The End of an Era

Something monumental happened recently.

No, not BlogHer11. Something bigger.

My sister and BFF moved out. As in out of my house. To a city closer to work, but farther from me.

Like Monica from Friends said when she moved out of the apartment with Rachel, “It’s the end of an era!”

It really is.

Despite our 8 year age difference, Ellen is my best friend. She gets me.

She can look past my sharp edges and mood swings. She knows where I’ve come from and why I am who I am today.

Because she was there.

To a certain extent, my background is also her background. We’ve weathered the decades together. The ups and downs. The good times and the bad times. We’ve shared secrets, clothes, shoes and tweezers.

Yes, tweezers. The really good, $35 kind that can pluck the tiniest stray eyebrow. They are actually hers, so without them I’m half way to a Muppet uni-brow.

We like watching the same crazy stuff on TV: Hoarders, Intervention, TLC’s Mermaid Girl or Primordial Dwarf Girl or Tree Man, True Life anything. You know, the good stuff.

We like eating the same random food. Cold leftovers, Indian food, Middle Eastern food, anything we can dip a tortilla chip into. You may even see her pull a burrito out of her purse Saturday morning after a night on the town.

Ellen is a treasure. She’s sweet, funny, beautiful and quirky. I don’t know anyone else like her.

She laughs at her own jokes. Usually so hard that she can hardly tell them.

She can fall asleep anywhere. The couch, the floor, the patio, my bed, her bed, you name it. She may be part-narcoleptic, but the girl is gorgeous when she sleeps. No scowl face, no gaping mouth, just peaceful and pretty.

If she gives someone a nickname, it sticks. Really, any nickname that she starts grabs hold and becomes a permanent fixture. My baby’s name might be Grace, but now she’s Boo Bear and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. I hope you’ll be ok with being called Boo Bear when you’re 17, because, unless Auntie Ellen comes up with something else, that’s your name.

There are a million other things. Things that I got to see and hear, day in and day out for almost two years. Two great years under the same roof after four long years apart while she was away at school.

We definitely made up for lost time. The bond grew stronger, the admiration deeper.

I know you’re only 3o minutes away sweet sister, but it seems so far after being roomies these past couple of years.

Know that I love you and miss you and I’m always here if you need someone to share cold leftovers with.