friends
It was only a week ago that I was blessed to receive a wonderful visit from Rebekah and Josh. I'm not quite over their absence! It was dreamlike how we all got along so well. It's been so long since I've had company, that when I finally had it again, it was a race to do all the things I've wanted to do with guests ever since I moved into my little forest side apartment several years ago. I remember when I moved in foreseeing where and how I'd entertain guests. But I don't get out much and don't have much to entertain with, lucky for me I have friends who love to talk and share their lives with me. Visiting with Rebekah, Josh, and Savannah was a real breath of fresh air that cleared up the loneliness in my home. Even my cat, Mr. Snuggles, warmed up to everyone and acted the official greeter at my door. I have to have guests over more often and I have to travel again to meet more of my special friends.
I feel very blessed to have such interesting and talented friends. Here's a little break down of the lovely visit we had last weekend:
I watched WAITING while WAITING for friends
First, I wasn't sure if they were coming. We had discussed over and over again organizing a visit. On the scheduled day of their arrival, Josh told me that they'd be leaving or arriving (I wasn't sure which) at 11am. Me being the lazy girl I am, put off some minor housecleaning that Saturday, so I go up at 8am to put the finishing touches on my place. Then 11am came and went. By the time it got to be 1pm, I put in a dvd and snacked on a few hotdogs. The movie I watched was Waiting which was very timely considering I was watching Waiting while waiting for my friends to arrive! I didn't even realize I was making a funny until Josh pointed it out once they were in my living room.
I am tucked away behind those ugly Village Apartments
By 2pm I paused Waiting to answer the phone. I debated picking up because my father had been calling me asking for money. But these days we is all broke! I didn't have to despair too long because on the other line was Josh's quiet, thoughtful voice telling me they were in town trying to figure out which apartment complex I was in. They had parked right in front of apartments I once lived in when I was a freshmen in college. Apartments that hadn't changed since the time I lived in them 18 years ago! So I just walked across the street and showed them, on foot, where to go. It was amazing to finally recieve warm hugs from Rebekah. It was as if we'd always known each other. Sure, we've been blog friends on Mindsay for five years, but you never know how a face-to-face meeting is going to go until, well, until you're right there face-to-face! The strongest sense I got from Rebekah is that we're sisters. Her scent, her voice, her laugh... so familiar to me. I wasn't sure if Josh and Savannah were going to warm up to me, but I was soon to discover I had nothing to worry about.
My apartment complex is a little weird. Each building is a little hut or hobbit-like dwelling with each apartment on a sort of pie wedge. I absolutely love it because living there is like living in a cabin. Located right next to the university's nature reserve, it's as close as I can get to living like I'm camping 24/7! Rebekah and entourage seemed to be right at home at my home.
We were old friends meeting for the first time
I felt a little self conscious, so I went firstly into tour guide mode. First exploring my little place, letting them play with Mr. Snuggles (who really soaked up their attention!), and then we were off for downtown where I introduced them to my friend Dala (who owns a really cool imported goods store where I do the window displays and signs) and got to show off some nice antique buildings. Every small city has little hidden away details only I seem to pick up on. It was great to spend time with people who knew "my language" which was the architectural terminology and art history references. I don't always talk like I'm reading from a book but occasionally I've had to explain what I'm talking about. No need to explain anything with Rebekah and Josh.
Biggest regret: I wasn't able to record the visit on my camera!
The only sad thing was I wasn't able to be Rebekah's photography buddy that day. It wasn't my fault and couldn't be fixed right away. All my photo memory cards were full and, after some trail and error, we discovered that my digital camera is out of date and only takes 1GB memory cards. Oh, no! Rebekah and I did our best to find a place nearby that carried a card my camera would take, but no such luck. Only 2GB cards are sold now and we didn't have a lot of time to go searching for long. They still gave me a cheap 2GB card anyway in the hopes we could go clicking away together another day. Days later I discovered that I have to upgrade my camera to take 2GB or more memory cards. However, poor me doesn't have the software available and I can't download anything onto the university library computers, so needless to say, until I can get on someone else's computer to do so, I have to wait for this upgrade.
In the meantime, Rebekah was the main photographer. She took pix of silly me standing in front of some lovely buildings. I also made sure she explored the Fox Theatre where Houdini once performed regularly back in the early 20th century. Back then it was known as the Fox Opera House. You can still see the original designs on the building, a theatre long out of use since 1985. It is now a giant house of bats. Several colonies of bats subsist in this place. I used to walk downtown late at night to catch sight of those bats. They're wonderful! But we didn't see any bats on this visit.
