saying goodbye really sucks

beth and melly

we've had a string of last hurrahs, goodbye parties, quality time and poignant departures lately. here are some of the more crazy, meaningful highlights, or uh lowlights... [is that a word?]

an old picture of the girls...

melanie left on july 3 for england. although she was the youngest, mama melly managed to keep us sorted and organized. we always had a great time whether we were doing something or absolutely nothing together.

i will definitely miss her story telling technique; the rambling kind that tended to get so off track in a hilarious way. i would also venture to say she was the quirkiest among us...i've never seen anyone else do this internal snorting thing to scratch their ears. melly was a savior when i was in the hospital; she often came to sit for hours on end in that hole, bringing me anything my lil' heart desired. she also had a funny, twisted sense of humor. take as evidence, while i was in the hospital she brought me a tub of homemade guacamole saying 'since i obviously couldn't make it on my own...' if you don't know, making guac is how i got into this whole hand surgery business. she taught me a ton of british slang and proved to be an excellent travel partner, whether we were heading to korea or the ski slope. i will truly miss having melly around. her last night we hit up an izakaya and then retired to carrie's for her last minute packing.

us laughing to try and avoid crying.

one of my favorite melly pics



beth left the following week for scotland after a long decision making process. it was agonizing for all of us girls as we listened while beth worked out her reasoning, knowing we should give honest advice but wanting to simply urge her to stay.

she gets the most talented award for being a helluva actress and songstress. i admire her strong spirit and independence; she would often travel around japan and even to thailand solo. she's also sensitive and compassionate in situations where i would lose patience. this trait makes her a great listener and a gem to have around in a pickle. and to top it all off, when i was handicapped and couldn't properly shower, beth shaved my armpits for me. what a friend. i'll miss her company.
you know we like to stretch out any reason to party...
we had an open mic at the local live music bar...

we had a beach day with all the friends...

followed by an izakaya dinner.

not bad for a self-timer pic with the camera balanced on someone's car...

their departure makes me even more thankful that i've got good friends here. we've shared tons of belly-aching laughter, some tears, embarassing moments, girlie private secrets, each other's companionship and we've all grown and gained much from our time together. while it seemed so short, i take great comfort in knowing that i've forged long-lasting friendships with these two beautiful women.