A Little Help from My Friends

• I am incredibly grateful for true friends.

The past few weeks have been really great for me to recharge with good, loyal friends. Liz, Bryan and Cullen were able to visit during Finals Week to LMU while they were on an Alternative Spring Break trip with their kids from OSU. It was somewhat of a surreal experience to be on the Bluff with the original Fab Four, plus Meredith, AJ, Nate and Briana. My worlds were colliding! I had a moment while we were taking our standard Fab Four pictures where I was incredibly grateful that Liz, Bryan and Cullen were not only brought into my life, but somehow we've been able to see each other at least twice a year since we graduated from BG which is pretty amazing since we are about 2,500 miles away from each other.

After we wrapped up the day at LMU, we went to stroll along Rodeo Drive which was all decked out for the holidays. I'm always impressed by Beverly Hills, but BH during the holiday season is truly a scene to behold. There was gold and red and garlands everywhere and it looked completely gorgeous. There was a little chill in the air which made it even more enchanting. We strolled around, stopped in the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and then headed to 26 Beach for a little dessert action.

I was able to double my Fab Four fun just two weeks later when Liz and Bryan asked me to join them to ring in the new decade! The entire night was just so incredibly relaxed and there wasn't any need to worry about dynamics or being extra cautious about what to say or what not to say. The entire night was low-key and just fun. Bryan made us dinner, Rose and Cullen came over for games, champagne and to see the ball drop. We stayed up until around 3am, slept in the next day and then went over to Cullen and Rose's for brunch, more games and general merriment. Liz and I went to see a movie, then said goodbye in the frigid Ohio temperatures. I was on my way home with the hopes of seeing them again soon.

As I was driving home I started to think about how easy the whole visit had been. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the best at staying in touch with people that I don't see in person on a regular basis, but they refuse to let me go quietly into the night. I am so grateful that Liz in particular simply won't let me get away with not calling or writing back. I'm making a commitment to do a better job at keeping in touch with them, even if it through non-traditional methods such as Skype-ing. They have refused to give up on me and it's about time I return the favor.