holly "belle" barber

i have southern friends. the most endearing, passionate, hilarious, best-times-of-life friends. my college years were filled with them. southern school, southern friends, southern fun...even giving me a pseudo southern accent for a time, which i loved, ya'll. but none so wonderful as my roomate, holly "belle" barber. now that we are grown, it seems another lifetime ago that we pranked stroup hall and move all of the inside living room furniture onto the front lawn. that we ate countless cheese bagels and milkshakes at the hip housing hour of 11pm. that we ruled myrtle beach and made lots of shopping trips to spartanburg, sc.  that we laughed and talked for hours upon hours and had a most impressive repertoire of inside jokes.
now that we are grown, i see so much of the role she played in my life. the things we learned together, and the example she set. how thankful i am for our short time together.
now that we are grown, and she is southern and i am northern, she is one of those i long to have as my neighbor. she would be the one doubling recipes to share, just because she knows we would love the new one she is trying. she would be the one watching my kids when i have the flu. holding my hand and shedding tears over a lost loved one. she would be the kind of neighbor, friend, sister, that everyone longs for.

yesterday, i got a text. from my long lost dearest friend. it made my day :)

"read your blog earlier today and now i'm thinking about you at the grocery store! wanted to show you what's in my cart! :) bunch of spices for a new recipe i'm trying, corn on the cob, grapes and reeses cups! i threw in an extra one for you! love you!"

i can hear her sweet southern voice :)