Marci, Marci, MarciDecember 19th, 2006 @ 7:01 am
When I was in high school I remember my Mom told me that I would be lucky enough to have a few very special friends that would span my entire lifetime. I remember wondering who those friends would be, wondering if I knew them yet, or when they might come into my life.
My Mom also told me that most likely I didn’t know them yet and that I had many more friends I would meet; women that I didn’t even know existed. Women who would help me be a better person.
I met Marci in the 9th grade. She had moved to our small town at the start of the school year and had made friends with some (wacky) girls from her neighborhood. We had a few classes together and would walk to those classes together. That was it.
Slowly we became better friends. We realized we lived near each other, had some of the same likes, plus, we cracked each other up. Next thing I knew, we were inseparable. You couldn’t find Marci without finding me close by. The funny thing is that Marci and I weren’t a lot alike. She dressed better then I did, had better hair, better teeth, a cuter brother, and was probably a little smarter than I was.
As time went on, we became more and more alike. Somehow we discovered The Beatles and our lives and friendship was forever changed. Everything we did, everything we talked about revolved around our love for John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Everything.
I’m pretty sure this was around the time that we started to wear tie-dye, part our hair down the middle and not shave our legs (okay, I was the only that didn’t shave. Marci always did.) Marci even had a disco ball in her car. How awesome is that?
We both got boyfriends our senior year and things slowed down for us in the friendship department. Meaning, we didn’t speak our entire senior year until graduation day. And then we bawled our eyes out. I felt so stupid for wasting my senior year by not having Marci by my side. I knew we had missed out on some formidable years-memories that I would be sorry I had missed. I looked into the future and knew I would always regret my senior year sans Marci.
We vowed to never break-up again. And we never have. Although Marci and I went to different schools, we stayed in contact during college (and this was all before e-mail and cell phones). Marci met her husband while she was in college. He had long blond hair, wore sandals year round, and quoted Khalil Gibran. He was a real live hippy and I thought he was dreamy.
They got married and I wore a shiny purple dress and watched them dance together to John Denver at their wedding and then drive away into the sunset. Eventually they had a baby. And another one. And another one. Sometime during all of this I got married, divorced, and married again. Marci was always there. She was my constant, even if we didn’t even live in the same state.
Marci’s the only friend that knew I was pregnant each time. She was the only person that knew about the miscarriages. She was the one that called me at 9 weeks into my pregnancy with Babboo to see how I was doing. She’s the one that I call and talk to when I pumping breast milk at work. She’s the only person in real life that knows about this blog.
Marci’s the one my Mom was talking about. The friend that would be with me my entire life. The friend that would make me a better person.
Happy Birthday Marci. Thanks for being with me for the good and the bad these last 17 years, and for making me laugh my ass off the entire time.
They're just my friends · Back in the day
Margarita
said,
December 19, 2006 at 4:45 pm
That TOTALLY made me cry.
It’s amazing the friendships that we form and the bond that we as women have. It’s indescribable.
Happy Birthday Marci!!!
janet
said,
December 19, 2006 at 4:49 pm
that was such a sweet tribute! And it makes me love my own Marci (whose name is Alison, but those are just details) a little more!
Rachel
said,
December 19, 2006 at 4:52 pm
That was very sweet. I don’t know where I would be without my best friend of 11 years. We also met in high school and have been inseperable ever since.
Frema
said,
December 19, 2006 at 4:53 pm
What an awesome tribute to your friend. My girlfriends situation is kind of strange; I don’t have anyone in Indianapolis that I’m close to, so many of my friendships are maintained by phone and e-mail and even blogging–my old college roommate Molly started a blog at the beginning of this year, and it’s been a great way to get to keep in touch.
Jennifer
said,
December 19, 2006 at 5:32 pm
I have two friends like that. They are my best friends, and always will be, even though we met in high school, went to different colleges, and now live in different states. I don’t talk to them every day or even every week… but they’re the ones that have been there through anything and everything. I feel so lucky to have them — and I would be lost without them!
MK
said,
December 19, 2006 at 5:45 pm
Yeah for Marci’s! I have one in my mife too and I am also a better person for it. I hope everyone finds there Marci- lifeis so much better for it. This was a wonderful post!
Carrisa
said,
December 19, 2006 at 6:15 pm
*BAWLING*
Thanks for making me cry. I’m so happy that you two have eachother. I am still friends with my BFF from high school but it’s not like it used to be. Maybe someday it will get back to that.
Happy Birthday Marci!
Bunny
said,
December 19, 2006 at 6:46 pm
I, too, have a “Marci.” A girlfriend that knows everything about me and she is the one I will always keep in contact with. As we get older, we are getting more and more different. We live in different places, but we try to keep in touch and get together now and then.
alyndabear
said,
December 19, 2006 at 7:54 pm
That’s beautiful! I’m sad I don’t have a Marci.
marci
said,
December 19, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Thank you! I am totally bawling. That was the best thing I have heard on my birthday (or any other day) for a long time! I love you, too and are very thankful for our friendship! We are so lucky!
Marci
Molly
said,
December 19, 2006 at 8:02 pm
You know you have lucked out in life when you’ve managed to form a true, deep, longstanding bond with a girlfriend. How lucky you are to have Marci. And (waving to Marci) Happy Birthday!
H. Squirrel
said,
December 19, 2006 at 11:37 pm
Beautiful. I’m so glad you both realized that your friendship was worth keeping and nurturing instead of focusing on the guys in your life (high school speaking). You are both lucky women!
Jana
said,
December 20, 2006 at 12:38 am
I have a friend like Marci. We’ve been friends for 15 years, seen each other through thick and thin. It’s a great thing!
amieable
said,
December 20, 2006 at 1:07 am
Happy Birthday Marci!
