The Osmonds.

"Hey Jay, do you think Diane and Polly are here yet?"

Jay searches the audience, looking for Polly.

Donny spots Diane and gets a little excited!

"Okay guys, we're here! Let's cut the cake ... and get the party started!"

Happy 50th Anniversary Osmonds!!!

Jay and I chat with Joni, enjoy the celebration and fight our way through the crowd!

Diane and Donny finally get to catch up!

When I was first introduced to the Osmonds ... and I do mean literally introduced, I was 12 years old. My best friend, since third grade, was Kathy. She lived in a big, beautiful Spanish mansion, complete with an Olympic size swimming pool, tennis courts, a putting green, ballroom, game room - you name it, this house had it. And the Osmonds were filming a commercial there for a Japanese drink called Calpis. (I was really glad I was friends with Kathy - for lots of reasons, really, but especially for this reason in the 7th grade.)

At that point in time, the Osmonds had just popped onto the charts with One Bad Apple, and already had a following of screaming female fans ... Diane was one of them. Although she didn't really scream (too much). She was more of a subdued kind of fan, but as loyal as they come. And what I have learned through the years, is that once you become an Osmond fan, you stay an Osmond fan.

Diane had recently moved to our town from Northern California. I didn't know her yet, I just recognized her as a new girl at school. But Diane did have a good friend, named Barbara, who would wait outside Kathy's house every day after school -maybe even during school - while they were filming, along with lots of other fans, waiting for Osmond sightings as they came in and out of the house. (It was a quite a big deal! Tiger Beat magazine was there and everything.) I'm pretty sure that Barbara was just a little jealous when Diane - like me - was invited over by Kathy!

What I remember the most about all of that, was sitting in the front foyer with Kathy, her sister, and Marie. Marie was brushing her hair and telling us that she hated being out in the sun too long because it made her hair greasy. And I remember thinking, "She is so mature. She seems way older than 13!"

Thanks to that twist of fate, Diane and I became fast friends. (Fortunately, we didn't have to argue over who was going to marry Donny, since I preferred Jay.) 36 years later, through countless bouts of "Osmondmania" fun ... 9 births between us ... high tides and low tides ... we are still the best of friends. And getting to celebrate the 50th Anniversary together in Las Vegas was like a trip back in time - what a blast!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Di! I love you!

Then ... and now!