Day Seven: And Now a Word from Our Sponsors

Date: February 7, 2010
Friend: Candace Tielebein
Activity: Watching Commercials during the Super Bowl
Location: Greg and Candace's house
Total $ Spent: $0

Day seven started off a bit uncertain when I received the following text: "Is it okay if we reschedule our date?" Candace was worried that I wouldn't feel comfortable hanging at her house because Greg's mom was coming over. "Um, you've met my mom, so I'm pretty sure I can take it." And just like that, we were back on for our $1 date to watch the much anticipated commercials during the Super Bowl. I felt awful when I arrived at her house empty-handed. Isn't that, like, the number one rule of etiquette?? Whatever, I'm from a trailer park in Reno and Candace was wearing her pajamas. We were ready for some seriously casual TV-watching.

Candi and I used to work together at the Museum. She is a high class goof ball who appreciates the finer things in life, such as her gorgeous chocolate brown Coach purse (which I clearly covet), and yet she is totally down to earth. She is a mini-Martha Stewart with her creativity and craft skills. She makes wreaths, decorations, centerpieces, floral arrangements, and anything else you can think of. She and Greg had their daughter, Lily, almost exactly six months ago, and she is a little love. They are a family of laughter and comfort; you can't help but smile when you're around them, probably because one of them has made a silly joke.

Upon my arrival, Candi took me straight to the kitchen where I was paralyzed by my one of my two favorite foods - HOMEMADE GUACAMOLE. She even went to the trouble of making me my very own meatless cheese dip which tasted just like my dad's super delicious recipe. Greg's mom ended up not staying for the game but she did leave an unusually large amount of ice cream bars in the freezer. I'm pretty sure Candi and Greg will have ice cream bars for the rest of 2010 if not longer.

I bounced back and forth between playing with baby Lily and snarfing down my junk food. After all, what is a Super Bowl without the junk food? I'm hoping that my stomach forgives me tomorrow. Lily seemed to take to me pretty well. We danced to the Black Eyed Peas and I helped her fingers spell out the alphabet in sign language. But nothing makes her laugh like her Daddy. She let out a few of those irresistable baby chuckles and that makes everyone's voices suddenly rise an octave.

Between commercials (ie during the slower parts of the game), we caught up on the goings on at the Museum and a bit of celebrity gossip. I mean, does anyone really care that Kim Kardashian is dating Reggie Bush? Or that David Letterman has escaped scrutiny because of the Conan vs. Jay battle? We explained the term "muffin top" to Greg and some basic rules of girl talk. He made a solid effort, but surrendered claiming he just can't predict us girls. Candace was easily distracted by the E*trade commercials with the talking babies and I was drawn to those with animals. All three of us loved the "milkaholic" commercial. If you didn't see, it google and it you will giggle. Another of our favorites was the return of the Budweiser Clydesdale. Who doesn't love a beautiful running horse, who happens to befriend a cow?

Stuffed, and regretting the ice cream bars, we intently watched the end of the 4th quarter as the Saints took the title. Sweet Lily was a party animal but was fading fast. Candace wrapped up a bag of cookies and my leftover cheese dip, and I bundled up, ready to face the potholes of Omaha. It's hard for me to get used to not seeing my Museum friends every day. I promise myself I will work extra hard to maintain my relationships with them.....they are the best part of my memories of working there. Having met Candace and Greg, and now their baby girl, makes me all the more joyful that I am where I am.

On deck for day 8: Julie. I'll be seeing you.....

Day Six: Walk an Aisle

Date: February 6, 2010
Friend: Katie (and Kyle) Tessin
Activity: Free samples and snacks
Location: Whole Foods
Total $ spent: $1

In case you have been paying close attention, my original $ date for today was Jara. She invited me to take her Turbo Kick class at the downtown YMCA. Yeah, at 7:45am. On a Saturday. Downtown. Anyone who knows me knows that mornings are my nemesis. It's all I can do to get out of bed when I've slept for 12 hours. That fact combined with the hour at which I typed Day 5's blog prevented me from waking up to my alarm on time. Embarrassed and a little ashamed, I texted Jara the news of my lameness, and asked if we could do our $ date later in the day. She wasn't available, so I needed to find a new date. Enter the very kind-hearted Katie Tessin and her doll-faced son, Kyle.

