Bonne Anniversaire, Aimee

Today is the first day, in the 27th year, in the third decade, in the totally enviable, completely fabulous, and always interesting life of my best friend, Aimee.

And so I want to tell the world (or my microscopic slice of it) about all the things I adore about her:

#1. Aimee was the first person I knew at Emory. Her name was sent to me on a little postcard in the Summer before I went to college; she was my freshman roommate. We exchanged cards and Aimee sent me cookies. Aimee was the first person who knew my name in college. There is only so close you can be with a friend if you haven't slept three feet away from them for a year (or two in our case. I learned what true friend intimacy was with Aimee. I learned it through whispers in the dark across a ten-foot dorm room.

#2. Aimee's CD collection. Seriously, I thought the girl had lived LIVES before she got to college. She was so exotic with her CD collection-Tori Amos, and the Grateful Dead, and Jamiroquoi, and Paul Simon. She had tales of Woodstock. I still worship this girls' CD collection and her uncanny ability to discover new artists and share them with her friends.

#3. Aimee taught me how to fight fair. And I can only say this because we had fights. Screaming, crying, slamming fights where I tried to literally say things like "I'm mad because I want to be. I don't have to tell you why." Aimee taught me how to fight like an adult-to articulate what was bothering me, to tell her, so that we could solve things. She never let me sabotage a good thing.

#4. Aimee is the most incredible dancer. Seriously, I know I've been talking a lot about sex lately, but you look at this girl dance, and you just know she's good in that department, too. She enters her own world, where anything goes, and no one cares what you look like, or whether or not you move just like everyone else. Watching Aimee dance made me want to dance, and when she met me, i couldn't even bear one song without a few shots. Aimee makes dancing look like the most inspiring thing. Watching her dance still inspires me.

#5. Aimee is a smart woman. Smart doesn't really do her justice. My friend Aimee puts people to shame with her work ethic, her raw intelligence, her voracity for her passion, and her dedication to her own pursuit of the best she can be.

#6. Aimee is such a good friend. Not just to me, but to everyone. She is ever-supportive, ever-listening, and her advice could probably save the world. I would recommend Aimee as Advisor to Every World Leader. She could broker World Peace.

#7. Aimee runs and jumps into your arms when you see her after a long time. I've never met anyone else like that. She just can't wait to see you, so she runs.

#8. Aimee loves to nap in her pajamas. Seriously, the girl changes into her pajamas for an afternoon nap. AND she gets under the covers. She seriously commits to that afternoon nap. Its not just a passing fancy, its really something she puts her heart into. Napping is an artform for Aimee. She has that in common with my cat, Madeleine.

#9. Aimee is organized. In her life, in her home, in her bathroom, in her desk. She is organized. Everything has a place. She's efficient, and she has great little systems for everything that the rest of us forget to do, like cleaning our make-up brushes, or making grocery lists. I marvel at her efficiency and her little systems for everything.

#10. Aimee loves life. She is a joy to be around. I've never met anyone who didn't like her. She does the right thing. She engages the new person in the group. She always remember to ask about your family. She loves to laugh and eat great food. She cracks me up, and she's been such an important person in my life for so long, that I do not know what I would do without her.

Happy Birthday, Aim!
Love you to death, Sarah