Throwback Thursday: I Wanna Be Bobby's Girl

The summer I turned 16 was an awesome summer! First, I turned 16! WhooooHoooooo! That pretty much says it all. Driver's license! Freedom! Beach! Surfing! Dating! 

Yes, we had to wait until we were 16 before we could date. When my sister turned 16, she ran to the door and opened it wide, looking out onto the driveway. What was she doing? Looking for all those now-can-go dates lining up! 

Turning 16 was awesome.

That summer I also became a Junior Counselor at Camp La Verne. Camp La Verne was run by the Church of the Brethren in La Verne.  It was a kid camp but now has become a campground for families. 

Camp La Verne, founded in 1924 by the Church of the Brethren, is a peaceful, non-profit campground nestled in the beautiful San Bernardino Mountains.  They still hold week-long camp for youths through the summer.

Oh the fun I had! "My gang" was great and we hiked, swam, and sang songs around the campfire.  I met a young woman who became one of my best friends over the next few years there, who was also a Junior Counselor. We'd bring our kids together for contests and races.

One day I started chatting with a very lovely Senior Counselor.  Her name was Donna. She found out that my cousins were the Ebersoles from La Verne. Suddenly I became the greatest person in the world.  See, Donna loved my cousin Bobby.  They went to school together and she was full-out smitten. She told me that her favorite song was "I Wanna be Bobby's Girl," by Marcie Blane. We spent the summer singing this song every time we passed one another.

Unfortunately for Donna, Bobby married another woman.  Donna went to the wedding and cried. But wait! There's more! A few years later, Bob divorced his first wife and married our wonderful Donna. They were married many years before Donna's tragic death from breast cancer.

To the summer of '66.
To freedom and fun.
To a beautiful woman who wanted to be Bobby's girl.
To dreams coming true.

peace~~~