Katie and I first met a few years ago when she was a student teacher at the school where my sister, Becky, teaches. I was helping Becky with some arts and crafts projects - something which does not come naturally to me (the arts and crafts part, not the helping part) - and Katie was creating a bulletin board for all of her little kidos. I remembered thinking "she looks so sweet and cute!" A few months later, I saw Katie again when I taught a Mary Kay skin care class at Becky's house. Katie and a few other girlfriends had to leave the party early, but she was still very sweet and she ordered the Microderm-abrasion set (btw, you should all be exfoliating and/or microderming at 1-2 times weekly). But it wasn't until my Nerdy Thirty Birthday Party that I actually got to know her better.

I had just moved to Omaha and barely knew anyone besides my family. But since I was turning 30, Becky wanted me to have a big celebration. She let me "borrow" all of her friends, and Katie and her husband were two of the people who attended. Here they were at my 30th birthday party, not really knowing anything about me other than I was Becky's sister, and they brought me a gift. A gift! I love gifts! I also love flattery. As we started to see each other more and more at social gatherings, I noticed that Katie was always complimenting my outfit, or my hair, or my humor, or my sweet dance moves. She is so genuine that you just want to hug her constantly. And I don't hug. Sometime within the past 2 and half years, I stopped "borrowing" Katie and I claimed her as my friend.

For our $1 date, we decided to go to Whole Foods with her little boy and his bestie, my nephew Charlie (who I was already babysitting for the night so his parents could go on their annual date night. Yes, I meant annual). We were excited to take advantage of all the yummy free samples. With all the beautiful colors of the gourmet foods and vibrant flowers, I knew our date would also be a feast for our eyes.

We started in produce and sampled juicy Clementine oranges. The boys both loved and hated them as the tart fruit pierced their taste buds. It took Charlie three bites before he decided he did actually like them.

We passed by the apples, grapes, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, squash, oy I'm getting hungry, and moved along to our next sample. Crab dip and crackers. No, I didn't eat the crab dip, but guess what? Both boys did and they loved it. Who'da thunk?

Somewhere between the grapes and the avocados, Charlie and Kyle burst into a laughing fit over who could make the silliest fishy face. They could have giggled all night if we let them. It was so freakin adorable that even the crabby shoppers cracked a smile.

By the time we were passing the soup station, I really wanted to cheat on my $1 spending limit. What was I thinking? I have never gone to Whole Foods without devouring every square inch of the salad bar. I thought, "if I let myself cheat, no one would really know except Katie and two 2-year olds. I deserve a salad right?" Don't worry. I didn't cheat.

Our next sample was very overpowering cheese which I can't pronounce. And then we decided to get the boys some snacks. Charlie had $5 of his very own to spend, and he picked out a turkey/cheese snack pack.

Still hungry and still craving the salad bar, I pondered what I could possibly find within my budget. Clever and creative Katie came to my rescue. She was buying some veggie sushi rolls and said she'd give me $1 worth. So smart! No wonder she is a teacher.

We rolled our toddlers and snacks over to the cafe area and let the boys play, throw, giggle, and run. Oddly enough, this actually provided for some quality time for me and Katie. She opened up about a troubled family member and about how she is so looking forward to staying home with Kyle. We talked about my job search and once again she was complimenting me. She suggested I look into being paid to write - what?? Me? Who would want to read my material, other than the Autism community when I write about advocacy, and my friends who already think I'm funny?

When Charlie had a melt-down over....what was it about actually? Was it because I asked him to stop running? Was it because it was time to get back in the cart? Was it because I ran out of cookies? Anyway, Charlie had a melt-down and wanted nothing to with me other than to kick and hit me. This was not only the first time I was responsible for him during a public melt-down (which doesn't happen very often), but it was the first time he was actually mad at me. He said, "I'm mad at you because you made me sad!" And he ran to Katie. I thought I might actually die of a broken heart. Generous as always, Katie comforted me. "They go through phases when they have their favorites, don't worry. He loves his Aunt Dee Dee very much." How did she know I needed to hear that? How did she have the mindset to comfort me, when suddenly she had an angry toddler in one arm, and a giggly one in the other?

