Bria LaSalle Mertens

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

We've shared so many wonderful experiences through the years. Dancing in CDT, dancing in Phantom of the Opera, and of course our many adventures at West. 9th grade was a tough time for me, but through all the turmoil and change going on everywhere else in my life, I could always count on you to be my funny, silly, joyful partner in crime. You helped me feel like I belonged somewhere, and that meant the world to me.

The story of our entrance into the Geography Olympiad really defies explanation, but it's so fun to remember that I have to take a stab at it here. We were really tempting fate by sitting together in Mr. Preece's geography class. It was truly the most worthless class I ever took - where we learned about the Middle East by watching Lawrence of Arabia. Yikes. And then there was Mr. Preece himself. Insecure, prone to rocking back and forth when he was nervous, he was always on the edge of a meltdown. He was always so poised to shush noisy students that he actually had a "sh" tic, inserting "sh" where other people say "um". I don't remember what set him off the day he threw his stool against the floor and starting ranting and raving, but I do remember wondering what kind of fool puts on a show like that in front of 9th graders and follows it by asking "Do you people THINK I'm as STUPID as I LOOK?!?"

I mean, really, what was he expecting with that kind of set up?

I can hardly blame him for totally losing it when you and I shrugged our shoulders and answered "wellllll....." It was later, in the hallway, when he presented us with the ultimatum: join the Geography Olympiad team, or get a failing citizenship grade in his class. We really had no choice, though I thought it might be more like punishment for the rest of the team, given that we had NO CLUE what we were doing. I don't even remember that much about the actual competition - only that it involved getting up very early and there was something called "orienteering" taking place.

Whether we were biting our lips to keep from laughing at a rocking, shushing tyrant, bluffing our way through geometry proofs, or learning bad French accents for our Phantom auditions, we always had a marvelous time. I'm so glad to be in touch with you again, and so happy to see you surrounded by so many loving people. You exude joy - always have - and it's gratifying to see that so many others appreciate you as I do.

Missy McC, your heart is as big as an ocean. We are all lucky to have a place in your waves. Happy birthday, my friend.

Love,
Bria (aka Breene Shrimp)