Kayla: Introductions

For a long time, I believed that I could survive in this world without girlfriends. 

I have two amazing sisters that have always been there to talk about boys, life, and our parents.

I have two amazing parents that have always been there to talk about boys, life, and my sisters. 

And all through growing up I’ve always had a crew of funny, energetic, easy to talk to guy friends that I didn’t have to worry about hurting their feelings or getting caught up in silly drama (a habit I tended to frequent with the females in my life). 

I made it to age 22 having never experienced the techno colored joy that can only be brought into your life by true girlfriends.  The first person to tip my balance was Kayla<3. 

Kayla and I had known of each other’s existence for many years before we actually became friends.  We attended the same high school, I was a year ahead of her, and we never spoke to each other.  We walked around the halls of our school avoiding each other at all costs.  It wasn’t until we attended a college Halloween party together that I realized I had wasted a lot of time not spending it getting to know her, and I was sure that I wanted us to be “the kaylas” for the rest of my life. From the very beginning, she has been someone that I can tell anything about myself without the fear of being judged.  She is my trusty sidekick, and I am hers; always there for each other in a pinch, or no pinch at all.  Her witty banter has me laughing for days and her inner strength is something to be witnessed.  I have been through more with her than I have with anyone else.  We were meant to be; two kaylas in a pod. 

College also did me the solid of bringing me another soul mate, Sara Dee.   Sara and I realized we were MFEO during an exercise in our Communications class where you had to introduce one of your peers.  Sara and I paired up.  Everything that one of us said about ourselves the others response was “ME TOO!” We are both the middles of three girls, love to play games, enjoy volunteering, and are obsessed with corny humor.  I remember going home after that class and wondering how I could get Sara’s phone number and ease into a relationship – I felt nervous about it like a high school crush – but when you know  you know. It wasn’t long until we were inseparable.  Sara is a cheeseball.  She is an optimist to the core.  She volunteers more of her time than anyone I’ve ever met.  I think her mission in life is to make everyone happy, all of the time – a seemingly impossible task - but she is impressively good at it.  She is one of the very few adults I know that still has child-like wonder for the simplest of things.  She inspires me. 

Bryniee is my oldest friend. We were introduced to each other at a young age, because our parents believed that it was fate.  Both of our dads worked (and currently still work) at the same water treatment facility, and both of our mothers worked at the Holiday Inn.  During workday chats, they realized the connection and that they both birthed daughters in 1985; it would be going against our destiny if we never met – and still to this day I believe they were right. Bryniee and I lived across town from each other and got most of our hanging out in over the summer months.  We’d spend weeks at the others house trying to win the Hot 9 at 9, chasing boys and feeling like we owned Windber Rec.  As we grew older and became more involved in High School, we’d only hear from each other on birthdays and holidays.  A few years ago fate stepped in and brought Bryniee back to me.  I was still working on my undergrad at UPJ and she came back to get her Masters.  I’m not letting her out of my sight this time.  Bryn is a teacher and it courses through her veins.  She has such elegance about explaining things to people that you can’t help but be memorized and while she is hypnotizing you, you osmosisly absorb what she is saying.  When I need her, she is there, with a bottle of wine in hand ready to tackle my demons with me.  She is a DIVA; part of her charm is that you can’t help but want to take care of her.  She is my listening ear and my little queenie. 

Without these ladies I would be a mess.  They are who I turn to for advice, gossip, adventures, laughs, and comfort.  When we don’t get to see each other for awhile, I can feel their absence physically.  I need my gal time; my time to unwind, with a bottle of wine, and catch up on all of their busy lives.  This blog will hopefully serve its purpose of keeping us connected despite the two hours of distance between us.  This quote always reminds me of the bond I share with my girls: