Let's check the inbox... Again!

Today I find myself repeatedly checking my inbox (among other social networking sites). I've been somewhat productive in between inbox checking, which is a good thing, but I can't help but finding myself heading toward the office every chance I get. What makes today more special than most? Because I reconnected with my best friend from ages 7 to 18. It was only during college that I lost touch.

Marisa was my very best friend. I don't quite remember how we met, whether it was YMCA day camp or if it was ballet class, but I do remember we were pretty much inseperable. She was a year younger than me, but that didn't matter. We would go on all sorts of adventures, together. It was with her that I had my first beer, my first cigarette and my first road trip (albeit it was only 45 minutes long and it was to the mall in Evansville) without my parents. In 5th grade disaster struck and my parents divorced. My mom and I moved north to Naperville and Marisa was left behind. My mom was nice enough to remind me of what Marisa's mom had said just shortly after we moved: "She won't even look at the house! She turns her head and can't stand to even see where Jessie lived!" Best friends torn apart... at least until Spring Break. And then, once again we were unseperable. There's a picture I have that was taken on the last day of that spring break. Both Marisa and I looked incredibly depressed. It was horribly long wait until summer vacation.

That summer was the beginning of many many summers to come in which we were constantly over at each others' house or at the country club pool. We would head over to the pool (which was within walking distance of Marisa's house) and swim until about 11:30am, then we'd go to the clubhouse for lunch and to watch The Price is Right. After that, back to more swimming, one of our parents would pick us up and we'd head over to one of our houses and play Nintendo until we crashed for the night. Occasionally, we'd pitch a tent in the living room and stay up late watching Dirty Dancing, trying to pause the tape in just the right spot so we could see Patrick Swayze's "thingey." Yep, we were teenage girls having fun.

Eventually we got cars. I got mine first and thus was designated chauffer. We started hanging out at houses not just our own. Then Marisa got her car and we'd meet up wherever. And then... we slowly drifted apart. It happens.

But now, we're reconnecting. We're sharing all of the stuff that we used to share and telling each other stories about what's been going on in our lives and all that wonderful stuff that you do when you reconnect with a friend.

I can't wait until I get another email in my inbox...