We'll always have Adam Lambert

This week's Friendship Friday post is about D.S. (the initials she goes by online).

I met D.S. in high school. I was a sophomore and she was a senior. She hung out with one of my close friends, so I saw her a lot. I thought she was nice, but we didn't hang out outside of school. We were more of acquaintances at the time.

After college, my friend and D.S. hung out a lot and I have admitted to her that I didn't trust her at the time. (There was a situation where my friend got sucked into a toxic friendship and this felt like a repeat of that situation.) Then my friend brought D.S. to hang out with our bowling group in 2001 or 2002 and I started to get to know her better. She was really nice and I didn't know why I was worried about losing my friend to her. Toward the end of 2002, I invited her to my annual Hanukkah party and we started becoming closer after that point. I went to her 30th birthday party in 2003. It was the first party I had seen her host and I was so impressed by how she made the party about everyone having a good time and being comfortable. We were e-mailing more often by this point and hanging out a lot, usually as part of a group.

When I had to give up one of my cats due to allergies, she bought me a stuffed animal version of that cat. I was so touched by that gesture. That summer, I introduced her to my favorite movie ("Where the Heart is," of course) and she loved it just as much. Later, we kept discovering more interests we had in common. In the fall of 2003, she and some other mutual friends got into a huge fight. She didn't try to put me in the middle, but she came to me about it first in hopes that I'd be able to resolve it. She eventually resolved it with them on her own, but it also brought us closer. We had girl's days out and would go out for lunch, a movie and shopping. We'd also send each other extremely long e-mails that we called novels (which we still do). She's been an anchor for me during different times of my life, as well.

Last year, D.S. and I both developed huge crushes on Adam Lambert. We constantly talk about him and share information with each other about when he'll be on TV or his magazine appearances. She even sent me some magazines he was in last year. I made her a huge Adam Lambert collage for her birthday and I can tell from the photos and videos that she appreciated the present. :)

D.S. has a variety of health problems that she has lived with her whole life, leading to a lot of surgeries to correct them. However, she is the most optimistic and cheerful person I know. She goes through phases where she's depressed, but it's usually more seasonal and she does what she can to stay positive and upbeat. She even threw herself a birthday party this past winter to raise her spirits. She's not allowed to work because of her health issues, but her life is like a pleasure cruise. She goes out all the time, whether it's for movies, musicals, meals, shopping, etc. She babysits her adorable nieces and makes her apartment like a camp for them. She's always cooking and making tasty desserts. She loves taking pictures of all the fun things she does and treats her nieces as if they were her own kids. Every Halloween, she throws a party and finds ways to keep everyone involved. No wallflowers allowed at her parties! She even threw a party for us the last time we were in town for a visit. It was such a thoughtful gesture!

We don't get to see each other as often, but I feel like she's right next door with how often we communicate. It's almost like no time has been lost between visits. I'm always introducing her to my other friends with whom she has something in common. I know they'll like her as much as I do! I hope she'll be able to tag along on a road trip to DC someday (or take a train, as she can't take a plane), as I want her to spend time in my home and also meet "Jack," so they can tease each other in person. No matter how sporadically we hang out in person these days, I feel like we're always connected. She's truly a "girlfriend" and I love how we can talk about frivolous things, as well as have serious discussions. Even when we're "Golden Girls," I know that we'll always have Adam Lambert. After all, he appeals to women of all generations!