Lucky to find One

In two recent posts, I talked about growing up with brothers and the beauty of having friends who let me be myself.

Which has led me to Annika. Why? BECAUSE:

1. She’s an incredible friend, and a part of my family….really, like, my mom claims her as her own.

2. She gives me permission to be me and forgives me for all of my imperfections….and this list is NOT short by any means.

It’s really funny the way life works. I wonder if 10 years ago, when Annika was living in Finland, freezing in the below zero cold during winter, speaking Finnish and humming American tunes in the market if she’d ever imagine her life 10 years later, married to Shane, best friends with a crazy, outgoing, analytical, over-energetic friend (that would be me), mastering architecture at Rice University (whether she says she’ll admit it or not), and speaking English like it was her native language????!!!

Sometimes I wonder where I’ll be in 10 years. But one thing I know for sure is that Annika will be there with me.

I can still remember when we first started our friendship. We were in our 2nd year of Architecture school, and we found joy in spending time together at the horse farm, painting our watercolor boards across the field from each other…..sharing McDonalds (with extra salt) and spending countless hours in the black hole known as Fletcher.

I can always rely on Annika to be who she is. She still orders the largest coke when we go to McDonalds and Chicken Quesadillas from Taco Bell. She’s ALWAYS on time…and fusses at me when I’m late (which is all the time unless we were meeting for school or work.) She rolls her eyes at me an average of 5 times a day and her ridiculously creative work still overflows onto everything around her desk. 🙂 And she’s probably the most reliable and loyal person I know who’s honest with me even if she knows I don’t want to hear it.

I am so fortunate to have a few wonderful friends, including a friend like her. I have actually seen her drop everything, no matter how busy, or tired she is to be there for me. And the group of friends that we have when together has made for some of the best memories in my life.

Since she’s moved to Houston, I miss her more than I can describe in words, but thanks to modern technology, skype suffices for now. However, I am looking forward to her moving back to Lafayette ASAP…..and plotting as many ways as possible to keep her in the United States. 🙂

It’s ok Annika, I miss you too. 😉

So, if you saw my post on the Dove chocolates, she’s the one that got me hooked on them. And this is the wall in their architecture studio at Rice….I thought it was worth sharing. 🙂

This is how Annika will feel when she finishes her masters – I can totally identify with this feeling. 🙂

Scott’s always told me that I would be lucky to find one good and true friend in a lifetime. I have.