ten years on

*i am starting this post with a little aside, to let you know that this is one of those times that i'm invoking my rule of 'it is still saturday night to me because i haven't gone to bed yet even though technically it's sunday'. 90 in 90 still in tact. and i'm having quite a nice weekend- but that will have to wait until tomorrow*

tonight something pretty freaking awesome happened. katie poulin magoun, one of my best friends in the world, had a baby. i believe it happened some time around 11pm. Mariel "Molly" Katherine Magoun is 8 lb. 1 oz, 21 inches long. from what katie says she has a head of hair, and quite a set of lungs (which i heard myself- it was impressive). Both mother and baby are doing great! (as is dad, but dads never get as much attention post-birth, because frankly all he had to do was stand there and watch).

katie first called to tell me she was in labor earlier this afternoon. i was so excited i even surprised myself when i jumped up and down on the street and squealed like a little girl. katie is my first good friend to have a baby- the first pregnancy i feel like i've been involved with. and it's sooooooooo cool. and can i just say, i was also surprised that cell phones are allowed so freely in hospitals. i spoke with both katie and goon pre-labor, and katie called me like 25 minutes after giving birth from goon's cell phone. is that really allowed? who knows, but i appreciated it.

this big event got me thinking about the first time i met katie, and our friendship which has lasted almost ten years (10 years! where did the time go?) we met freshman year when we lived in the same dorm at hamilton (what up North!). to be honest, the first time we met i thought she was way cooler than me because she already knew a bunch of people when i felt like i knew no one. we would talk in the halls and stairwells of the dorm in large groups during orientation week- because we didn't know what else to do. our dorm was particularly close that year- and i'm really glad because i feel like it set a good precedent for the rest of college.

anyway- katie. we had our first real conversation under a tree outside of north somewhere around the second week of school. i was frustrated by one of my roommates (who turned out to be one of the sweetest people ever once you got to know her) and just felt like i was going to burst if i didn't talk to someone about it soon. so i approached katie, who i kind of knew and said something to the effect of "can i talk to you for a minute?" she was nice and obliged, and while i can't really remember any more of that conversation, i do know that it was the beginning of a year where we became inseparable. we did almost everything together- made friends, ate meals, went to parties, talked about boys.....talked about life.
we lived together for the first half of sophmore year, and sat in front of the tv together during 9/11- she is actually the one who woke me up and turned on the tv.
we watched dawsons creek together, trekked through the glen together, navigated break-ups and make-ups, made it to the end of school together- and didn't forget about each other once we got to the 'real world'.

for me katie has always been a rock. a beacon of rationality when i am being irrational. a pinch of funny when i am down. a partner in crime when we want to be mischievous. a sounding board when i need advice. she knows who she is, she's comfortable with it, and she accepts me the way i am.
katie is someone i will always want around- and she will be an amazing mother. she will be wise and kind and caring, protective but not overbearing. empathetic and understanding, but not a pushover. i can't wait to see her and meet molly, and help out where and when i can. i plan on being molly's kooky aunt who spoils her and tells funny stories about her parents from when they were in college (well, most of the stories i know about goon are inappropriate for children. so they will have to wait).
mainly i'm just excited that after ten years and a lifetime of changes, events, ups and downs- i'm friends with katie- and i get to see what comes next!