let all the crazy hang out

she is one of those friends that you can't find on every street corner. our friendship is the kind where you know each other's hearts and minds, you rarely hide anything, you let all the crazy hang out, if you will, and she loves you just the same.

she is not the kind that you need to try hard when you're around her. actually, the opposite - i was getting over a cold/flu bug all of last week, and constantly sniffling and blowing my nose. i actually asked her at one point - how's my nose? yes, she is the kind of friend that checks for boogers without judgment. (did i just say boogers? i must really be an elementary school teacher.)

she's the kind of friend who is cool without seeming like she tries to be. strangers approach her to comment on her stylishness. co-workers beam in her presence. boys bake her cookies from scratch and hand-deliver them.

i had such a wonderful three days with her-from wine tasting in the countryside of virginia & basking in the sun, to just crashing on her bed to watch a movie on her laptop. (I won't name the movie or you wont' believe the part about how she effortlessly cool she is.) Her face when a friend from her hometown/high school called to say she was pregnant was practically glowing with joy - she delights in the delight of other's good news.

i'm glad to have and undeserving of a friend like her. a friend who pushes my faith to be more real, my laughter to be more often, and my pursuit of happiness to be more earnest.

(also, bonus points for being her friend: she lives next door to semi-celebrities with the coolest dog ever. check it out here. http://taza-and-husband.blogspot.com/ seriously, in the blog world, they're semi-celebrities.)