DEBI!!!

There are many difficult things about long distance relationships, but one of the biggest complications for me has been my sweet puppy, Allee. Don't get me wrong, I love her to bits, but she is not at all convenient now that I'm leaving town practically every weekend. Once in awhile I can bring her with me, but more often than not, my AMAZING sister and brother-in-law end up puppy-sitting for me. They have seriously been lifesavers in keeping her for me whenever they can, because I know she is a rambunctious puppy who isn't always the easiest rugrat to wrangle. They are the BEST, and Allee loves her Auntie Amy and Uncle Ster. :)

I definitely can't complain on the rare occasions they can't watch her, so when they were headed out of town for a wedding/vacation the first weekend in July, I had to figure out what I was going to do to be able to go see LB. I was DYING to get up there to see him, but I knew having Allee this week when we were trying to get him moved wouldn't work. Unfortunately all the boarding places were full, so after exhausting all the possibilities, I decided to stay in town for the weekend and drop Allee off at Amy's in the morning on the 4th (they were getting home that afternoon so they would be able to watch her). We were both pretty bummed to have to delay seeing each other two more days, but that seemed like the best (read: only) option.

The ONLY good thing (which turned out to be a fantastic thing) about not getting to see LB right away was that I got to spend TWO days with my best friend from college, Debi! :) Debi lives in France, so quite unfortunately, the times we get to see each other are few and far between. :( In fact, the last time we saw each other was almost 2 1/2 years ago for her wedding in the South of France! We have emailed each other pretty religiously since she decided to become an honorary European, but she's a medical student over there (who just finished her board exams--go Debi!!), and her husband is French, so looks like she's not coming back anytime soon (despite my most convincing efforts!).

We had an awesome evening on Thursday, after she rolled into town. It was a fabulous girls' night, with a little "So You Think You Can Dance," yummy homemade food, and awesome dessert out on the town, with plenty of girl talk scattered throughout. :) We didn't know if we'd get a chance to hang out again, so when plans with LB were solidified and I suddenly had Saturday free, I was SUPER excited to hang out with her again. Debi and I lived across the hall from each other freshman year at Gonzaga, and since we were both Biology majors, we had lots and lots of classes together. We've been friends practically since we arrived at college, and I love this girl SO much. Her family is also amazing, and they have always been so awesome to me, treating me like one of their own.

I was also really excited because I haven't really had many opportunities to hang out with Debi's husband, Nicolas, especially since he's kinda shy and still working on his English skills. It was awesome to be able to spend some time with him and get to know him a little better. And I have to say, the guy is hilarious! Even with the language barrier, that was easy to see. He's also extremely sweet and a total gentleman. And he's clearly crazy about Debi, and so, so wonderful to her, which makes me an instant fan. Debi's doing a great job forcing him to improve his English while he's here (they're in the US for a month, but were only in Portland for four days). Once he warmed up a little, we would talk or he'd ask questions, and she would gently help him figure out the English grammar. After I would answer, he would usually check his understanding with Debi (in French) to make sure he was on the right track. It was really great. He's on a mission to visit all the different types of fast food joints in the US, so once I agreed to take them to Wendy's, he was much more willing to hang out and talk to me. :)

Debi's family invited me along for the whole day, which was so generous and awesome of them, and it was wonderful to hang out with my bestie and spend the day with them. So especially since I couldn't see LB, I can't think of anything else I would rather have been doing than hanging out with this amazing girl and her awesome family. Hopefully next time won't be quite so long from now! Love you, Debi!