In Honor of Mer

Almost 19 years ago, as a little 8 year-old girl in the third grade, I met my very best friend. There's a pin going around on Pinterest that says something like friendship is really just about choosing a human being and saying "yeah, I like that one," and that's pretty much how it happened for Meredith and me. At the end of the school year, Mer sent me a letter through our Wee Deliver in-school mailing system. I was shocked and delighted that she had written to me. I didn't know why I was the lucky chosen one (I just had a flashback to Toy Story and The Aliens), but I knew it was a big deal. Today is Meredith's birthday, and in honor of our her and our 19 years of friendship, I wanted to share with everyone how very special my best friend is.

In its early stages, our friendship consisted of play dates, class field trips, and birthday parties. By middle school I would often go over to her house after school, either when I "missed my bus" or when I really did miss the bus. We would have a snack, do an art project if we had some free time, or get straight to homework. I remember going on errands with her mom (mainly to the dump) going out for international cuisine with her family (believe it or not, Mer and her dad first taught me how to use chopsticks), sleep overs on the weekends, and lots of other adventures. Her parents treated me as one of their own, but in the beginning I was convinced I needed to prove myself, so when Mer's mom taught us how to make prints from etched plexiglass, I decided to give my finished product to Mer's dad, who seemed to be the toughest nut to crack. He loves me now though. Probably because I eat odd food with him when no one else will. And because I gave him that print of my cat Snowball. But I digress.... In middle school we started keeping a journal. We'd write in it back and forth, trading off when we wanted to.

In high school we continued writing in that journal (we're now on our fifth journal), played field hockey together, worked on the literary arts magazine together, did girl scouts together, took classes together, watched Gilmore Girls together, and drooled over Ben Affleck together. (Just as a reference point, I used a picture of Ben Affleck in one of my Chinese drill sections last year and no one, NO ONE, knew who he was. Sigh. In our day, he was a total hottie!) There were various cliques in high school, but we didn't really belong to any of them, we were just Nicki and Mer. When I left to spend my first summer working in Minnesota, Mer and I stood in the doorway balling our eyes out. I remember her mom saying how silly it was-- if we couldn't stand to be apart, why didn't I just stay?

When college came, Mer stayed in Maryland and I ended up in Wisconsin. But there were still phone calls and letters, packages and tons of quality time spent together whenever I was home for the holidays. No matter what we did for my birthday, it always ended in a sleepover with Mer.

For as long as I can remember, I've looked up to Mer. All of those high school activities? She was the one who got me involved. I was the Robin to her Batman. When we applied to college she wrote a personal recommendation letter on my behalf, and it was so touching that I've kept the printed out version all these years. I always felt like she had the edge over me, and it meant so much to realize that my friendship meant just as much to her.

That has only become more apparent in the years beyond college. We both sort of came into our own and gained a tremendous amount of respect for one another because we each just found our own path and kept walking. We're unique individuals but our shared experiences have created a bond that is incredibly strong. In my experience, it's rare that friendships grow stronger over the years, and I'm so thankful that ours has.

So, want to know more about the fabulous lady that is Mer? Well you can learn more at harvest-spoon.com where she combines her knowledge of sustainable farming practices and nutrition with her love for creating delicious meals. She's also one of the most artistic people I know (her mom passed on some excellent genes), which is evident in all of the font work and illustrations on her blog, and a master of multitasking. She loves all things small and cute, most likely because she feels a strong kinship with such things, and she is quietly hilarious and sassy (I like to think I help bring out that sass). She has excellent musical tastes, many of which have been imparted to me in numerous volumes of  The Nicki and Mer CD,  and she is the most excellent giver of gifts...EVER! She will be my maid of honor when I get married, although I suppose by then she'll be my matron of honor since she's getting married next fall (!), and you'll want to stay tuned for that, because she and I will be designing all of the floral arrangements! She is the strawberry shortcake to this snapping turtle and the marinade to this enickma; she is... my very best friend.

Happy Birthday, Mer!