Food warms the heart
It is always hard for me to decide where to eat with friends. Food is one thing that can bind people together. My other regret was I had no money or resources to fix a meal or potluck with my guests. I don't cook often, but it's one of those things I love to do when I have company. It's all part of that sharing process. I don't even though if I'm a good cook, but I try. Perhaps it's best we went out to eat! There are some cute little places in Stevens Point to eat at. One of my favorites is the Gyro and Kabob House where you can sit down on cushions and eat with your hands. My other favorite places are Green Tea (a lovely Chinese/South Asian restaurant where they serve free homemade green tea with your meal) and The Wooden Chair (an antique place that serves the best breakfast and lunch in town). Walking past The Wooden Chair, Josh thrilled to seeing an antique bike hanging up on the wall inside. There is so much more inside! Too bad they were only open for breakfast and lunch, closed by 2pm. Maybe next visit we'll indulge. Inside we ended up in another place I love called Guu's on Main. Guu's twenty years ago was once The Unique but after a few name and owner changes over the years, they still serve fantastic gourmet sandwiches and burgers that won't take too big of a bite out of your budget. Stepping into the bar is a little like stepping back in time as well. The walls are filled with old advertisements and movie posters, my favorite being a vintage STRIPES poster with a young Bill Murray posing as a smug Uncle Sam gazing affectionately at two innocent women.
In between bites, Rebekah, Josh, and I talked about nostalgia -- all the things we like we have in common and it was so nice to have that comraderie! The dinner we had refreshed my spirit as well as my stomach, but I was so excited around them, just so bubbling with happiness, it sat in my chest and lower back painfully. I had to remember to breathe more often, too. We were talking miles in minutes. You know how it is to try to get out as much talk as possible in a short amount of time? That's what our visit together was like. A race to get out all our words and share as much as possible before the inevitable parting of ways.
I hear her voice and start to run into the trees
We next headed for the woods. Darkness was fast stretching over us like an old dog hounding us. In the sunset light of deepest dusk, we walked through the trees and talked about ghosts, supernatural creatures, and other fond monsters we've met in our dreams. Our forest walk was special. Even the misquitoe bites we got were a small price to pay for exposing ourselves to the green. The moon was full and gold, like a big coin deposited in the sky, so big and seemingly so near, we could've reached up and grabbed it. Rebekah got as close to Lake Joanis as possible to record the Moon rise at the surface of the water. In the dark I saw her sink down to the shore beyond the tall grass and cattails. While Josh and I talked with Savannah, eventually we got a little worried. "Did you fall in, Rebekah?" Nope. She popped her little head up almost like a swan or human-maiden-shaped Loch Ness Monster and hopped back up to us on land, camera in hand.
Things I forgot to mention!
Before all of our little adventures, we exchanged gifts. Just a few little things I've been too forgetful to send out in the mail, of course. I gave Rebekah and Savannah two homemade paper journals that I decorated with glitter. I also gave them a book called "Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper" by Harriet Scott Chessman. It's a book I found to be of great comfort. Artists aren't just about their art, they have family and friends who influence what they do. One of my favorite and influential artists is Mary Cassatt -- her prints, drawings, paintings... so personal and emotional to me. I loved reading about the relationship she had with her sister. I hope Rebekah gets a kick out of it as well. There are so many stories behind each painting... and so many imagined. Oh, I can image if we all ever took a trip to an art gallery or museum we'd have ourselves a grand ol'time.
Rebekah gave me this lovely bright neon fuschia nail color. I put it on the Sunday after their visit and is shown in the photographs above. It lasted for a whole week before beginning to chip. It dried faster than my usual OPI nail laquers. The color was awesome. I'll wear it out again eventually! For now I have more conservative color on called "I'll Take the Cake" by OPI -- it is a sugar rose pink beige, fairly sheer, but really brings out the white parts of my nails in a way that reminds me of a French manicure. However, since I've been short on cash, at the end of this week I also ran out of nail polish remover, so there are still a few fuschia bits underneath the sheer sugar rose color, like little bits of lipstick smear that are just enough to remind me of Rebekah's gift!
All in all, it was wonderful to experience these people offline, to take walks, to talk long talks, and dream of travelling to visit and meet other friends on or off Mindsay. It was also a reassurance that I'm not alone in the world, that there are plenty of souls out there who are of a like-mind. We are all related in one way or another and, therefore, must be excellent to each other!
Love you all.
Here's a song that reminds me of the pleasant journey we had:
I know everything about you,
You know everything about me,
Know everything about us
from EMPIRE OF THE SUN, We Are the People
I feel very blessed to have such interesting and talented friends. Here's a little break down of the lovely visit we had last weekend:
I watched WAITING while WAITING for friends
First, I wasn't sure if they were coming. We had discussed over and over again organizing a visit. On the scheduled day of their arrival, Josh told me that they'd be leaving or arriving (I wasn't sure which) at 11am. Me being the lazy girl I am, put off some minor housecleaning that Saturday, so I go up at 8am to put the finishing touches on my place. Then 11am came and went. By the time it got to be 1pm, I put in a dvd and snacked on a few hotdogs. The movie I watched was Waiting which was very timely considering I was watching Waiting while waiting for my friends to arrive! I didn't even realize I was making a funny until Josh pointed it out once they were in my living room.
