Welcome to Samwise Week

I know that everyone THINKS this is Memorial Day, but really, it's the start of Samwise Week! 

Thank you to my readers (all 2 of them!) for the ideas.  I'm going to post my responses this week for your entertainment and Samwise the Brave's distraction.

The first suggestion was a super fun memory of Samwise...but here's the problem.  I have loads, but they're all sort of like inside jokes, difficult to articulate to the public at large.  But here, let me try...

YEARS ago, when I was still living in Seattle and Samwise was still living in Seattle we decided to celebrate our birthday together.  Once upon a time, there were four Great Friends.  Moi, Samwise, Whimsy and Holly.  And ALL FOUR of us have January birthdays.  We were all single together, some students, some not, but those years felt like a long war and we came out the other side of them very, very close.

So this particular January we headed out to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate our birthdays.

I can't remember what we ate (I assume cheesecake figured in somewhere), I don't remember if we did anything afterwards, I can't remember what we specifically talked about.  But here's what I remember...

Loud.  Oh goodness.  When the four of us got together we were LOUD.  Rock Concert Loud.  Hearing Damage Loud.  We cracked jokes just to make each other laugh and then we would laugh long and loud and uproariously. 

People, we were so loud that OTHER DINERS were staring at us.  Our poor waiter was at a TOTAL loss as to what to do with us.  I vaguely remember a degree of disdain.  But we were having so much fun we didn't care at all that we were being completely rude to our waiter and fellow diners.  We were young and brash and felt invincible.  And totally sober.  We were that loud and obnoxious and completely sober.

That's the kind of friends we are.

(I can still remember the horrible headache I had the next day.  That's how loud we were, I woke up with a hangover...and we drank WATER.)



The thing about memories is...they're sometimes fickle.  I look back on the past 12 years of my friendship with Samwise and she's this constant, steady presence in my life.  She's the best friend a girl could ask for because she loves you enough to give you just what you need, and to take just what you can give without asking for more.   She's funny and smart and noble.  And inspite of her quiet appearance, she can be LOUD.


(Chris wanted me to include HIS favorite memory of Samwise.  He only made it out to Seattle once, back when we were newly engaged, we went out together for Whimsy's wedding and to meet the family.  Samwise came down to my parents' house for Thanksgiving dinner where he dared Samwise to drink a glass of gravy.  And she totally did it!  I have to admit, I beamed with pride!)