When a Friend Moves Along

I've always thought that where I am was going to be where I remained, and where my friends were, were going to be where they stayed, but that's usually not how life is. People don't stay stuck in one place their whole lives, not if they want to see what else is out there, not if they want to live. We're ever changing beings, and to remain where you grew up may lead to an unfulfilling life, or it might not, who am I to say. While I don't plan on moving far, I don't plan on staying in the town I grew up in; however, my friend had other ideas. When the opportunity to move across the U.S arose, she took it, and I could not have been more happy for her. She would be in a new environment, with a new set of friends, and develop a new outlook on life. She needed the change, more than anyone.

This is the same friend I went with to NYC a few months ago. I remember talking about her big move months and months ago, and it seemed like the time would never come when I had to say goodbye, and I was happy with that. Time was ticking slow, that is, until the last few weeks, when the time she would hop on a plane was coming closer and closer. Now I've never had to say goodbye to a friend who was moving, especially not a best friend. We've been friends for years and although we've had our ups and downs, we knew that we could always count on each other at the end of the day, even just to meet for coffee and talk.

Her family threw her a surprise party a few days before she left, and it was really heartwarming to see how many people loved and cared about her. You could see it in her eyes that she was upset, but I think it was then that she realized how many lives she had touched. We sat around talking, eating, and enjoying one another's company, and every so often she would come sit at the table and we'd laugh about high school softball, between hitting the coach and having to bathe in icy hot at the end of try-outs, we'd smile at all the good parties she threw and the actual bag of garbage that was thrown in the woods (that's probably still there to this day), and we talked about the times we drove around blasting Fall Out Boy and screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs. While there were many, many more memories that we have made as friends, we brought up the ones that stood out in our minds as the best among the best. Before the night was over, we made sure to take plenty of pictures, and we even made plans for the day before she was leaving, to go into the city one more time. We weren't going to allow ourselves to get sad and say goodbye at her party; we both just weren't ready for that yet.

So on that Friday, we drove to the bus station, and hopped on a bus, with our NYC Bucket List in hand. First thing was first, we were going to walk to Chobani SoHo for breakfast. Not realizing how far SoHo was from the Port Authority bus terminal, we ended up walking about 3 miles there. When we finally arrived, we couldn't believe the delicious creations they had come up with! Everything sounded so refreshing and tasty, from the savory yogurts to the sweet ones, we were undecided until we each found a yogurt creation that we couldn't have left without trying. While I tried the Toasted Coconut and Pineapple, she tried the Peanut Butter and Jelly. I wished that my bowl was never-ending, because the toasted coconut and pineapple was the best Chobani greek yogurt creation that I've ever had. My friend said the same thing about her peanut butter and jelly. When we finished (though we wished we didn't), we were given a Chobani glass bowl to take home! I couldn't have been more happy with it, even though I wanted more Chobani! It looks like I'll have to make another trip to the city soon!

Seeing that we were in SoHo anyways, we decided to visit Rosie Pope's store, The Lab, and were pleased when we arrived and saw her beautiful maternity clothes, even though neither of us are pregnant. We had met Rosie in October at a book signing, and she really is as sweet and knowledgeable as she is on TV. While we didn't see Rosie this time, we did meet some of her employees, who were all extremely friendly, and were willing to get us anything we wanted to drink and showed us the snacks that we could pick on while we shopped. We hadn't planned on buying anything, so after we looked around for a bit, we left and began walking to Sean Avery's bar and eventually his restaurant to grab a bite to eat. If you don't know who he is, just ask my friend [ha!] His restaurant, Tiny's and the Bar Upstairs, was so warm and cozy. We ended up sitting next to the fireplace, and although we were sweating from our long walk, we loved the atmosphere, eating next to the fire was comfortable. We both ordered greek salads, filled with chicken, red onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta cheese. The salad's were huge, and we both ended up taking at least half of it home. After taking a few pictures of the restaurant and bar, and being thoroughly embarrassed to see our waiter outside while we were taking the pictures, we headed back to the bus terminal. Having to walk another three miles, definitely made us sweaty and tired, but saving on cab fare and getting in a workout was definitely worth it to us.

We were tired on the bus ride home, which only made our goodbye at her front door even harder. While I didn't cry saying goodbye, or rather "see you later," I ended up crying that night. I couldn't believe that my best friend was leaving for California the next day. Even though I knew that I would definitely visit her in the summer, it still hurt to know that she wouldn't be able to grab coffee with me on a random night of the week, and we wouldn't be able to take trips to the city anymore. I was glad though, that we were able to have one more adventure before she left. This distance will not break our friendship, seeing as how we still talk every day, catching up on life, and realizing that our lives have changed so much in just a few years. It amazes me how much strength she has, being able to pack up everything and move across the country. I probably wouldn't have been able to do it. I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see all she will accomplish while in Cali. I know I'll definitely be visiting her in the future, because I don't think coffee on Facetime is the same as coffee in person. She's my person, and I don't think that will ever change, no matter how many miles come between us! Love you friend, and miss you beyond words!