Family and Friends

I just wanted to take a moment to wish the happiest of birthdays to two of the most important, irreplaceable ladies in my life, who happen to share the same birthday, on July 27th.

One of them is my loving mother, who has always been a constant support for me, whether near or far… continually encouraging me to follow my dreams and believe in myself:

The other one is none other than my best friend of twelve years — Debbie. I recently found a blog post from her xanga which I didn’t know still existed, and in an entry that was written almost a year ago (and I hope she doesn’t mind me sharing this here), she writes:

I’m obviously biased, but Misono and Dan’s wedding was simply the most beautiful, elegant, and intimate wedding I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending and their slideshow was just icing on the proverbial cake. I teared a little watching Misono’s part of the slideshow– watching her life flash by in a series of photos made me realize just how much of my own life Misono’s been a part of. There’s my life before Misono (B.M.) and after Misono (A.M.). And the latter has been all the more enriched in simply knowing her.

Reading her entry for the first time nearly a year after it was written brought tears to my eyes — I have always considered myself the lucky one to not only have such a caring, beautiful, smart, witty, all-around wonderful person in my life, but to be able to call her my best friend. Part of me finds it hard to believe that I’ve known Debbie for almost half of my life now, but another part of me can’t really remember any memories that don’t involve her in some way. In my fondest memories, in the moments in my life that really shine among the others, she was always a part of them — whether actively involved in them or quietly supporting me from behind and waiting with flowers and a warm hug afterwards. From high school antics to going to our first college party, to surviving our first year at Tech together, to culture shows and graduations, she has always been there. Even after she graduated two years before me, she made the five hour trip down to come see me whenever I had a culture show or some other big event. Debbie has a place in my heart that no one else — not even Dan — can fill; I think that is what makes a best friend so irreplaceable. It’s my life that has been all the more enriched by her presence, and so it is with deep gratitude that I celebrate the fact that she was brought into the world on this day, 26 years ago. Love you bestest!