We finally made our way out of the store, me a bit more exhausted than Katie. In a way, I wish we could have had more time to talk, but I'm glad we had this bonding experience. It was orderly chaos and so normally normal. I got to observe her being a doting mother while I walked a few aisles in my sister's motherly shoes.

On deck for day 7: Candace. I'll be seeing you....

Day Five: Paths

Date: February 5, 2010
Friend: Me, Myself, and I
Activity: Returning to JAM
Location: Joslyn Art Museum
Total $ Spent: $0



I'm really not interested in kvetching about being laid off and why it's so unfair because of blah blah blah. I'm more concerned with analyzing the complex variety of thoughts and emotions one feels when their path has been changed involuntarily.

I am profoundly grateful for the 4 months of uncertainty and walking on egg shells which I would come to realize prepared me for the day I was let go. When the answer finally revealed itself, I felt surprisingly free. Each day up until then was full of "will it be today? Am I going to lose my job? Maybe I'm overreacting. I will keep doing the best work I can, and surely my efforts will be rewarded. Maybe I'm fooling myself. Maybe there is nothing I can do because maybe this is bigger than me. Maybe I should give up." Weeks of agonizing stomach pain followed sleepless nights. Insecurities ran rampant in my head and heart. "What had I done wrong? Was I not trying hard enough? Wasn't I the best possible me I could be?" When I was told my job was being eliminated, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, sat back in the chair, and said "Okay. What do I do now?" Calm, cool, and collected. Thankful for what I thought was closure.



Today, I decided, was for me. After debating over and over whether or not to attend an event at the Museum, I realized I needed to rip off the band-aid. All of the odds were in my favor: I knew my favorite (former) co-workers would be there, I knew friends would be in attendance, I was interested in the programming for the event and was pretty certain they'd be serving that tasty gouda. I put on my best face (literally, you should have seen how much make-up I was wearing), some classic pearls, and off I went. Ready to see my ex for the first time since our break up.



I met up with my friend Scott (who will appear in this blog later) at Blue Sushi for some pre-event appetizers. It's times like these when I should really take up drinking. Even though I had expected to pay for my cherry Coke and avocado sushi, Scott covered the tab thus allowing me to stay within my $1 rules. As we drove to the Museum, the anxiety started to fester in my gut. Little flips were taking place in my stomach and my hands started to shake like I'd mixed Sudafed with 14 Jolt sodas. Then I saw my friend Jennifer in the parking lot and my nerves started to ease. See? I'll be fine. These are my friends and I'm just out on a Friday night like anyone else. I walked through the controversial revolving doors and saw my friend Kenley's bright smile. Calming down. Then I saw Angela, feeling even better. Started toward the stairs and saw Randy and Candace. Totally confident. I belong here. One more deep breath, and up the stairs we go.



The next few moments happened in slow motion. I gazed up the granite staircase, taking a snapshot of the crowd. First, I saw his unmistakable white hair. Then I noticed his stature - a giant above all the other guests. He turned toward the staircase, and I fixated on his burning stare. Oh. My. God. Of all the nights at all the events in all the world, our paths had to cross NOW???



This man was my boss at the job I held just before I started at the Museum. I walked out of that job - something I never thought I was capable of doing. He is a symbol of the only bridge I have ever burned (not counting fighting with my friend in 7th grade and not ever speaking to her again). The only other time I have seen this man was at a wedding, not long after I quit my position at his company. And yet tonight, the sight of him shook me to my core. Why did he have to grace the Museum with his presence AFTER I was laid off? When I couldn't call it "my house?" When I was feeling vulnerable and oh-so-unemployed? I had prepared myself to run into the wrong scarey man.



I'm not proud of this, but I awkwardly excused myself from my friends and instinctinvely started walking toward my old office. Luckily, I snapped out of it when I realized I no longer have keys to that hallway. I tried to shake it off with jokes, tossing my swoopy bangs aside with each "whatever" lie. I wanted to be mad at someone for not warning me that he was there. I felt betrayed that "they" fed me to the wolf like this. I finally heard my inner monologue whisper, "why do you care?" And I let it go. Back up the stairs I went.



