Meet KAYLA: The Unforgettable Friend
I have some vivid memories of KAYLA. She’s one of those people from my past that I remember fondly. She happened to be a friend of my older sister, Sister #2, and she had a distinct look as a petite girl with short, straight blonde hair. She looked as smart as she was. The AI-generated digital art used as the featured image for this post bears a striking resemblance to KAYLA.
Summertime Swims and Unexpected Moments
One of our favorite summer pastimes was heading over to KAYLA’s place for a swim. I remember this because her older brother had seizures, and one day, he had one in the pool while we were there. It was quite the eye-opener, but I must say, her family handled it with grace. Little did I know that this experience would later prepare me for when my own daughter began having seizures at the age of 12.
Crafting Adventures with KAYLA
KAYLA had another talent up her sleeve – she was remarkably creative. Whenever she paid a visit to our house, it was craft time for the three of us – KAYLA, Sister #2, and me. We embarked on a mission to create puppets for a puppet show using felt, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners, glue, and all sorts of random craft supplies we could find. Our muse at the time was “James and the Giant Peach.” Did we ever perform that show? Well, that remains a mystery.
A Web Design Discovery: KAYLA’s Influence
What truly stands out about KAYLA is that she crossed my path when I was just getting into website design. Ah, the nostalgia! I couldn’t resist reminiscing about those old Expages.com websites where I spent months crafting web pages.
KAYLA’s Impact: From Expages to Web Mastery
One day, KAYLA came over to our house and caught me in the act of creating a website. That’s when I discovered that she, too, had a passion for web design. Friendship solidified!
A website with graphics from vikimouse.com – https://members.tripod.com/~phils_page/mousepad/phil.html
KAYLA introduced me to a delightful website that I swear was named “VikiMouse,” although the website itself seems to no longer exist. Still, there seems to be a few traces of the graphics you could find there on old websites that continue to be hosted. It was a charming place on the internet filled with adorable graphics to create a house for VikiMouse. My goal was to make it look like a real house on a website, though that proved quite the challenge. I wonder if I could pull it off now!
As KAYLA showed me her web design skills, I was impressed by her expertise. She had a knack for it, and I hoped she could teach me a thing or two. Her passion inspired me to get better at creating websites. I started on Expages, then ventured into AngelFire, Tripod, and Geocities, with a little help from a website called “Lissa Explains It All.” Then, I moved on to paid hosting platforms, where I dabbled in php, MySQL, and content management systems. And here I am today, with my own domain and hosting, still immersed in web design.
When I think of KAYLA, I think of how she motivated me to dive into web design and programming. These skills have been a valuable part of my life and career and continue to play a significant role today.
Fading Friendships, Lasting Inspiration
Unfortunately, KAYLA is one of those friends who drifted away from my sister and me over time. I often find myself wondering what she’s up to now. She was exceptionally bright, and I’m confident she’s successful in whatever she’s pursuing. I can’t help but wonder if she’s out there creating some remarkable websites. KAYLA, if you’re reading this, know that I’ll always be grateful for the web design inspiration you brought into my life!
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