Thank you, Isabel for writing this to remind us ALL of the “Marcis” in our lives.
Lindsey
said,
December 20, 2006 at 2:36 am
What a special friendship. You both are so lucky! And the picture, priceless.
Ella
said,
December 20, 2006 at 4:05 am
What a sweet post! Happy birthday Marci!
Durga
said,
December 20, 2006 at 4:29 am
OMGoooosh that is sooo sweet.
Reminds me I should call my so called close friends too…one of whom is dating a dead beat loser who treats me and my husband like crap- hence i stopped talking to my friend all together….becoz she refuses to get out of this crappy relationship and defends him.
*sigh*
Anyway, Happy Birthday Marci. You lucky, lucky girl.
kerrianne
said,
December 20, 2006 at 6:34 am
Friends like (you and) Marci make my heart happy. : )
Jessie
said,
December 20, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Friends like that are great! I have a friend who’s been my closest friend since we were two years old. She lives far away, but we keep in touch frequently, and I can’t imagine life without her. I told her recently that we’re more than friends, we’re definitely family, because she’s been in my life for so long that there’s no way I could part with her.
Christar
said,
December 20, 2006 at 10:44 pm
That was so sweet! I loved it!!! I have one of those friends too. We’ve been friends since the 4th grade, that’s 11 years!!! We had a rough patch through high school as well, but we are the BEST of friends to this day and have been for years! Her name is Jo Jo, and I love her sooooo much!!!
She’s always been there for me, and I always at least try to be there for her. Yay for best friends!!!
angela
said,
December 21, 2006 at 3:29 am
I love that story. Very sweet. I also love your 80’s hair and dresses in that picture.
hola, isabel » “Brownies for Breakfast” would make a good name for a rock band
said,
January 18, 2007 at 4:13 pm
[…] We got to hang out with my friend, Marci, and her 3 kids. (3 kids, holy crap, when did that happen?!) My Dad was even able to take her oldest out for a sleigh ride behind his 4-wheeler. Which doesn’t sound safe. And probably isn’t safe. But dang it, they had a blast. My Mom doesn’t really own any good toys for them to play with, so they had to entertain them somehow. […]
hola, isabel » I’m really into you right now
said,
January 30, 2007 at 5:15 pm
[…] We never really paid any attention to each other growing up. She was just my bratty sister that I had to take with me everywhere. Thankfully Marci also had a bratty little sister that we had to take with us. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked. […]
hola, isabel »
said,
March 28, 2007 at 4:11 pm
[…] So far none of my family or close friends have found my little corner of the internet. There is Marci, the one friend that I told about it (but she lives in a different state, so it’s safe). And of course there are the two sisters I know from high school who stumbled onto my blog. One of the sisters was in my grade and the younger one I worked with for years after graduation. I pretend they don’t read it. If I remember they read it, then I think about it too much and I get freaked out. I mean, they remember me when I looked like this: […]
hola, isabel » Stay (I Missed You)
said,
April 5, 2007 at 5:31 pm
[…] I did remember the name of the boy that was 2 years younger then me and lived across the street from my best friend Marci. He and I used to make out all the time, even though we never talked to each other at school. (He was a sophomore and I was a senior. It was against high school code to speak to him.) […]
hola, isabel » What does “Esprit” mean anyway?
said,
April 13, 2007 at 6:30 pm
[…] Yes, that’s a Polo shirt. But it’s a knock off that one of my dad’s students made in his graphic arts class. (And also, those are totally the shorts I wanted to be buried in. I miss them.) (And also, why do I keep posting horrible pictures of me as a teenager for the world to see? Why?) (And what’s with the squinting? It’s like I’m a mole person and the sun is going to kill me.) […]
hola, isabel » Blog Archive » It’s official. I have no shame.
said,
July 3, 2007 at 4:17 pm
[…] (My lack of embarrassment towards all of this may be the reason I wasn’t actually asked to the Homecoming dance. Instead of attending, I stayed home and helped Marci get ready for her date to the dance. There is even a picture to prove that I stayed home. Alone. Poor me.) […]
hola, isabel » Blog Archive » Of all the Charlie Browns in the world, you are the Charlie Brownist
said,
December 19, 2007 at 8:47 pm
[…] Today is my friend Marci’s birthday. While I won’t make you listen to stories of the good times we had as kids, I do want her to know that I love her. So Marci, Happy Birthday. Keep on keepin’ on. […]
hola, isabel » Blog Archive » Absence makes the heart grow fonder
said,
January 14, 2008 at 11:27 pm
[…] I miss Marci. She’s been my bestest friend since about the 8th grade. […]
In which I get reunited, and it feels so good | hola, isabel
said,
March 26, 2008 at 5:06 pm
[…] While it’s fun to see what old friends are up to, it’s especially fun to reminiscent about the good ole days. Marci, my best friend from high school, and I love to get together and talk about the silly things we did in junior high and high school. We admit that some of the things we did were embarrassing, but to us, we only remember that we had a good time. I really do have good memories of my school days. […]
In which I let my mom cut my hair | hola, isabel
said,
April 10, 2008 at 4:44 pm
[…] The summer before 5th grade, my mom gave me my first (and only) perm. She only permed my bangs and I loved it. She also gave my older brother a perm, after months of him begging for curls in his hair. I was about twelve year old when my mom first showed me how to henna my hair. My mom’s the one that cut 6 inches off my (way too) long hair, just in time for the Preference Dance my junior year. My best friend Marci stood by her side and offered her support. (Love the bow in your hair, Marci!) […]