45 years using 8,000 characters.....I need to think on this.....

I moved to Paramus from Fort Lee and attended PHS for only my senior year, therefore my school stories are limited.

Although my last name started with a "B" I was in homeroom with the "XYZs" and that is how I became fast friends, to this day, with Mary Zampieri Kuiters and through Mary became friends with her boyfriend, furture husband, Richie Kuiters.

Our homeroom teacher was also the Italian teacher and although I can remember exactly what she looked like I cannot recall her name, but it was "Ms. ...." She was dark haired, short and quite animated

God knows why I did it, but - maybe trying to earn "brownie points" - I told her that my parents were born in Italy and spoke Italian at home

....BIG mistake! From then one she mostly talked to me in Italian and prodded me to answer in Italian.... being "the new kid" the last thing I wanted was to be singled out and "different" so I was loathe to respond to her in Italian.

Through Mary I met Marti Sender Guinta and Carol Meyer and Barbara Shell. Since I lived near to Pat Trecartin Compettille we became friends and through Patti became friendly with Jan Nuessline DeMarino.

I had my first car accident in the driver's ed car by backing into the one of the trash containers. I was so embarassed and was trying very hard not to cry while the dumbfounded PE teacher was shaking his head and talking to himself "...this is a first...I don't believe this....how do I explain this....what the hell did she do to the car..."

This story was always a favorite with Richie and Mary Kuiters. While still new to PHS I went to the cafeteria and sat down at the end of a table. Some of the "in" guys started to hassle me. I was speechless and frozen in place. Before I could even open my mouth or move a guy I didn't know grabbed a butter knife from the table and while waving it in their faces told them to back off.

I didn't wait around to see if he was seriously "protecting me" or was playing at it as a part of the "in" crowd thing to do. I was just grateful for the diversion and grabbed my tray and ran. I later found out that it was Jerry "The Maja" Jurkofsky.

I remember endless trips to the malls - all 4 of them - working part time at Trausche Bakery on Forest Avenue, the turkey farm, going "up state" with my girl friends to Long Pond

Mid year a friend (funny I don't remember who it was) who was dating a guy from Teaneck set me up on a blind date with a wrestler from Teaneck, Frank Mineo.

Funny turn of events - I said I wanted to check him out first. At a wrestling event she pointed him out to me "...weight class 168...." I saw a fair, blonde guy and of course being a wrestler he was buff, so I agreed. Later at Maneros she and her boyfriend and my soon-to-be blind date came in so he could check me out.

She told him I was the "red head" sitting at table with my girl friends - including Marti Sender. The night of the blind date we both stared at each other in total disbelief and confusion.

He was not who I expected and obviously I was not who he was expecting. I had checked out "weight class 156" and the guy at my door had dark hair and features. Although I my hair was auburn it was not really "red" but Marti's hair was "red" and that was who he had looked at. That first date was VERY awkward and I admit to being a real pill all night. Still we hit it off and continued to date.

This story had the potential to become a "family favorite" that parents would hand down to their children and everyone would laugh over the wonderful outcome that this "comedy of errors" had created but sadly that was not to be the case.

Five years later in 1969 we married; 1972 we moved west to Sussex County, and bought our first home in Roxbury Township; 1977 our first daugher was born; one year later in 1978 we moved to Los Angeles; our second daughter was born in Santa Monica in 1981; and in 1989 we divorced.

Fast forward 20 years: 2 daughers grown; graduated from college; living on their own; I am no longer a Mom but free to "be"; I meet a wonderful guy and happily marry for the second time - enter Jim Rust