A few weeks ago, I visited my childhood best friend in Pennsylvania. We went to the same college, and after we graduated, she moved 10 minutes away from campus with her husband. I enjoy spending time with them but I despise the 4 hour trip. Luckily, there is beautiful scenery along the way!
An hour behind schedule, I met Maggie in town to pick up food and rent some movies. For dinner, we went with a pizza topped with caramelized onions and shrimp. It was so good that we mindlessly ate the whole thing while watching Duff. We went to bed early in preparation for what was to come the following morning.
The next day was a struggle.
We underestimated the time we had to eat breakfast and drive to the race, so we rushed over just in time to hear the starting gun go off. On the way there, I remember thinking a 5k would be easy. I used to run all the time and thought I had it. Well, I didn’t. Running is hard.
Maggie took off pretty quickly while I opted for a slower pace. The first mile was a breeze, mostly because half of it was down hill. I felt great for the first 10 minutes, thinking I’d be done in no time. Mile two was partial death. The hashtag NOPE came to mind a lot. Children and elderly people passed by. The last mile was all up hill, those bastards. Men and women pushing strollers flew by me. In the end, I think the race was worth it. Maggie placed first in our age group and I got free water and a banana. VICTORY!
After the awards ceremony, we went back to her house to shower. Her roommate, Henley, was eagerly awaiting our return. Look at that face!
The rest of the day was full of food and shopping. The first stop was Panera. Sticking with the health theme, I decided on the Thai Chicken salad and a side baguette. I even remembered to get a photo. Coffee was a bad choice.
Full of salad and caffeine, we checked out the thrift store. My favorite part about thrift stores are the prices. You can find some great stuff for a fraction of the cost. Clothes may need to be altered but it’s worth it for what you pay. I bought a jean jacket, black sweater dress, and black lace dress with straps. Total cost: $16! Self taught Thrift Master.
Feeling successful, we headed over to the liquor store because wine. We opted for two bottles- Yellow Tail Shiraz-Cabernet and an Arbor Mist with pear. Always classy and always cheap.
By dinner time, we had had two large glasses and had looked over several yearbooks from middle school. We did some light Facebook stalking on the side. The big kids we looked up to were now in their thirties with children of their own. It was weird to think that in such a small school, how many people had passed through. Almost sixteen years later, two of their “top” students were reminiscing and trying to figure which profile looked like the 12 year old.
Wine was consumed throughout the night. When Maggie’s sister-in-law arrived, we decided to relive our college days by playing water pong. Seeing as how we didn’t have Solo cups or ping pong balls, we had to improvise with 20 dixie cups and 1 cork cut in two halves. The dog played along by trying to eat the corks as soon as they rolled off the table.
The next morning, after some breakfast and TV, I was packed up and on my way. Living four hours away can be a pain, but we make the most of it. Things have certainly changed since kindergarten.
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