Lacey comes to town. Part uno.

In high school, I couldn’t have enough friends. I was what you call, a “social butterfly.” I enjoyed being the center of attention and I liked when lots of people liked me. Now that I’m a little older (and wiser?) I’ve learned that true friends are treasures and rare treasures at that.

My subject matter hits close to home because my best friend, Lacey B., came to visit me last weekend. We met in college, during our freshman year and hit it off instantly. She is my female soul mate, no doubt.

We both have the same kind of silly, random humor. In college, we could look at a tortilla chip and start laughing. It really doesn’t take much for us to “lose it.” That is one of the things I like about Lacey. It’s so unusual to find a friend who understands you before you’ve said anything out loud.

We were roommates in college for almost four years. Once during our sophomore year we were having a small gathering. The quaint group turned into about 150 when a huge mob of people stormed through our door. It was quite a site and thankfully we were able to keep control and got the crowd to leave. There were also the all nighters we were fond of freshman year. We would study until 2 or 3 in the morning and then decide to walk to 7-11 (a gas station chain) and buy Slurpees, chips and dip. Then we would walk back to the dorms and entertain ourselves until our first class. The entertainment included simple things, like talking about roommate problems, playing pool, baking cookies or running through the halls dodging our RA. Those were the days!

We went to Mexico our senior year and had a blast. We danced, partied and swam for four days straight. I have the underwater camera pictures to prove it. We made friends with our tour guide Miguel and line danced on a party boat.

Now Lacey and I are both in our mid (late)-20s. I’m married and live 1,000 miles away. Naturally, we don’t get to see one another as often as we like. But thank goodness for cell phones, we talk regularly and stay connected via email, Facebook and texts. But nothing is better than being in the same room, laughing and carrying on like old times.

She has been through a lot both personally and professionally this past year. We’ve cried over the phone so many times, so it was so nice to finally express care and concern in person.

I know that we will be friends for a very long time. Sometimes when I see little old ladies with white hair shopping or eating at a bistro, I think of Lacey and me. I also know life will take us on a lot more adventures together. I’m looking forward to the day she gets married and I can throw her an amazing shower like she did for me.

It meant the world to me that she came to Little Rock to visit. This was her second time in the Natural State and I know it won’t be the last.

One milestone

What do you get for someone turning 1-years old? That was the topic of conversation and shopping adventures recently. My nephew, J, turned one on Sept. 20. The first birthday is a special occasion and must be celebrated. It must be said, I’m simply in love with this little guy.

Parish and I saw him when he was only about an hour old. We were the first ones at the hospital and stayed with my SIL (sister-in-law) as she recovered from the c-section. Twelve months later, our little guy is growing and developing on schedule. Since he had such a tough go at the beginning, this birthday is indeed a milestone.

We went to a family birthday celebration on Sunday and spoiled our little nephew. In order for the spoiling to take place, we had to go shopping to find the perfect gift. Which brings me back to the question I asked at the beginning of my column – what do you get someone who is turning 12 months old? We visited a couple retailers, although Target seemed to have the best selection of age-appropriate toys.

Parish and I perused up and down all of the toy aisles – every, single one. We wandered around hopelessly until we located the protruding signs that read 3 to 6 years old, 1 to 2 years old, 12 to 48 months and the aisle we needed: 6 to 12 months. That aisle turned out to be very entertaining. Most of the toys had lights and sound features with fun buttons and knobs. I think I played with every toy from an eating bird to a steering wheel that sang the ABCs. The toys were educational, but after pushing the umpteenth button, grew annoying. I thought of my SIL. What if my nephew really liked this toy and played with all day? His momma would go mad! I almost did and I only had to put up with it for 10 minutes. Parish and I looked at each other and after some discussion, decided to get her a gift card instead. I’m usually anti-gift card when it comes to giving them, especially for family members. But in this case, it made the most sense.

Now my SIL can get him an outfit, or maybe some diapers. Now she can discover the crazy aisle of baby toys and decide, firsthand, how insane she wants to go. In addition to the gift card, we found the cutest Razorback bibs. One is white with a bright red hog and the second is the same colors, reversed. He is going to look so cute wearing those little bibs as he slurps on his squash.

Celebrating his first birthday with family made me realize that it’s not the amount you spend or the flashiest toy, it’s about being together and honoring this little soul’s life.

I’m looking forward to a lot more birthday parties with this kid. I think it will be easier to find a gift for him next year. I did notice a shiny drum set while were shopping…maybe I will get him that for his 10^th or 30^th birthday. I have a good relationship with his mom; I don’t want it to hit a sour note.

Mr. C and me

There is something about a cup ‘o joe that just makes me feel so good. I don’t just drink coffee to wake me up, although that is a main component; I actually really enjoy the taste. I was raised in house full of coffee drinkers. In high school, I started hanging out in coffee houses to be cool. I don’t know if I was part of the in crowd, but I was always really hyper.

My college had a Starbucks in the student union building. I passed the famous chain every day, sometimes numerous times a day and resisted the best I could. Money was in short supply, so I had to make good choices about what I spent my moola on. I knew my dad would catch on if I kept calling and asking for money to support my caffeine habit. He would see through the 100^th “I need more cash to buy books, calculators and pencils for test taking,” conversation.

Now that I’m older, I still have to be resourceful with my money. Unfortunately, I drive by a Starbucks every day to work. They continue to tempt me! And I still have an infatuation with everything coffee.

I try to avoid stopping there every day and make it a special treat. For the past couple of months, I swing by there at the end of the week for ‘latte Friday,’ that is the official name that I gave it. Now, due to a recent purchase, I might be making even less stops by ‘bucks. As hard as it is to imagine, I have never owned a coffee maker. My roommate and best friend in college didn’t drink it and now my permanent roomie, Parish, won’t touch it with a 20-foot pole. Who wants to make coffee for one person? It’s like cooking for one – no fun.

During the weekends, my body craves the stuff and I usually end up you know where or grabbing anything that resembles it a nearby gas station. That is why I decided to go ahead and buy a machine already. Last week, I went to Target and to my amazement, found the cutest little four-cup coffee maker. It was love at first sight. He, my new maker, has the most stout glass decanter that you have ever seen. It is also programmable and I’m able to delay the start time. Now, the best part, he was on sale. I found him on the bottle shelf for $16.99. He was originally $19.99, but it was my lucky day. I picked him up, cradled him in my arms and told him about all the fun we would have together.

Then I picked up some of the most adorable coffee filters. They are just the cutest. I almost left the store without the most important ingredient – coffee. After standing in the coffee and tea aisle for a good 15 minutes, I selected a hazelnut bag and headed out. I felt on top of the world. The following morning, Mr. C made a great cup of joe and it cost me about a dime. Being resourceful tastes good, right to very last drop.