Chaos. Confusion. Confidence.

Sometimes I wonder how close I still remain to my friends from high school, or if those friendships built over ASB, volleyball, and prom, are over. It was a trip like this, that brought me back. Back to who I once was, so much laughter it wouldn’t surprise a full set of abs by the end of the week, and helped me remember that those friendships are far from over.

            Colleen is one of my best friends, quite possibly the most selfless person I know, and thus will make an incredible nurse one day. She invited us to stay at her place for New Years, how could any of us refuse an offer to:

a. Finally go see where Colleen lives and goes to school at the University of San Francisco

b. A free place to stay in San Fran

c.  Bread bowls on the wharf

d. And of course, look at the Golden Gate bridge as we count down the minutes and seconds into 2011

I couldn’t have asked for a better three nights and four days in San Francisco.  From the moment I took my seat in the car for the 8-hour car ride to San Fran, it was nothing but continuous laughter.   Kristen, Colleen, Aleesha, and I, for some reason only speak in Ebonics when we are amongst each other and therefore anything and everything we say is hilarious, well we think it is. 

We were tourists. We went to Haight and Ashbury (free people jeans $24!), the Golden Gate Bridge, Union Square, Pier 39, Lombard Street, The Full House houses, drove by the Tenderloin, drank lots of coffee, laughed at Kristen’s adventures in her green socks, ate at Georgios, met a one-eyed dog, and rode in a party bus on New Years eve….

Aleesha has acquired a gift, aside from being an expert at making animal sounds, she can fake a phone conversation like nobody’s business. She stood outside of Colleen’s apartment where she proceeded to have conversation on the phone about meeting our friend in downtown San Francisco, as well as mentioning that we couldn’t find a cab.  That’s when the cute grad student from next door came outside and offered us a ride in the limo that he had gotten to take all of his friends.  We clearly could not turn down such an offer.  It was a party bus, not a limo, but you didn’t see any of us complaining. While dancing in the party bus, not only did it bring me back to my high school dance days, it also made me look around wondering how the heck did this happen!?  We ended the night at Pier 39 as we watched fireworks light up the city.  A downpour of rain followed the midnight countdown; it was one of those movie moments that are sort of impossible to put into words.  We strutted down four blocks in dresses and heels to find a cab home and finally made it there after failed attempts to speak Spanish to our cab driver.

 These girls are uniquely amazing, and gave me the best New Years I could have asked for.  I think sometimes I let college and becoming an “adult” get the best of me.  These girls know me.  They know me stressed, they know me happy, they know me in love, and they know me now. Whatever now is, they know me, and I know them, and we love each other for our past and for our present and encourage whatever the future brings.  Bring it on 2011, I have been waiting for you.