shmo. shay-bay. shea butter.

whatever it is you happen to call her, it's her birthday today! shea has been one of my dearest, darlingest, bestest friends for years now. you see...it all started one day on the school bus in the fifth grade. and if you know the two of us, you know that our present day amity started off as more of a mutual enmity. maybe it's because she physically abused me by means of a binder to my face, or because i used my popular friends as weapons of mass derision towards her. but years later--whether it was because we were both just too darn lovable to resist one another, or because it was jr. high and we were desperate for friends--our hatred for one another was tossed aside and replaced with what would come to be a lifelong friendship (well, okay, so far it's only been an adolescent-long friendship, but it's well on its way to lifelong status). i will never, ever forget the stroll we took at summer camp nearly seven years ago. arms linked, we were walking out from chapel and onto free time when she looked at me, smiled, and simply said, "let's be best friends." with a laugh, i agreed and added, "we will no longer be known as just shea, or just alli. from here on out, we will be 'alli and shea.'" and while the whole "alli and shea" thing might not have stuck, our friendship has. i can't imagine my life--or this world, even--without shea in it. and in honor of this day that is devoted to her existence, we celebrated! the birthday girl's mom, dad, aunt, nan, boyfriend, and i took her out for some delicious italian food and fun.

so thanks, shea, for being born and for being my friend. i love your guts more than you'll ever know. oh, and happy birthday!