So today is another one of my favorite people’s birthday!!! YAY!
Jamie Lou, what would the world do, if you were not a part of it?

I met Jamie back in 2005, when she was teaching a class called “Senior Seminar” and the cosmos had stuck us together. Jamie is THE reason my artistic block in the fine arts arena started to get broken down…she single-handedly (literally) forced me out of my comfort zone and helped open my eyes to the artists around me and forms of art I was too scared or ashamed or nervous to try doing myself.

Jamie went off to Italy, I finished up my undergrad and then wrote her an email about how awesome the class had been and how awesome she was as a teacher and mentor. A few busy months would pass before we were in much contact again, when, as fate would have it, I received an email from Jamie about how she was training to run the Chicago Marathon in 2006 (which I was also training to run) with the AIDS Marathon Foundation.

I don’t recall how quickly it all went down, but suddenly I was spending time over at Jamie’s with her very newly born son, talking tales of schooling, art, movies, music and running…then we were running together and the rest, as they say, is history.

ACTUALLY, it’s not history unless we add “in the making” because Jamie’s a friendship I value more than any worldly good…her insights are truthful, her wisdom is freely shared and her smile makes you feel like you are a very special person. I feel blessed to have met Jamie (and subsequently her husband Doug and her ridiculously amazing/cute/smart/SMART/funny/engaging son, Oliver Bean!) and couldn’t imagine my life with out her (or them) in it.

Here is to the past few years of this planet with Jamie on it…and I can’t WAIT to witness the next many many MANY years to come of her smile, talent, grace and greatness!

Oh yeah, and a few more braggy things about Jamie you might not now…
She is a(n):

• accomplished (AND PUBLISHED) writer
• seriously gifted artist (painting, drawing, collage, encaustics, books…oh goodness, books to die for…)
• SMART AS A TAC, quick witted intelect (but you knew that already)
• speedy speedy runner (with all around athletic capabilities)
• open hearted (and eared) mentor/friend/companion
• awesome mother
• bi-lingual (English & Italian)
• awesome teacher

…and the list could go on and on for days…Instead, I’ll follow it up with some of my favorite Jamie Thome pictures (when I get home since I’m at work and don’t have them on my work computer…)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAMIE! YOU ROCK!!!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 at 10:05 am and is filed under birthdays, personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.