Of IPhones and Bracelets and Best Friends Forever

Every summer there's a ton of art festivals held here in nearby Laguna Beach. The Sawdust Festival is one of our favorites. My niece, Natalie, actually works there and gets us in for free. (Win!)

So, last year I found this beautiful silver bracelet that I fell in love with and so I bought it.

 

Mine has white fresh-water pearls and Swarovski crystals. I continue to wear it almost daily. I swear, I seriously love it. It's become my signature piece of jewelry.

My best friend, Pam's birthday is in September and last year I kept meaning to get her a bracelet just like it, knowing she would love it as much as I did mine. But our busy summer got away from us and the Sawdust Festival closed down for the year.

This year, when I went to the Festival, my first order of business was to hopefully find the booth that had the beautiful bracelet so I could get one for my BFF. Indeed, I found the booth and was practically crowing because I was so proud of myself for buying her birthday present months in advance. (Can I get an Amen to that?)

We were talking one day back in August and she was a little down, so I mentioned that I had gotten her the most fabulous birthday present EVER, and that in fact, I had one just like it, but she'd have to wait until her birthday in September before I would send it to her.

Big mistake.

Pam's given name is Pandora. And she is just as curious as her namesake.

So, after much badgering, I promised to send the gift early, but then I made her promise to give me Birthday Credit. (<–That's code for "I didn't get you anything else." =D)

With the Birthday Credit promise secured, I sent her the bracelet.

When she received the bracelet, she immediately send me a photo and a gushy thank you text on her IPhone.

 

That's when the craziness started.

I sent her a photo (from my IPhone) of my matching bracelet to let her know I was thinking of her, too.

 

So now we just send each other photos of The Bracelet as we go through our days.

Here's Pam with her coffee.

Here's me driving. (No worries. Lucy took the photo.)

 

Here's Pam wearing other bracelets with it.

 

I like to wear my Cuban "esclavas" ("slaves") with mine.

 

And so it goes. Sometimes we just send the photos without a text.

 

Because when you are lucky enough to have a best friend like mine, you don't always need words to say, "I love you and I'm thinking of you."

 

Today is Pam's birthday. I know she's wearing her bracelet. Of course, I'm wearing mine. I feel so, so very privileged to have such a wonderful, crazy and silly lifetime friend. (35 years!)

Happy Birthday, BFF! I love you MORE.

(Remember…..I get Birthday Credit, but that's not important right now.) =D