Forever Paisley

A three hour jaunt from Duluth and I had successfully landed in Buffalo, MN.  When I rolled up I had every intention of cooking for my Minnesota host, but when I walked through the door Emily (Em Gem) already had vegetarian enchiladas on the stove and a bottle of wine uncorked.  Fine by me.   In Brandon’s dreams the rest of the evening consisted of wine, pillow fights and an innocent make-out session.  In reality, we posted up on the couch, caught up on recent happenings and revisited some ghosts of the past.  Last time I had the pleasure of seeing Emily we were overwhelmed by the holiday rush.  Reunions took place in bars packed full of high-school acquaintances.  Conversations required screaming over drunk Yoopers and top 40 playlists.  Needless to say, the one on one time was both deserved and appreciated.

Through the good times, through the bad times.  Living under the same roof, separated by 2,400 miles.  Looking back it’s crazy to believe that Emily has been a staple in my life for over a decade now.  It was twelve years ago that she started pulling into my parents driveway at 2662 West Fair Avenue, smiling from the seat of her Cavalier with the Backstreet Boys blaring from the stereo (and her voice box).  For a girl who has always gravitated towards more organic sounds, this was always quite the experience for me.  As the years went on she continued to prove to be an amazing friend, an inspiring mentor and a hell of a partner in crime.   Not only did she help me grasp the world of integrals but she (and Dani D) also exposed me to a social scene abundant with older (not wiser) men, dance parties and tasty poisons (tequila, I forever curse your name).  I’ll never forget one specific night.  Emily, Danielle and I locked ourselves in the  bathroom of the “Love Nest” for nearly an hour.  The objective was clear.  I wasn’t to leave that bathroom until my coaches had successfully trained me in the sport of beer bonging.  Of course, by the time I had perfected the skill I was too tipsy to show it off in public.  Oh well.  I leveraged that lesson later on in life.

At 27 I don’t think I need any further coaching on beer consumption or the quadratic equation, though I’m sure the next 24 hours will bring an education of some sort.  As for right now, Emily is off at school participating in jersey day and molding the brains of our nations youth.  I’ve been much less productive.  With some time to spare Easton, Emily’s loyal companion, and I are going to head out for a run and explore the wonder that is Buffalo, Minnesota.  I’m hoping that we find a groomer along the way because this little guy most definitely needs a trim.   Also, in case it wasn’t obvious Easton is a dog; however, it is possible that Emily’s human loyal companion, Brandon, may need to trip to the groomer as well.  I’ll report back on that later.

Day 9,991.  The adventures of Em Gem and Cherrettie.

Cherrettie