Aug 19 2007
After 7 years…
…my very oldest and best friend finally came to visit me in LA!! Yes, Kelly Z. left her 3 adorable girls in the wonderful hands of their dad and grandmothers, so she could enjoy a 4-day get-away to the hot west coast. Although it certainly wasn’t under the best circumstances (our beloved Me-Me had just passed away), we tried our hardest to enjoy the sites, while continuing to remember her throughout each day.
I showed her all the usual touristy sites (Beverly Hills/Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, Venice Beach, Santa Monica), but we also added the Warner Bros. Studio tour which was pretty cool. Most of all though, we just enjoyed having time to really catch up and share what’s been happening in each other’s lives. My two favorite moments of the trip were probably getting the same Henna tatoos (yes, we’re still in 7th grade!!) and having a little girl in Beverly Hills ask us if we’d like to buy a lemonade for $ .50!!! Worst part – getting sunburned on the beach.
Kelly was my first friend when I moved to the US in 1989, and actually came up to me in the lunchroom at Connor Middle School to ask if I’d like to sit with her and her friends. I will never forget that moment as it was my first day out of the comforting ESL class I had been a part of until that moment. Since then, we’ve managed to remain close through different high schools, colleges, and now 3,000 miles. We still talk on the phone at least once every week, and the post office is making a bundle on the cards we mail to each other frequently.
I have always been one to prefer fewer, but deeper friendships and I am proud to know that Kelly has been there with me through it all. To have someone who knows you so well and understands you so well is truly a gift. I actually have two people like that in my life — my husband is the other – and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to welcome Kelly to my LA home and show her our LA life.