To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure he recognized me. Luckily, my hair was pulled back and I wasn't wearing my glasses, and as everyone knows, I am unrecognizable without my glasses (like a superhero, only I haven't figured out my powers just yet). There were two occasions when we nearly brushed shoulders and there was a message in his look, which I couldn't decipher. It could have been "I know you from somewhere....right?" Or, more likely he was thinking "oh for heavens sake, she's here? Please don't make me talk to her."



The anxiety faded, the guests departed, the gouda was drying and mixing with the other cheeses, and I found myself staying until the end, out of habit. It was hard to leave through the front door, without Lora by my side. Hard, but bearable by this point. I am ready to admit that it doesn't feel real yet. It still seems like I'm on vacation. And that's what scares me. My path has changed, but I don't yet see where I'm supposed to go.



On deck for day six: Jara. I'll be seeing you.....

Day 4: City Slickers

Date: February 4, 2010
Friend: Evan Trofholz
Activity: Mini-hike
Location: Fontenelle Forest
Total $ spent: $0

A friend of mine recently complained about having nothing to do. She had cabin fever and felt like Omaha shuts down in the winter. She whined and belly-ached, and was generally annoying to all those who came in contact with her. Okay, let's be honest. It was me, I'm that friend. I'm only four days into my social experiment, and I've proven myself wrong over and over. Even when it's snowing and gray and slushy and windy and there are endless reruns of The Gilmore Girls to watch, there is always something to do. Today was no exception. My $1 date for today was my friend Evan and we went hiking at Fontenelle Forest.

Before we confirmed our plans to go to Fontenelle, I asked if we should have a backup $ date in case the weather was uncooperative. Evan's reply, "you not be a wussy IS the backup plan." You can see why we are friends. So I ate my breakfast of champions, wore 14 layers, switched into a sensible messenger bag (which subsequently stained my white puffy coat), and decided I wasn't too citified to handle a hike.

Can we really call it hiking? I think so. It was the closest thing to hiking I've done since that one time in college when I went to that one place where it was all nature-y and dirty. Thankfully, it wasn't too cold today but it was overcast and snowed off and on. You would have all been very impressed because I didn't fall down once. Seriously! I'm not saying I didn't slip, or that I was above reaching for help a time or two, but I did not fall! Evan didn't fall either, but he did come awfully close to sliding into the Missouri River and by mid-hike his tuchas was wet.

Evan is most comfortable in his skin and in his environment when he's outside. He loves the sun, the earth, and most recently he has discovered his fascination with water. His grandma reminded him that water is the most powerful thing on earth, which prompted a quick debate about erosion. Evan thinks that erosion is physical and I argued that it's also chemical. If any of you know the correct answer you may share it on a comment below, as long as my theory is correct. Normally I would give Evan the benefit of the doubt because he is a teacher. But I'm sure it won't surprise anyone to hear that I occasionally enjoy playing devil's advocate and being a weeeee bit sarcastic.

Evan and I met at the e-Cremery in Dundee on the night of the Stanley Cup Finals last summer. I was absolutely and positively DEVASTATED when my beloved Red Wings lost (it's still difficult to think about...my hands don't want to type the words....). He was comforting in that "I don't really watch hockey, but you really seem like you might beat me up if I say the wrong thing" kind of way. But it's only fair because his favorite team is the Huskers. (OH! Burn!) We are both intellectual snobs who are easily amused by bathroom humor.

We were a little disappointed that we didn't see much wildlife other than a death-defying squirrel, a baby bluejay, and very confused mosquito. But we did hear birds and enjoyed playing with the ice on the banks of the Mighty Missouri River. Oh, and there were those random gunshots....but we both decided it was best to pretend we didn't hear them. We saw just one other person during the whole afternoon and while he seemed friendly enough, we let him go his way. As we hoofed through the snow (I was more huffing and puffing), we played a bit of "who would you rather meet" and I kept chosing Dave Matthews over Kevin Spacey. Don't get me wrong, I have no beef with Kevin Spacey. But if given the opportunity, I would want to meet Dave. He's just, you know, Dave!

