thoughts of waffle taboo

shared by Angelica Bernabe, her childhood friend

I had a moment today where I just laughed out loud and thought of Cyn. I was having brunch with my new husband, Mikey, when I ordered a nice, warm waffle.

Thoughts rushed back to me of us playing Taboo, one of our fave games to play, where you have to get your team to guess what the word you picked out is (from a stack of cards), without saying any of the hints that were already pre-written out. Well, it was my turn to try and give hints and my word was "waffle". Beneath it were words like: pancake, syrup, butter, toast, and breakfast. I couldn't think of a word at all. I was completely flabbergasted.

Time was running out and all I could blurt out was, "I cut it into nine squares!" (and it came out more like a shriek really). And her reaction was just hilarious. She looked at me incredulously and asked, "How am I supposed to know what you cut into nine squares?"

We burst into laughter at how ridiculous my hint was (because I thought all people cut their waffles into nine squares, but apparently not in this household). I shake my head at the memory of this because simple moments of silliness like these stand out most when I think of her.

thoughts of prom night fun

shared by VJ Rabuy, her sister

It may be because the academic year is coming to a close, or because I've been seeing special mega-issues of magazines at the drugstore, or because Disney is coming out with a movie...but this time of year gets me thinking of PROM!!

I can still remember my first prom. It was actually Cyn's Junior Prom and I was invited as a freshman. I think it was because I was an underclassman, or maybe it was because the boy who asked me, Adriel, was best friends with Chris, who asked my best friend, Carolyn; but that first prom I went to was the most fun and most memorable prom or dance I attended in all of high school.

One thing that made it so special was the questionnaire Cyn generated and had her 50 closest friends fill out. It was complete with expectations for the night (romantic, platonic, wild and crazy!), what kind of restaurant to go to (going all-out, staying on a budget, or finding something in between), what people wanted to do post-prom (crash at someone's house/cabin, have a bonfire, go to Denny's), and what kind of arrangement people wanted to make for pre-prom picture taking (because 20-30 couples worth of people in front of someone's lawn or in front of a stretch limo on the street just would not do).

In the end, the friends who filled out the questionnaire - along with their dates - gathered atop the parking garage at New Park Mall to take one large group shot. There must have been at least 30 couples easily. I was included because Adriel and Chris were both friends of Cyn. It takes a very organized person to get 60 people together at one place and direct them to pose for a picture. This kind of thing came easily to Cyn. It's like she could do it with minimal effort.

I didn't see Cyn much during the night, but just knowing she was there made it special for me. I do remember that I unknowingly took the necklace she was planning on wearing and she quickly found me on the garage rooftop and made the switch. It turned out for the better because the silver turtle necklace she had on matched perfectly with my dress. And she wasn't mad that I took the necklace, just relieved she found it in time.

My images of high school are all a blur now, being 11 years out and all, but it is nice to know a few memories still remain. I'm always happy when these moments include my big sister, Cyn.