Today I had a thought. What if...what if I had never met you?

As a TV drama/sitcom series addict, I often find that real life collides with a situation, a feeling or a quote from one of my favorite shows. Today's show: Sex and the City. I am a huge SATC fan, so much so that I bought the boxed set on DVD as a Christmas present...to me, from me, last Christmas. (In all fairness it WAS half off at Best Buy - clearly a deal too good to pass up!!) In fact...come to think of it, it's really quite surprising that SATC hasn't found its way onto this blog more frequently.

Anyway, today I found myself thinking back to season 6, as Carrie says goodbye to her three very best friends in the entire world before she departs for Paris indefinitely. Over dinner she tells/asks them,

"Today I had a thought.

What if...what if I had never met you."

As a very hectic, crazy and difficult week came to an end here in Colombia I found myself reflecting on the people who I rely on everyday - the people who have remained a constant force in my life when nothing else seemed sure. People who remind me to keep my feet on the ground but encourage me to shoot for the stars with my dreams. These people who contribute to who I am need to be introduced to this blog of mine, because they contribute to my experiences everyday in so many ways... so I am starting today with one person who has made my Colombia experience better and better with each day.

From the time I arrived in Colombia with 13 other new teachers I knew there was something unique about Kelsi. Strong. Unassuming. Kind. Generous. Funny as hell. Looking back, I cannot remember which of her fabulous characteristics I noticed first, I just remember thinking "She looks like she is having a great time, all the time."

Here we are six months later and I cannot imagine Colombia without her. In fact, I cannot imagine life without her, so if I needed to come to Colombia to meet this girl from Orange County then I guess fate's kind of awesome. In these six months I have come to appreciate so much more about Kelsi, from the way she is so willingly up for any type of adventure to her three signature dance moves. She makes Colombia more fun and she definitely makes every day of our jobs more fun - I could Gmail chat with her all day long! On the days when nothing seems to go right she is always up for a good vent session at Crepes & Waffles. Beyond that, we share tons of common interests in yoga, outdoor adventures, shoes, How I Met Your Mother, The Office, reading, red wine, and travel...

I heard somewhere once that as you get older the people you meet who truly understand you, who get you, who relate to you at the very core of who you are, become increasingly rare. I couldn't agree more, so I am going to try to hang on to every one I find, and Kelsi is definitely one of those people. LOVE her!