At the end of our afternoon, we were both hungry. But what to do since I can only spend one dollar? Evan wanted to try a burrito at the Homestead Inn (at 48th and Q) and since I can never turn down a burrito, I let him buy me a meal. Once we found the place and figured out which door to use (we may or may not have gone all the way around the building due to the "use other door" sign, only to discover that the "other door" was about 10 feet away from the original door we tried to open), we salivated over our tasty food. Sadly, my camera batteries had died so I can't show you the ridiculously delicious Mexican pizza thing that I devoured. But just to clarify, the point of my 28x1x1 project is not to make other people buy me things.

While it was a beautiful winter day, probably one of the best to visit Fontenelle, we both missed the vibrancy of the spring and summer landscape. At least this kind of weather gives one the opportunity to really see through the trees, beyond the horizon, and up to the great big sky. I may be a city slicker, but I could get used to this nature thing.

On deck for day 5..........MYSTERY DATE! I'll be seeing you...

Day 3: Daddy's Little Girl

Date: February 3, 2010
Friend/Family Member: Daddy (aka Pat Hamilton)
Activity: Mall Walking
Location: Westroads Mall
Total $ spent: $1
(in the interest of full disclosure, I only spent $1, my dad purchased a few goodies here and there)

My dad and I have been fortunate enough to be simultaneously unemployed. That's right. We were both laid off within a week of each other. You would think this would light a fire under both of our hineys. You'd expect that we'd be motivating each other to "keep your chin up" and "don't get discouraged!" That might be what normal people do. But not me and my dad. Nope. We pretty much stay home all day, me in my pj's until the afternoon, and my dad playing his computer games. Yep, I've just outted us to the world, or at least the 22 of you who read this blog regularly. WE ARE LAZY. It's a good thing today was our $1 date day.

I first met my dad when I was........GOTCHA! You totally thought I was going to tell some crazy story about how I've known my dad for 32 1/2 years and the first thing I did when we met was cry. I know, I know. I'm hilarious and I had you fooled. But seriously, I have been a Daddy's girl my whole life. He's basically the apple of my eye. Now, I'm not saying he's perfect (but it's okay if you think I'm perfect). But he's darn near the best dad a girl could ever ask for.

On our $1 date, we went to the mall and walked, window shopped, for real shopped, and people watched. It's important to mention that my dad has recently had major surgery and excerise is a critical component to his recovery. Actually walking around the mall with my dad would not have been possible a few months ago. He's still got a long way to go before he is at full strength, but we walked for almost 90 minutes today!

We started at Von Maur and remarked at how lovely the piano music sounded and how we both still think of the terrible shooting that occurred there 2 years ago. We saw beautiful, expensive items and I oogled at the shoes.

Our next destination was to find him a new watch band. We jaunted over to the kiosk by the Food Court and within about 5 minutes he had already found the one he wanted and it was attached to his wrist. "You're such a fast shopper!" I said. "I don't shop, I buy," he replied. Fair enough. Moving on.

We then passed the lady with the smelly lotion and the dude with the fancy cell phone covers before we window shopped at a sports store. I priced Red Wings jersies and he admired a NY Yankees flask. Suddenly, and without warning, we found ourselves magically placed in a chocolate shop sampling the samples! How on earth did we get there? I figured I had no choice but to find something under $1. So I spent $.75 on a gooey piece of caramel filled chocolate heaven while my dad purchased 10 orange creams. He had methodically purchased 10 thinking he and my step-mom would each eat 2 creams at five different times. There was also specific planning as to when he would eat the dark chocoloate versus when he would eat the milk chocolate. My dad is the ulitmate planner.

After our chocolate treats, we stopped by the candy dispensers and I spent a quarter on ju ju bees for my nephew (which I'm sorry to say I forgot to give him). If you're paying attention, that makes my total spending exactly $1. My dad, in his glee over discovering that Suncoast Video still exists, splurged on a couple of hard to find DVD's.

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL THE LADIES: If you find yourself at Westroads and you need to use the facilities, always, always chose the restroom in Von Maur over the mall restrooms. I had a senior moment and chose the latter. I'm not sure I'll ever fully recover from the experience. This message has been brought to you buy the letters P and U.

