2005 Was the Start of Something Good

{New roommates at a party last Winter.  It was definitely cooler than 107 degrees like today!}

It seems that I've blogged about everyone else lately except Claire.  And I LIVE with her.  My apologies, Rooms!  We moved into our cute little a-p-t at the end of October.  It was quite an ordeal to sign our lease.  The apartment folks are not the easiest to work with.  But we made it, and it's been so.much.fun.

We've had a few parties, watched a lot of Gilmore Girls, laughed a TON, cried a little, and shared lots of meals and stories.  We are definitely not short on stories. 

Claire is the in-house fashionista, and there are probably three times a week (at least) that I ask for her opinion about an outfit (even this morning), choose an accessory from her jewelry drawer, or share a shoe.  (Unfortunately, we don't wear the same size.  But there are a few shoes that work.)

She is incredibly entetaining.  I mean, who else would put on their point shoes in the kitchen to show us what it's like?  (I think this was maybe the second or third time Adam had hung out with Claire.  It was really funny.)

{In a previous life, Claire was a prima ballerina.  It makes her very graceful!}

Claire and I met our freshman year at Baylor, but not until December, despite the fact that we lived across the hall from on another.  I had asked about 20 girls to go to Salado to look at Christmas lights and shop around this little town about 45 minutes south of Waco.  It's really magical at Christmas.  (I love Christmas, by the way...)

 {This was so 2005}

Not a single person could go.  Not one.  And I was bummed.  My roommate at the time, Julia, had introduced me to Claire just a few days earlier, and we were all standing around talking.  Julia suggested that Claire come to Salado.  So we planned to head out Friday afternoon.  She showed up at my door in J Crew jeans, a button down and a bright cable knit sweater.  I was wearing a similar outfit.  (That's when cable knit sweaters were all the rage.  I look back now and think OMG, that was bright.  But I had turquoise moccasins to match, and I was coordinated, don't you know...) 

We talked the whole way there, while we shopped, and while we ate some delicious Mexican food.  Then we went to a Christmas concert at a local church we just happened upon.  It was delightful. 

We bonded SO FAST in my little Volkswagen Passat because we'd both had our little 18-year-old hearts stepped on that first semester.  We've definitely improved in the guy department over the last five years!

That Christmas, I taught Claire to get on the Tollway.  We grew up two miles from each other, and she'd never driven on this glorious road (she used Preston all the time.  So many lights!)  We fixed that right away!  And now she zips on up to school using the Tollway every morning.  Look at that. 

We made many trips to Sonic after class, labored through Spanish class at Baylor (really way too difficult for non-Spanish majors), and I began borrowing her shirts and asking for fashion advice.  Some things never change.

If something really big, dramatic or exciting happens late at night while the other is already asleep, we have this unwritten rule that it's ok to run into the room and wake the other person up.  It's happened.  And it's usually really fun stuff.  And always worth getting woken up for. 

This is the first time I've ever lived with just one other person (unless you count the dorm, which I don't, because you have 600 of your closest friends right there), and it's been a blast.  Here's to lots more adventures!

{At the Rodeo this Summer}

Claire, I'm so grateful for our friendship and our fun little lives we get to live together right now.  You are a dear friend and a great roomie! I love to see how the Lord has orchestrated our friendship.  It's amazing to see how much we have grown as individuals these last five years, and I'm grateful that we got to share college together, witness the awkward I-don't-know-what-to-do-with-my-graduated-self moments, and now experience life in the working world.  Thanks for being such a fun, sweet addition to life!