portrait: camille

I was four years old. And I was the new kid in the neighborhood. I was scared to be moving to such a new place. But, my mum kept telling me I would make friends. The day we moved in, a knock came from our front door. There stood a blond, four year old girl asking to play with me. Me. As friends. Her name was Camille. Her brother, Anthony was the same age as my brother, Shalin. The four of us were inseparable from that day on. Six years later, my ten year old world was rocked. To its very core. They had to move away. Far, far away. And, the day they moved, we hugged them until they had to get in the car. We watched them drive away from our living room window. We cried in my mum's lap as she stroked our hair and told us we would see them again all the while tears running down her face. After all, her best friend, Mrs. Gardella, was moving away as well. She tried making us puppy chow to make us feel better. And, all I could think about was how my best friend was going to be hundreds of miles away.

But, how do you sum up decades of memories into a blog post? Just like this. It was selling lemonade to our neighborhood on hot sunny days. Together. The four of us. It was playing flashlight tag late at night. It was telling scary stories to our little brothers in our garage when a thunderstorm came in. It was playing tea party and dress-up every day after school. It was going swimming during the summer. It was waking up and running across the street to one another's house to watch cartoons and eat breakfast. It was my mum confiding in Mrs. Gardella for everything. It was Mr. Gardella and my dad having deep conversations on the driveway until the late evening hours. It was fighting over the dumbest things as in who could host the next tea party at their house. It was riding my first roller coaster with her. And hanging on to her for dear life. (I still think I left my stomach at the top of Mr. Freeze!) It was seeing them in New Jersey and never wanting to come home. Ever. It was the sense of calm we felt with their family. They were home to us.

It was seeing her after ten years last weekend. So much had changed. Yet, so much has remained the same. It was hugging her and never wanting to let go. It was sitting on the steps in the Loop just talking. Making plans to see one another in a year in New York City. It was as if I was still looking at my best friend when I met her 22 years ago. And, on the way home to Kansas City, those same tears that fell into my mum's lap when I was ten, this time fell to Bryan. Because I missed her. Already. Like I always have.

Because I got to see one of my best friends after ten years, I decided to take a few photos of her, her love, Peter and her and one of our other good friends, Graeme and her. To freeze the memories of that day.

Meet one of my best gals, Camille. She is simply gorgeous!







This is Peter, Camille's love. After meeting him, I knew I would love him right away. He has one of the kindest hearts and he treats my gal VERY well!



My favorite!



Love love love love times one million!



Yes, she truly is this beautiful! Inside and outside.



AYKM?!?!?! Love.



Graeme and Camille!!!



Bryan's photo. It is going to be framed!



Camille, I hope you know how much I love and miss you! Bryan loved meeting everyone! He finally got to put faces to the stories I tell about. And, we already have talked about planning a trip up to NYC sometime in the near future! I hope Peter and you have a safe journey home!