spike Hotel room with the swamp cooler blaring, we signed the following contract:
I (Shannon Henrie, Myndee Kay Larsen, Laurel Simmons) do solemnly swear that at some point during the summer of 2009 no matter what my financial situation is, how many little games I will have to miss; no matter what I weigh or what my hair is doing I will find a way to meet my friends on the Brooklyn Bridge. Even if, heaven forbid, we have lost touch, fought, or moved out of the country, I understand that I am expected to be on the Brooklyn Bridge in 2009. (Signed July 10, 2004).
What I do remember most from that trip, is coming home on such a high. It is all we talked about for weeks, yes we were the annoying girls who forced their vacation on everyone. And I think it’s the first time I truly recognized what amazing friends Laurel and Shannon would be to me. I literally crashed their friendship and demanded attention and they gave it to me unconditionally.
Laurel had to fill her days while Shannon and I attended the seminar (Laurel had a sidekick but that’s a substory for another time). I also remember trying to get Shannon to ditch the seminar classes so that we could be exploring the city with Laurel. However, she insisted we attend since she was going into her first year of administration. Just one example of the utmost professionalism that Shannon always displays, it’s one of the many examples I try to learn from her.
Anyway, Laurel was able to attend a matinee of Mamma Mia one of the days while Shannon and I were in classes. We ran out of time in New York for Shannon to see this one, so we made arrangements to see it in Vegas together later that summer at the Mandalay Bay.
On July 10, 2004; after a long day of softball camp we ventured to Vegas for Mamma Mia. Laurel had booked us a $29 dollar room at the Gold Spike Hotel thinking it was the Golden Nugget. For the record, the Gold Spike Hotel is NOT remotely close to the Golden Nugget. A $29 room on a Friday night in Vegas should have been a red flag.
We loved the show, loved that it was about three friends and loved that we still knew all the words to Dancing Queen. Back in the room, I presented my friends with a plan. Still reeling from the energy of our New York venture, I proposed we meet back there on the Brooklyn Bridge in five years no matter what. I had written up an idea of what I thought our lives would be like in five years (boy was I way off, but it’s still poetic) and a contract guaranteeing attendance.
Sitting in the hot, muggy Gold Spike Hotel room with the swamp cooler blaring, we signed the following contract:
I (Shannon Henrie, Myndee Kay Larsen, Laurel Simmons) do solemnly swear that at some point during the summer of 2009 no matter what my financial situation is, how many little games I will have to miss; no matter what I weigh or what my hair is doing I will find a way to meet my friends on the Brooklyn Bridge. Even if, heaven forbid, we have lost touch, fought, or moved out of the country, I understand that I am expected to be on the Brooklyn Bridge in 2009. (Signed July 10, 2004).
Five years is a long time and I think more happened in our lives than even we expected. Laurel left the coaching ranks and joined the real estate ranks. She gutted and remodeled a gorgeous home in the Murray, UT area. I finally left C-town for Chicago and became the city girl I always thought was trapped inside me. Shannon married and believe it or not planned her two children around our five year reunion in New York. There were many things that could have derailed our plans or legitimate excuses we could have used, but we made the trip to New York happen. And while we may be the only three people to ever understand the New York posts on my blog, I think what we want visitors to know is friendship prevailed and this is our story.
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