BFF

Katy and Fiona

Brian and Fiona

she also enjoys a good food table

Katy was always the leader of the pack.  She was an only child and had a cool, young mom.  Everything Katy liked, I liked, be it Janet Jackson, the Seattle Sonics, or Peppridge Farm Mint Milanos. Katy and I met in Mrs. Pennywell’s 1st grade class and remained friends through high school graduation. That said, I was always a step behind.  When I was playing with Barbies, Katy had a Michael Jackson doll, when I was reading Sweet Valley High, she breezed through John Grisham, when she played shortstop, I was stuck in right field.  While the rest of 6th grade suffered from cringe-inducing Awkward Stage (picture me with A LOT of hair-sprayed bangs and inch-thick glasses), Katy remained perfectly poised and attractive.

It was she who first introduced me to all the great Black Films of the 90s: Boyz in the Hood, Poetic Justice, Dead Presidents.  We watched South Central, and cooed over Larenz Tate – but she definitely had claims on him – I mean, she was the one who discovered him in Menace II Society.  

Katy was the coolest.  She supported the AIDS crisis by wearing a red ribbon, and gave $10 a month to child in Africa.  She was SO socially aware. 

I adored her, but somehow, as childhood friendships often do, we lost touch after graduation.  We went to different colleges, and I eventually moved out of state.  Every once in awhile I’d receive an email, or we’d exchange a myspace message or two, (always containing gratuitous exclamation points communicating how excited we were to hear from each other!!!!!), but we hadn’t made actual physical contact for years.  That is, until our High School reunion.

WHICH IS A WHOLE OTHER STORY, THE IMPORTANT THING IS:

Katy and I reconnected and she was kind enough to host me on my trip through Portland.  It’s incredible how little has changed in ten years – she’s still fashionable, articulate, and extremely liberal (thank God!) But now, she has a husband, a house, and a kid.  And a dog.  And is about to graduate with a degree in Interior Design.  So basically, she’s still Wonder Woman. 

Katy and her awesome husband Brian may be living in bliss domestica, but they still know how to rock it.  They took me to an awesome martini bar in The Pearl district, then to a famous local brewery, then to the Matador, a delightfully divey bar with a photo booth, DJ, and dance floor (add a food table and I’m in heaven).  And then, my friends, as a salute to our hometown of Everett, Washington, we went to Taco Bell. Nachos Belle Grande!

We spent the next day nursing hangovers.  We cured them (slightly) by dining at the McMenamin’s in The Kennedy School, a former elementary school that is now home to a restaurant, hotel, brewery, movie theater, etc. Go there.

Anyway, I suppose the point I’m driving at is that I think I’m prone to unfairly judging the Married With Children.  That kind of life feels so far away from my Chicago existence and I tend to assume anyone in their twenties who chooses to go that route is boring, uneducated, or had a shot gun wedding. Not true. Both Katy and Brian fiercely love baby Fiona but were really honest about parenting.  There was no wide-eyed “we’ve never been happier, our lives are now complete” crap. “It’s a lot of work,” Katy said, and “I never sleep.”  How refreshing. Now Katy’s the cool, young mom.

And now a word from our sponsor: Victory Gardens Theater is proud to partner with Margot Bordelon on her exciting travels around the county.  Don’t miss hearing about the adventure in her show You Are Here, April 19 & 20, 2009.  Part of every tickets sold before December 1st, 2009 will help fund Margot’s trip, so buy your tickets now! After December 1st, ticket sales will help us put on her show so that’s a good time to buy too.  Call 773.871.3000 or order online here.

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