Just call me Stawberry Shortcake.
I recently traveled to California to attend a good friend's wedding. I was exceptionally fortunate to be able to stay with some friends of the bride and groom in a beautiful rental house
overlooking the ocean in Bodega Bay. It was a gorgeous location, but the best part of the whole deal was making new friends. Debbie, Diana, Dana, Steph, Tony and Dave. Great people - it was like having an instant family. Sort of like Sea Monkeys, but SO much better. Everyone was so relaxed and easy with each other, I felt embraced. They didn't even make fun of me when I lost my rental car keys. And I mean I LOST my rental car keys. They helped me turn the house upside down, quizzed everyone who had stopped by to see if they had picked them up by mistake, and didn't strangle me when I found them fifteen hours later in my own purse. If that isn't friendship, I don't know the meaning of the word. I also got a killer nickname out of the deal.
So those are my new friends, moving on to old friends... I knew Eric for about 25 seconds in 1993. How is it that slender connections like this can last through decades? Equally intriguing, how is it that when I showed up at his apartment and talked to him in person for the first time in fifteen years, it was like we had been active friends for years. Perhaps the best thing about this trip was meeting his wife, Laurel. I'm used to being the blunt one in the room*, so when Laurel said, "you're prettier than I thought you would be", I knew I'd met my match.
I suppose it's crass to compare people to old slippers, but hanging out with the Palmers was like finding my favorite pair of fuzzy footgear under the bed. We curled up on the couches in the living room and chatted while Laurel drew amazing magical unicorns for Eric's website www.bionicpencil.com, I wrote bad haiku, and Eric egged us both on. If we had had group sex, it couldn't have been more unexpected. The best case scenio I imagined while driving down to Monterrey was a semi-awkward lunch, a little reminicing and a quick goodbye. I'm so glad I was wrong. I'm so glad I made the trip. Through a slightly bizarre twist in the conversation, we ended up talking very frankly about love and marriage, and what it takes to stay together. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you.
*On the second date with my future husband, I asked him earnestly, "Are you defective?" when he told me he couldn't get into the army. Still surprised he asked me on a third date....
I recently traveled to California to attend a good friend's wedding. I was exceptionally fortunate to be able to stay with some friends of the bride and groom in a beautiful rental house
overlooking the ocean in Bodega Bay. It was a gorgeous location, but the best part of the whole deal was making new friends. Debbie, Diana, Dana, Steph, Tony and Dave. Great people - it was like having an instant family. Sort of like Sea Monkeys, but SO much better. Everyone was so relaxed and easy with each other, I felt embraced. They didn't even make fun of me when I lost my rental car keys. And I mean I LOST my rental car keys. They helped me turn the house upside down, quizzed everyone who had stopped by to see if they had picked them up by mistake, and didn't strangle me when I found them fifteen hours later in my own purse. If that isn't friendship, I don't know the meaning of the word. I also got a killer nickname out of the deal.So those are my new friends, moving on to old friends... I knew Eric for about 25 seconds in 1993. How is it that slender connections like this can last through decades? Equally intriguing, how is it that when I showed up at his apartment and talked to him in person for the first time in fifteen years, it was like we had been active friends for years. Perhaps the best thing about this trip was meeting his wife, Laurel. I'm used to being the blunt one in the room*, so when Laurel said, "you're prettier than I thought you would be", I knew I'd met my match.
I suppose it's crass to compare people to old slippers, but hanging out with the Palmers was like finding my favorite pair of fuzzy footgear under the bed. We curled up on the couches in the living room and chatted while Laurel drew amazing magical unicorns for Eric's website www.bionicpencil.com, I wrote bad haiku, and Eric egged us both on. If we had had group sex, it couldn't have been more unexpected. The best case scenio I imagined while driving down to Monterrey was a semi-awkward lunch, a little reminicing and a quick goodbye. I'm so glad I was wrong. I'm so glad I made the trip. Through a slightly bizarre twist in the conversation, we ended up talking very frankly about love and marriage, and what it takes to stay together. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you.
*On the second date with my future husband, I asked him earnestly, "Are you defective?" when he told me he couldn't get into the army. Still surprised he asked me on a third date....
Still defective, still enjoy your company. AJ
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