Claire's Fourth New Friend(s): Finding Brotherhood (well, really sisterhood) in the City of Brotherly Love

This weekend my super amazing brother graduated from Temple University. Yay Kevin! The whole fam was able to trek across the country to Philadelphia to witness this milestone and checkout where he has been the last 4.5 years of our lives. I have met a number of his friends over the past 4 years, but for some reason I kept missing these two ladies. Meet Megan Margeson and Nikki Goldstein. These two girls found out about the blog and were fighting to be my next friend! So naturally I had to choose them both. Kevin met these two ladies back in 2007 in his freshman dorm. Megan hails from Lancaster, PA. Her family became Kevin's "Easter Family." As one of his Catholic friends, she made sure that he always had a place to celebrate Easter. I've heard much about her, so I am excited to finally put a face to the name. Nikki hails from Jackson, NJ. Kevin and her started out with the same major and many of the same classes. A solid 50% of the stories that Kevin tells include Nikki. I said it to them a million times when we met, and I will say it again, Come out to the Southwest to visit!!!

Nikki, me, Megan. 

Kevin's Third New Friend: Pennsylvania is everywhere!

Saturday morning I went for a hike with my friend Lindsay and her family.  Lauren Wilke of York, PA joined us.  She's my new friend.  Ever since I decided to move back to Phoenix all I meet are people from Pennsylvania.  I love it!  Lauren is pretty freaking awesome.  She did a 50 mile run this past fall and then did the PF Chang's Half-marathon.  That's exactly 63.1 more miles than me.  She moved to Arizona four years ago and loves the desert.  She is a proud Penn State grad and still tailgates when she gets the chance.  I'm hoping to some day join her for a tailgate (I'm a much better tailgater than I am a runner).

Claire's Third New Friend: The Business of Mud Running

Have you ever heard of a little something called Ragnar?? It is an overnight, 200 mile, relay race. Well, my new friend was a Ragnar race director. That takes serious organization. Meet Carly Raskas. She originally hails from Great Falls, Montana, went to school at the lovely Washington State University (I went to Gonzaga, so we are basically neighbors!), lived in Seattle, and is currently residing in Salt Lake City. I met Carly this weekend out at Red Rocks while we set up and tested some of the obstacles for the upcoming races Terrain Mud Runs is putting on (Coming to a West Coast city near you!!). She is really good at putting obstacles together, scaling 12 foot walls, rock climbing and loooves mini plastic bottles of red wine. 

Kevin's Second New Friend(s): It's A Small World After All...

Friday, yet again, I find myself in need of my new friend.  I just arrived in Los Angeles to meet up with my existing friend, Max Joslyn, and visit everyone's friend, Mickey Mouse at Disneyland!  Mr. Joslyn, a fellow Temple grad (and former roommate), was throwing a good-old-style Burbank house party and I was, of course, in attendance.  Try to keep me away from a house party!  I strike up a conversation with Dave and learn that he is from Pennsylvania.  Cool, cool...I went to school out there.  Look at that, already having things in common!  He recently moved out to LA, lives in Long Beach with his brother and some other guy who is from Phoenix and is working on becoming a certified tennis instructor.  He loves playing tennis and will soon be teaching fools like myself how to play.  I later meet Dan and find out that he is Dave's brother and comes from Yardley, PA.  Yardley, eh?! My freshman year roommate is from Yardley!  What?!?! You went to grade school with my freshman year roommate?!  I can't help but think of the famed ride I'll be going on later that weekend: Disney's "It's A Small World".  Dan works primarily down in San Diego as a Biohazard Technician.  Apparently he commutes but loves the work, the people and his boss.  Dan and Dave Basheda are my new friends this week, I look forward to running into them again the next time I visit LA.

Claire's Second New Friend: One tough Mom!

This evening I had the lovely opportunity of having dinner with some real bad asses. They are all female graduates of the Air Force Academy and mothers of babies and toddlers. It goes without saying, they are tough. Meet Sarah Ziegler. She is a mother of a beautiful little one year old named Anna. Sarah played volleyball with my sister at the Air Force Academy (Go Falcons!). She served in Germany, Iraq, Phoenix and Las Vegas. When Anna grows up, she can truthfully say to other kids, "My mom can beat up your mom!"

Okay, in real life we do not have crazy eyes!

Kevin's First New Friend: Pretty much has my dream job!

Friday, January 6, 2012, I walk into a bar (perhaps one of the greatest bars: the Ice House Tavern) in anticipation of a friend's surprise ice skating party.  Could this perhaps be the evening that I make my first of 52 new friends?! Yes.  Meet Tim James Himebauch II.  He is not a native of Phoenix, but we are still called friends just the same.  Eight years ago he found his way down from Boise, Idaho and six months later, he began working at Costco.  Now, although I've always dreamed of working behind those glass walls and making sandwiches for the loyal Costco patrons, Tim's position as tire salesman is within the confines of the same walls that house those people dressed in white, making dinner for the masses and so, I am jealous of him.  As I sit next to him, looking out at the ice skating rink in anticipation of embarrassing ourselves, we share stories of our lives.  I look forward to hearing (and telling) more stories...and, perhaps, indulging in flautas from Armando's. 

Claire's First New Friend: She is so cool, she poops her pants!

Meet Sabrina Michelle Albiston. She is 4 months old and 14lbs of absolute chubby adorableness. She is the reason I moved to Vegas, and rightfully so, she has earned the title of this week's BFF. While we met back in September, we have really solidified our friendship this past week. She has spent hours being toted in the "front pack" while I clean, shop, eat, do my hair and check my email (seriously, she loves the front pack). We have already logged about 10+ miles in her stroller, cruising the streets of Las Vegas/Henderson and have discovered that the walking demographic around here is basically the two of us and 6 junior high boys. She has helped me discover my talent for remixing pop songs into baby appropriate. She will probably be right on my hip as I meet every new friend this year. Bottles up! Bottles up!

The front pack makes her extra drooly.