We saw the model trains and reminisced about the model train set we had when I was a kid. It was THE coolest train set of all time. My uncle custom painted the whole landscape, and my dad used every detail possible on our mountain bridges, the old west town, the farm, plus all the trains and interwoven tracks. Our train set was located in the city of Renomaha, Nevaska and it provided endless hours of entertainment. We both felt a stab of regret remembering how we were forced to abandon our little city when we moved in 1994.

About this time, we started to get a little achey and decided our exercise was coming to an end. Besides, all the little old ladies were walking circles around us and we were totally intimidated by their focus and speed. We made our way back to the beautiful and bright Von Maur and out to the car. It was on the ride home that we realized we went through 7 cars in 2 years (1994-1996). I know you're dying to know so here it is:

- 1979 Buick LeSabre
- 1983 Subaru Brat
- 1980 Dodge Aries
- 19?? Datsun something
- 19?? Eagle
- 1985 Mazda GLC
- 19?? Ford Taurus

We swang by Panera to pick up dinner for my step-mom and we travelled back to the house. He couldn't let me live a life of imperfection so he gave me a little tip. "To gently chide you, genius is spelled without an o, " says my dad, the genius. Fine, I admit it. I misspelled genius in my Day 2 post. But guess what? I'm still Daddy's Little Girl, and you're still reading my blogs. So there.

On deck for day 3: Evan. I'll be seeing you...

Day 2: It's Complicated

Date: February 2, 2010
Friend: Anne Shaughnessy
Activity: Movie - It's Complicated
Location: Village Pointe
Total $ Spent: $1

After a restless, sleepless night, I worried that my anxiety wasn't as in control as I thought. Terrible dreams crept into my subconscience. I couldn't get comfortable. I was either too warm or too cold. I was thirsty but didn't want to get out of bed because then I'd be committing to not sleeping. Did this mean my newly discovered confidence and serenity had passed? Was this the "it" I'd been afraid of happening? Was I....starting....to pani.....No. Get up, Wendy. Get up and open the curtains. Drink some water. Feed your cats. Brush your teeth and make a bagel. Get up and the thoughts will shut up. And if they don't shut up, you have a wonderful distraction in your date number two: the inspirational Renaissance woman known as Anne Shaughnessy.

Anne is a retired elementary school teacher, whose fading Michigan accent instantly comforts me, and reminds me of the years I lived in Detroit (by the way, if you're not a Red Wings fan, I'm not sure we can still be friends). We officially met at Joslyn Art Museum, where she is a docent (that's "tour guide" to you non-museum types) and where I was employed. But actually, we were destined to meet. It turns out that Anne was my brother-in-law's kindergarten teacher and my sister's former colleague. It was inevitable that our paths would cross.

I once wrote of Anne that she is a student of life. Each time I'm with her, she reminds me how to actually live. Anne is no stranger to grief, disappointment, and despair. She has reinvented herself time and again, and not in the "omg, Madonna is such a genious because she keeps reinventing herself" kind of way. If there is something Anne wants to do - she does it. If there is somewhere she wants to go - she goes there. She lives in the present. Each day is the most important day to her, or at least that's the effect* she has on me.

*Writer's note: as long as I live, I will never know the appropriate usage of effect vs. affect. I realize this jeopardizes my career potential as a fancy pants author, but whatever. That's why God invented editors and spellcheck.*

Upon hearing that Anne was my 2nd $1 dollar date, my sister said "I didn't realize you guys were friends-friends. When did you become friends?" My reply: "since forever." Because that's how it feels! The first time Anne and I had a chance to have a substantial conversation, we talked for over two hours. I was interviewing her for the museum's magazine and was totally fascinated at how much we had in common. We couldn't stop chatting about Michigan, volunteering, the arts, weird medical mysteries, and disfunctional relationships. And you know what the best part was? I thought she was too cool for me. Way to experienced and worldly. Now here we are, almost 3 years later, and we are movie buddies who share popcorn and coupons.