I am tucked away behind those ugly Village Apartments
By 2pm I paused Waiting to answer the phone. I debated picking up because my father had been calling me asking for money. But these days we is all broke! I didn't have to despair too long because on the other line was Josh's quiet, thoughtful voice telling me they were in town trying to figure out which apartment complex I was in. They had parked right in front of apartments I once lived in when I was a freshmen in college. Apartments that hadn't changed since the time I lived in them 18 years ago! So I just walked across the street and showed them, on foot, where to go. It was amazing to finally recieve warm hugs from Rebekah. It was as if we'd always known each other. Sure, we've been blog friends on Mindsay for five years, but you never know how a face-to-face meeting is going to go until, well, until you're right there face-to-face! The strongest sense I got from Rebekah is that we're sisters. Her scent, her voice, her laugh... so familiar to me. I wasn't sure if Josh and Savannah were going to warm up to me, but I was soon to discover I had nothing to worry about.
My apartment complex is a little weird. Each building is a little hut or hobbit-like dwelling with each apartment on a sort of pie wedge. I absolutely love it because living there is like living in a cabin. Located right next to the university's nature reserve, it's as close as I can get to living like I'm camping 24/7! Rebekah and entourage seemed to be right at home at my home.
We were old friends meeting for the first time
I felt a little self conscious, so I went firstly into tour guide mode. First exploring my little place, letting them play with Mr. Snuggles (who really soaked up their attention!), and then we were off for downtown where I introduced them to my friend Dala (who owns a really cool imported goods store where I do the window displays and signs) and got to show off some nice antique buildings. Every small city has little hidden away details only I seem to pick up on. It was great to spend time with people who knew "my language" which was the architectural terminology and art history references. I don't always talk like I'm reading from a book but occasionally I've had to explain what I'm talking about. No need to explain anything with Rebekah and Josh.
Biggest regret: I wasn't able to record the visit on my camera!
The only sad thing was I wasn't able to be Rebekah's photography buddy that day. It wasn't my fault and couldn't be fixed right away. All my photo memory cards were full and, after some trail and error, we discovered that my digital camera is out of date and only takes 1GB memory cards. Oh, no! Rebekah and I did our best to find a place nearby that carried a card my camera would take, but no such luck. Only 2GB cards are sold now and we didn't have a lot of time to go searching for long. They still gave me a cheap 2GB card anyway in the hopes we could go clicking away together another day. Days later I discovered that I have to upgrade my camera to take 2GB or more memory cards. However, poor me doesn't have the software available and I can't download anything onto the university library computers, so needless to say, until I can get on someone else's computer to do so, I have to wait for this upgrade.
In the meantime, Rebekah was the main photographer. She took pix of silly me standing in front of some lovely buildings. I also made sure she explored the Fox Theatre where Houdini once performed regularly back in the early 20th century. Back then it was known as the Fox Opera House. You can still see the original designs on the building, a theatre long out of use since 1985. It is now a giant house of bats. Several colonies of bats subsist in this place. I used to walk downtown late at night to catch sight of those bats. They're wonderful! But we didn't see any bats on this visit.
Food warms the heart
It is always hard for me to decide where to eat with friends. Food is one thing that can bind people together. My other regret was I had no money or resources to fix a meal or potluck with my guests. I don't cook often, but it's one of those things I love to do when I have company. It's all part of that sharing process. I don't even though if I'm a good cook, but I try. Perhaps it's best we went out to eat! There are some cute little places in Stevens Point to eat at. One of my favorites is the Gyro and Kabob House where you can sit down on cushions and eat with your hands. My other favorite places are Green Tea (a lovely Chinese/South Asian restaurant where they serve free homemade green tea with your meal) and The Wooden Chair (an antique place that serves the best breakfast and lunch in town). Walking past The Wooden Chair, Josh thrilled to seeing an antique bike hanging up on the wall inside. There is so much more inside! Too bad they were only open for breakfast and lunch, closed by 2pm. Maybe next visit we'll indulge. Inside we ended up in another place I love called Guu's on Main. Guu's twenty years ago was once The Unique but after a few name and owner changes over the years, they still serve fantastic gourmet sandwiches and burgers that won't take too big of a bite out of your budget. Stepping into the bar is a little like stepping back in time as well. The walls are filled with old advertisements and movie posters, my favorite being a vintage STRIPES poster with a young Bill Murray posing as a smug Uncle Sam gazing affectionately at two innocent women.
