Pork in a Can

It’s been one of those weeks where I’m waxing nostalgic — wishing for a simpler day, but so grateful that I can call any one of my best friends at any moment and they’ll be there if I need them.

Still, in a moment of homesickness, I decided to pull out my albums from high school. If I couldn’t be in Texas with my long-time bestie, Kim, I figured I’d get some good laughs at our expense.

I’ll tell you, pulling out those albums was just what I needed. When I look back at our long-time friendship (of something like 23 years!), I’m grateful for a number of things. But one of the biggest things I always adored about our relationship was our individualism and creativity.

Our friendship was centered around a super nerdy creativity we both shared. We spent our Friday nights making TV commercials with the government-issued cereals and canned pork my aunt passed along to my family. We’d dress up in my parents’ clothing we found in the basement and make fashion videos. We’d write countless stories, which are stored in a Trapper Keeper at Kim’s. We regularly quoted True Romance. We’d make lame jokes that involved things we had learned in science class, watch B movies from the ’70s like Blacula and Groove Tube, we’d pig out on cream horns while delving into Bop and Tiger Beat. The list goes on and on. We basically went against the grain and did what made us happy — which holds true with us both today.

Of course, it’s why, back then, we were complete dorks who went to 4-H and science camp instead of parties with the popular kids. And it’s why, if we were teenagers today, we’d be all over YouTube.

My friendship with Kim hugely influenced who I am today, and I’d say that makes me a lucky girl. Today, I’m pretty lame awesome. (Seriously, thank God for roller derby, which bumps up my street cred.)

So what about you? Do you have any friendships that totally helped shape who you are today?