An ode to besties!

Happy Friendship Day!

Today is Friendship Day in the U.S.  I read somewhere that the holiday was first thought up by Hallmark, hoping that on this day, friends would send friends best wishes and thanks in a card.  That sounds plausible to me!

Today for Friendship Day, I'm teaming up with my fellow bloggy friend, Leslie,who blogs over at Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After.  Leslie and I "met" through the Style Challenges and have been linking up with the Style Me Bloggers ever since.  Even though we have never met in real life, I feel close with Leslie. We are both school librarians.  She is always there for a kind word or two...be it about an outfit you're wearing, or just what's happening in your life!

A while back when the Style My Bloggers, linked up to write about books, I noticed Leslie was reading, Nobody's Cuter Than You by Melanie Shankle.  The book is a memoir about friendship and in it, Melanie talks about the friendships she had through the years, specifically her friendship with her bestie, Gulley, and their adventures over 25 years.

A  few times I commented on on Leslie's blog, where she then recommended it to me! I read it and loved it!  Throughout the book I was constantly thinking about my own BFF, Melanie.  So I mailed her a copy of the book and told her she needed to read this little gem!!

When Leslie found out that I had read the book, she asked if I wanted to post together for Friendship Day to talk about our own besties.  I jumped at the chance!!   Any chance to talk about my bestie....

The book ends with The Ten Characteristics of a best friend!  So our post is fashioned the same way.  Mel wrote her ten characteristics and I wrote mine.  It was so much fun writing these and, I'll admit, I teared up reading Mel's!!

Actually, living this Solitary Life I do, if you're a regular reader of the blog, you've met my bestie!!  Mel and I have been best friends since we were 3 years old.  Over 30 years!  There really is not a time in my life, that I remember Mel not being in it.

The Ten Characteristics of a Best Friend

written by Melanie

1. She is a great listener.  She is always there to let you rant or complain… and knows exactly when you need advice or when you just need someone to listen.
2.  She gives the best fashion tips!  She is the first person… ok, really the only person… you go to when you need to know if you are about to make a major fashion mistake.
3. She is always up for anything.  Whether a vacation adventure or a quiet movie night in, she’ll be there.  And because she’s there, you know you’ll have a blast.
4. She supports you 100%.  She’s cheering you on during the successes and comforting you through the failures.  Good or bad, you know she has your back.
5.  She is always laughing!  Seriously, like always!  No matter what life throws, she will be laughing through it and making you laugh through it too.  She takes those lemons and makes a mean lemonade (which usually has vodka in it, too!).
6. She lets you crash at her house whenever you want.  She lets you call her spare room “your room”, lets you cook in her kitchen and even lets you do your laundry (because of course you don’t have a washer/dryer of your own!).  Basically her house is your house.
7.   She is your person.  #thatisall  
8.  She lets you be you.  She doesn’t care if you’ve gained a few pounds, or have a pimple on your chin, or if you are in a bad mood.  You can act silly or crazy and she loves you anyway!  Heck, she’ll probably be acting silly or crazy right along with you.  Who else can you have a living room dance party with and not worry about being judged on your lame dance moves?! 
9. She’s your entertainment guru… because she basically likes everything you like!  Music, movies, books, TV shows… it’s scary sometimes how much you both like the same things.  And of course, she keeps you informed of the things that you need to check out ASAP! 
10.  She’s not only your best friend, but your sister.  She’s family.  You can’t remember a time when you didn’t have her in your life (literally because you were 3!) and can’t imagine life without her.  Your best memories have her in them and you cannot wait for the millions of memories you both have yet to make.  She makes you realize that life is so much better with a best friend to share it all with and makes you realize how blessed you are that she is yours! 

The Ten Characteristics of a Best Friend

written by Katie

1.  She's the first person you call or text about ANYTHING!!!  And you do...no matter the time of day!!

2.  She loves you for you!  Flaws and all!!  And believe me I have lots of them.

3.  But she tells it like it is, too!  She'll be the first to tell you you fell off  the "shopping ban" wagon HARD - but still compliment everything you bought!

4.  She understands and accepts your hatred of cats and knows that HER cats are the only ones you will ever love...because they're hers!!

5.   She'll plan every single vacation...from soup to nuts!  And take you along for the ride. Then proceed to push you around in a wheelchair at Disney so you can skip the lines and get on all the rides!  And she'll tell you to "Watch Your Step" at every entrance on the cruise ship!  :)

6.  She'll let you convince her that daydrinking is a good idea- every. single. time.  Even if neither of you are still not ok 3 days later! #weareoldnow

7.  She's your plus one to everything!  She's your person!  She's the M to your K.(xoxo!)  And even if your not together on Thursday nights, you know you're both doing the same thing! Sitting on the couch in your blardigans, drinking wine out of your Olivia Pope wine glasses, and watching TGIT.  And texting one another about it all...wishing you lived closer!

8. Hanging out is not a big to-do! A night planned, or a night doing absolutely nothing at all (but drinking wine, having dance parties in the living room, and laughing our heads off) is still a great one because you're hanging together.

9.  She doesn't mind your co-pilot status!  Because she took that Driver's Ed course with you in high school!

10.  Best Friends will fight and have their little tifs!  And knowing and loving one another for over 30 years, that's gonna happen.  But you never worry that it's not something that you can't come back from...because you're more than friends.  You're SISTERS!!!

Mel is more than my bestie!  She's family!!  She's the fifth sister!  My family is her family and vice versa!  I couldn't imagine my life without her!  Happy Friendship Day Mel!!

Please hop on over to Leslie's blog to read why she and her sister and bestie, Valerie love one another.
And if you're in the position, give your bestie a call or a hug today!!  Or send them a card!  HA!

Enjoy the day!!