Although I was very excited about coming to San Francisco for the Foodbuzz Festival this past weekend, I was even MORE excited about getting the chance to spend some time with my dear friend Molly, who had just moved to Northern California so that her husband can attend business school at Stanford.*
[And thank you Foodbuzz for letting us bring a guest to the Saturday Tasting Pavilion!]
….but also about how wonderful it is to have a friend with whom you can fall right back into a comfortable rhythm, even if you haven’t seen each other in years, where it makes sense just to hang out, go grocery shopping, make emergency detours for spring rolls, and spend the evening doing laundry, watching Jeopardy, and doing a practice run of a chili recipe for a chili cook-off competition this coming weekend.
“Should I bring them?”
2. Prior to the Tasting Pavilion, she asked if she could “take lots of pictures of [me] doing awkward crazy things for the blog.”
[Obviously, my response was..."Yes. Of course."]
3. When she picked me up downtown on Sunday to head back towards Palo Alto, her first comment (after “Hi!”) was, “I thought we should go to Trader Joe’s.”
And when all I really wanted was a big bag of lettuce and a banana, she didn’t even bat an eyelash.
4. Instead of looking at me weird when I pulled out my phone and used the Flashlight App to light up her Sweet Potato Lentil Chili, she said, “What a great idea! Do you think I can get that on the IPhone?”
5. Did you see above where I said she made Sweet Potato Lentil Chili?
[Her response to this picture: "Hey, that looks good! I'd eat it."---"Oh wait. I can."]
6. Before my arrival, she e-mailed me with a comment along the lines of: “I hope you don’t mind, but I got you a guest pass to Equinox. I really want to go to my spinning class on Monday morning and I figured that way you could take advantage of the free Kiehl’s products in the locker room with me.”
7. Before she left for work this morning, she made coffee in the french press, poured me a cup, and said, you can be “M” for “Magnificent!”
8. Although I carried around my own “instant oatmeal” blend all weekend long, I never had to use it.
Molly’s parting words this morning were: “The oatmeal and flax seed are above the sink. I’ve also got chia seeds, nuts, and raisins. Make sure to get the nut butter from the cabinet, and if you need some frozen berries, take those, too!”
I settled for a pear, but it’s nice to know that not only can you feel like you’re at home, you can still eat like you’re at home…even when you’re not.
9. This was her tweet last night:
I couldn’t have said it any better myself.
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Such a fun weekend! Thanks for being my roomie and introducing me to Molly. Old friends are the best.
Glad you had a great time, and had fun with Molly! Isn't it funny how you can tell if you have a really great friend just by getting together after long times of being apart…then just start back where you left off?
How fun! Hee hee love the pics
yay!!! so glad you had fun
I am pretty sure college with you guys was a hoot! Molly has infectious energy that I adore
You must come visit her (and me!) often!
Soooooo fun. Soooooooo much food. SO GLAD I met you!
awww i have those friends.. that time/distance/lifechanges change nadaaaaa <3 aww and now i miss them so much!!!!
glad you were able to reunite with Molly and rock out with our bloggie buddies at fbuzz!!!! I was telling Laura that I wish i could have crashed on the hotel room floor and hung out with you guys! hehe =) military schtuff kept me away! boo!
i'm glad cali treated you well!
Awww! I've got the sappiest look on my face right now! You'd think I was staring at a basket full of fluffy bunnies or something! That is SO sweet! I have lost contact with so many of the friends I used to feel that way about…the just picking up wherever we left off thing. It's just so hard to keep up with everyone these days since they all went out and got married and pregnant on me…ugh, makes me feel old!
Anywho, sounds like you girls had a great time together…and that chili looks fantastical! Yes, I said fantastical (bedazzled and covered in pink glitter)!
Great post and it is wonderful to get together with old friends and feel that comfortable!
Awwwe, love it! And I also love that you bought a bag of salad and a banana… sounds perfect to me!
Awww. that makes me smile. Glad you got to have a great time in SF and even more so, get to spend time with a friend.
Does molly's B and B have a reservations number? I want to book the "airport pick up, sweet potato lentil chili and hot oatmeal" package….
!!
why yes, we definitely take reservations! depending on traffic we sometimes are unable to provide airport pick-up but can easily provide directions for public transportation directly to chez molly. we hope you'll come and say "hi" when life brings you to the west coast
had SO SO much fun w/ you, pembs! come back soon! xoxo!
This post made me smile. I have a couple of friends like that and I know the joy they bring to me. Happy sigh for you and your sweet friend.