In between bites, Rebekah, Josh, and I talked about nostalgia -- all the things we like we have in common and it was so nice to have that comraderie! The dinner we had refreshed my spirit as well as my stomach, but I was so excited around them, just so bubbling with happiness, it sat in my chest and lower back painfully. I had to remember to breathe more often, too. We were talking miles in minutes. You know how it is to try to get out as much talk as possible in a short amount of time? That's what our visit together was like. A race to get out all our words and share as much as possible before the inevitable parting of ways.
I hear her voice and start to run into the trees
We next headed for the woods. Darkness was fast stretching over us like an old dog hounding us. In the sunset light of deepest dusk, we walked through the trees and talked about ghosts, supernatural creatures, and other fond monsters we've met in our dreams. Our forest walk was special. Even the misquitoe bites we got were a small price to pay for exposing ourselves to the green. The moon was full and gold, like a big coin deposited in the sky, so big and seemingly so near, we could've reached up and grabbed it. Rebekah got as close to Lake Joanis as possible to record the Moon rise at the surface of the water. In the dark I saw her sink down to the shore beyond the tall grass and cattails. While Josh and I talked with Savannah, eventually we got a little worried. "Did you fall in, Rebekah?" Nope. She popped her little head up almost like a swan or human-maiden-shaped Loch Ness Monster and hopped back up to us on land, camera in hand.
Things I forgot to mention!
Before all of our little adventures, we exchanged gifts. Just a few little things I've been too forgetful to send out in the mail, of course. I gave Rebekah and Savannah two homemade paper journals that I decorated with glitter. I also gave them a book called "Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper" by Harriet Scott Chessman. It's a book I found to be of great comfort. Artists aren't just about their art, they have family and friends who influence what they do. One of my favorite and influential artists is Mary Cassatt -- her prints, drawings, paintings... so personal and emotional to me. I loved reading about the relationship she had with her sister. I hope Rebekah gets a kick out of it as well. There are so many stories behind each painting... and so many imagined. Oh, I can image if we all ever took a trip to an art gallery or museum we'd have ourselves a grand ol'time.
Rebekah gave me this lovely bright neon fuschia nail color. I put it on the Sunday after their visit and is shown in the photographs above. It lasted for a whole week before beginning to chip. It dried faster than my usual OPI nail laquers. The color was awesome. I'll wear it out again eventually! For now I have more conservative color on called "I'll Take the Cake" by OPI -- it is a sugar rose pink beige, fairly sheer, but really brings out the white parts of my nails in a way that reminds me of a French manicure. However, since I've been short on cash, at the end of this week I also ran out of nail polish remover, so there are still a few fuschia bits underneath the sheer sugar rose color, like little bits of lipstick smear that are just enough to remind me of Rebekah's gift!
All in all, it was wonderful to experience these people offline, to take walks, to talk long talks, and dream of travelling to visit and meet other friends on or off Mindsay. It was also a reassurance that I'm not alone in the world, that there are plenty of souls out there who are of a like-mind. We are all related in one way or another and, therefore, must be excellent to each other!
Love you all.
Here's a song that reminds me of the pleasant journey we had:
I know everything about you,
You know everything about me,
Know everything about us
from EMPIRE OF THE SUN, We Are the People
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silverfire85 on
Re: Old Friends I've met for the first time
I know what you mean. When I first met Rebekah, I too felt like we had been friends for years.
Yep, she's our kind of gal!
Yes she is! And we love her dearly. 
I feel like we are there with you again.
Wow, I loved the video and music. I will have to buy their CD.
*HUUUUUUUUUGS*
Wow, I loved the video and music. I will have to buy their CD.
*HUUUUUUUUUGS*
YAY! I thought you'd like Empire of the Sun. Miss you much and, yes, I feel you all around me a lot, too.
Sounds like a fantastic visit...thanks for sharing the experience here, reading it is like being there virtually! It's nice when you just click with someone and feel like you've known them forever.
Also...really cool nail color! 
Isn't it? It really, really glowed! Thanks.
It was hard for me to really break down the visit and there's a lot I left out, but only so much time for me to type it all up! We even talked about you, Emily, and how much we'd like to go out East to meet you as well.
It was hard for me to really break down the visit and there's a lot I left out, but only so much time for me to type it all up! We even talked about you, Emily, and how much we'd like to go out East to meet you as well.
Don't worry about leaving things out, I think your happiness is so apparent in what you did say (which was actually a pretty sizeable post!). And that is so sweet that you said you'd like to meet me...hopefully some day it'll happen.
I didn't realize it was so difficult to get 1gb memory cards! Will keep an eye out for you, they must be super cheap at this point if you do come across them. (What format?)
that is a lovely nail color
glad you all had fun ^_^
glad you all had fun ^_^
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