On our $1 date, we went to see It's Complicated at the Village Pointe theatre. She had a gift card, so our tickets were free and being thrifty gal that she is, she knew that it was $2 Tuesdays. So we split popcorn, each paying only $1. She snuck in a soda and I asked for a cup for water (which seemed to confuse the poor schlep behind the concessions stand but he eventually gave me the cup without argument). During the previews, we talked about my job prospects and her upcoming trip to London. We cozied into our over-sized seats and unabashedly laughed out loud at inappropriate jokes.

Have you ever known someone who is so supportive that words haven't yet been invented to describe them? That's Anne. Maybe my anxiety is flirting with me to remind me to seek out my friends. When I think of Anne, I hear her laugh and I see her smile. I feel her strength. It's really not that complicated.

On deck for day three: Daddy. I'll be seeing you....

Day One: The Next Chapter

Date: February 1, 2010
Friend: Emily Smith
Activity: chai and pastries
Location: Starbucks at Country Side Village
Total $ spent: $0 (gift card)

On a misty mid-winter day, the sun tucked in by the omnipresent overcast skies, I had the pleasure of sipping tea and munching on baked goods with my sweet friend, Emily. I couldn't have asked for a better first $1 date participant because Emily is simply radiant. In fact, I'm sure she is glowing with embarrassment over reading this about herself.

Emily and I met 2 1/2 years ago when I was working at the botanical gardens. She was a horticulturalist/educator/artist/gardner/tour guide and I worked in development. She was a member of the group I used to refer to as "the pretty girls" who giggled constantly, and didn't seem to have room for one more quirky chick. Fortunately, all it took was a group lunch outing to Trini's Mexican Restaurant for me to realize how quickly I had misjudged these lovely ladies. Within a short time, we were all friends and I knew that Emily was a keeper.

After I made the difficult decision to leave the gardens, Emily and the other "pretty girls" stuck by my side and seemed to value my friendship as much as I valued theirs. Me and my garden girls would meet for lunch, concerts in the garden, or dinners (with an appletini or two) at Upstream, and the occassional bridal shower or birthday party. When Emily volunteered to be my first $1 date, I was so excited that I planned my outfit the night before. You see, whether or not she realizes it, this is the first time Emily and I have ever hung out one-on-one.

Isn't it interesting how fate reminds us of certain friendships just when we need them most? Emily is also embarking upon a major career transition. She recently made the decision to leave Omaha's botanical gardens and relocate to Tennessee (Tennessee??). Without making the conversation about me (even though this is my blog so technically I could make it all about me), I let my sweet friend know that I related to her situation and supported her decision. Selfishly, I wanted to scream, "NO!! YOU'RE ONE OF MY FAVORITES! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME!" But I'm just too level-headed to allow such outbursts (bahahahahaha!!). She described the conflict she felt between craving change but liking Omaha so much. I compared her feelings to my experience leaving the DC-area. I told her how I consider these major life choices as chapters. Each chapter writes the stories of our lives, and Omaha will be a very critical chapter in the telling of her story. With a flick of her long, blonde swoopy bangs (which she is getting cut tomorrow by her beloved stylist), her hands a little fidgety, she looked me in the eyes and said, "Yes - that's so right!"

As we finished our chai drinks and left crumbs on our plates, our conversation drifted toward fashion, food, boys, and why doesn't Omaha have an Ikea or Trader Joe's? It's bad enough there is only one Whole Foods. Not that we can actually afford Whole Foods, but someday we might have that kind of money and wouldn't it be nice if we had options! We tried to guess when one of our mutual friends will get pregnant (I'm not naming names but you know who you are), and we realized that we both need to buy new dressers because we are using hand-me-down children's furniture. Though we are both diminuitive in stature, we are bargain shoppers with a lot of clothing!

Tonight, our friendship began a new chapter. I'm excited to see where this journey will lead her, even though it's taking her out of my city. We will be far-away friends who will chat over Facebook (yes, friends, Emily is FINALLY joining Facebook!), and exchange emails here and there. I'm hoping she'll call me when she's in town to visit her beau, and I'm sure we will giggle and compliment each other's shoes.

If today is any indication of how my month will play out, this little social experiment of mine may just be the best idea I've ever had. On deck for day two: Anne.

I'll be seeing you...