Birthday Girl

Yesterday was the birthday of my most dearest and beloved Pookie. Who is Pookie, might you ask? Well, as I sat down to begin this post I realized, in all the time I've started this blog, I have yet to mention Pookie...probably because she's been busy kickin' @$$ and takin' names in nursing school. Mostly, I feel bad that you, the reader have had to go so long without hearing about the Best. Girl. Ever.

Pookie is my best friend Charlene Book.

I thought, for this post, about copy and pasting her made of honor speech at my wedding, cause that would about sum it up. But then I realized she would probably notice that her birthday post wasn't original and decided against it.

P is for Pookie, and it's our term of endearment for each other. Charlene says to me one day "I have a new nick-name for us" and it's stuck for about the last 7 years. 

I've known Charlene since we were young at church, but we really didn't start hanging out until high school...and then things got a little CUH-RAY-ZEE.

 We rocked the socks off our youth group,

(drove our leaders crazy for always laughing and being too loud, stealing the heater from the bathroom at church camp to transport it to our "canvas cabin," and always rearranging our bunks so we could sleep next to each other)

 took our first road trip together,

("NOOK is the new MASH," The Rocket Summer, and the best Disneyland fireworks EVER)

(California Circa 2005)

(and continue to make this an annual-ish event)

(California Circa 2010)

went on 2 cruises together,

("You are the best Americans I've ever met," "That was liberating!,"And then you flick it!")

worked at 2 jobs together,
("SHHH you girls are scaring away my customers!", tortilla's and queso, Dan Dan the Head Pro Man, and "Double Trouble.") 

(It's evident how productive we were by seeing if we could fit into small spaces in the counter)

 

got really good at tee-pee-ing...

(and cleaning it up for that matter), 

and a whole bunch more in between!

I love that when we go places people always think we're sisters. After setting the record straight countless times, we finally just went with it. ...In fact, we told people we're twins. Some people don't buy the twins thing, but some do...especially in foreign countries.

Charlene and I have perfected the art of singing in the car ("I shake it like jello make the boys say hello cause they know I'm rockin' the beeeeat..."), but I have to admit, she is the queen of Nsync. Their very first CD was the sound track to probably, the first 2 years of our friendship (that and Kelly Clarkson), and try as I might, I just can't keep up with her. Our specialty was a duet to "Giddy up." Our first time to California we were meeting my aunt and cousin for a movie one night; we parked in the parking garage and (for some reason) felt inclined to  turn on our video camera and began video taping ourselves singing that song and be-boppin' around. ...Needless to say, we were late for our movie. I should really look into figuring out how to get that video on my computer and then on to this bloggity blog...cause it's FUNNY.

One summer we went on a camping trip together with our dad's.

We made them share a bed so we could sleep next to each other.

On that same trip we decided to spend an afternoon at the lake. A lake, that, little did we know, was only for fishing, "No Swimming Allowed." We decided to float around on a big huge pool toy, cause we though it'd be fun.

(Little orange dot=Charlene and Carissa))

Charlene taught me how to scream. I mean, I know how to scream, but when we first started hanging out she told me that when she gets excited she can't help but scream bouts of joy. We were in my bedroom, folding up the sheets she had slept on after another sleep-over night and all of a sudden lets out this scream that made me just about soil myself. 

"Why are you screaming charlene??"   

"Cause I get happy! Don't you scream when you get excited? You should try it."

And from then on, we scream together. It's usually our method of greeting each other.

Charlene brings out the best in me, and probably everyone else she meets. But even better, she brings out the silly in me and vice versa. So many years of gut-wrenching laughter, inside jokes, and funny one-liners is hard to condense into one blog post.

"Wait, are you two girlfriends?"

"I was just dreaming about the multiples of 9"

"Donde esta Bea??"

"YOU SO SPIIIIIIIKEY!"

 We used to say that "no one is best friends like we are best friends." We even created a signature pose (actually, I don't even remember how or why we came to do it all the time) to put our stamp of Pookie-ness on things. Here's a few from our collection...

You know that saying that goes "God made us best friends cause our parents couldn't handle us as sisters." I think this is totally appropriate for Pook and I. She has been there for me over the years through pretty much everything and given me sound, good advice that only a best friend can give.

She was the BEST Maid of Honor (or Pook of Honor, as we liked to call it) anyone could EVER ask for. I feel bad that I had to be the first one to go and get married, I know, I'm a jerk, but that's life and Charlene has been the one to help me accept that friendships grow and evolve and change. She gave me the scrap book of all scrap books as my wedding gift that is the epitome of "priceless," and delivered the most amazing MOH toast that had everyone in tears. 

  In that toast she told a story about how one day we were laying out getting our tan on, when we were about to go inside for some water and she passed out...like, full on fainted and fell backwards onto me. In panic mode, I yelled her name a few times, slapped her cheeks, and eventually thought to throw some cold water on her to wake her up. Thankfully it worked and she was revived...and now she is forever indebted to me for saving her life. ...Just kidding, but seriously, 

Charlene, I'll throw water on your face to save your life ANY day.

Thanks for being the best-est friend I could ever ask for.

I freakin' LOVE you