Taking it to the next level.

I'll never forget the day I met my best friend.


It was October 20th 1997 and I was about to start my shift at work.  

Back then I volunteered at my university's local radio station and that day we would be doing our first live broadcast on television.  The radio had chosen "yours truly" to do the first on-air show.  

To describe myself as nervous was an understatement.  

I stood in front of the cameras like a zombie, trying to calm myself down before we went live.  

I uttered a positive mantra over and over in my head to gain my confidence.  You're good enough.  You're smart enough.  And gosh darn, people like you.


"You ready Leo?  Here we go!!  In... 10....9....8...."  


Oh my God.  This is it.  I'm gonna vomit.


"....3....2...and 1.....aaaaanddd, you're ON!"


"Hi.  I'm Leokadia.  It's 6pm, and you're watching CHRW LIVE."


And we were off!!


Somehow, I had managed to pull myself together, and do the entire show without even a stutter.  It was perfect.......well......almost.

I had just finished my last story, and was about to sign off, when through the bright lights, I saw something hurdling towards my face.  I quickly moved my head just in the nick of time, and heard the object smash against the backdrop and fall to the floor. 

I had no idea what had just happened?

I stood there in shock.

It took me a good 10 seconds to realize that I was still on air.

"Ughh.  Ummmm.  I'm.....I'm.... Leo...kadia..?  Thanks for tuning in."


"And....we're done.  Good job Leo".


The bright lights turned off.  

Everyone left.  

I still stood there in a trance.  

What the hell just happened??  

It was as if someone read my mind because a voice suddenly yelled from behind one of the cameras.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU CATCH IT??"  a girl's voice asked.

"What?"  I replied with attitude trying to see who was talking to me.  Who the heck was this psychotic person?  And why did she throw something at my head??

Suddenly a beautiful and slender girl popped out from behind the camera holding a bag of apples.  

She had long brown hair, was wearing a fitted sweater, tight burgundy pants, and the biggest smile I had ever seen.

"The apple!!  I threw an apple at you!  You were supposed to catch it, take a bite out of it and then sign off.  I guess I threw it a little high.  Sorry about that!  haha!!"

"Are you insane???"  I snapped.

 I couldn't believe this girl.  Who the hell did she think she was? She threw an apple at my HEAD?! The nerve!!  She almost killed me!!

"It would've been sooo funny!!   Oh well.  Next time! We'll practice. Good job on the show! See ya later!"

And off she went. 

Pfffftttt.  See ya later!?  As if!!  I was NEVER going to see this girl AGAIN. 

She is 100% certifiably insane.


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I'd like to introduce you all to Mandy.  The apple thrower.  And........... my best friend.

Although Mandy CLEARLY tried to do away with me on day one, somehow I was drawn to her.  Her energy was contagious.  She was fun, wild and hilarious.

Almost 20 years of being best friends and there has never been a single dull moment.   When we got together, crazy things happened.  Her and I have taken the most boring events and turned them into completely utterly ridiculous parties.

I laugh when I think of the things she has convinced me to do over the years.  Dancing on speakers, scamming our way into VIP areas, and driving the wrong way on one-way streets.

By the way.....that last one is super dangerous.......I do NOT recommend doing it.


For the most part, my BFF and I have been completely in sync.  We have the same sense of humor, similar goals, and the same appreciation for culture and faith.  And without any planning, we somehow managed to have both of our children mere months apart from one another.

Distance never hindered our relationship either.  For several years, we lived 8 hours apart, but it seems as though our daily telephone calls just brought us closer together.


So as you can see, Mandy and I are the perfect best friends!  


HOWEVER........ there is one distinct difference between her and I that has always interfered with taking our relationship to the "next level".


My best friend will take every....and I mean EVERY single opportunity that is placed before her in order to live life to the fullest.  She will never miss a party, will never miss the chance to hang out with friends, and will never miss the opportunity to attend fabulous events.  Even if she is insanely busy at work or completely over-whelmed at home.

I, on the other hand, am much more selfish than that.  

Many people don't know this about me, but I am quite the loner.  Sure... I love to party and be social and hang out with friends as much as the next person, but if I don't have enough quiet "me" time, then I will start to go a little nuts.  So there must ALWAYS be ample time where I am vegging out on my couch, watching Iron Man and eating peek frean cookies.  Doesn't that sound amazing??  It sure does!    


Anyway, over the years, Mandy has struggled with ways to convince me to boycott my lone-wolf night (that included a solid 9 hours of sleep) in order to have fun with her instead.  

The funny thing is that I know I will have fun with her.  Lots of fun!  But getting me out of the house, and out of my routine comfort zone is quite the challenge.  And when someone tells me to do something, my instinct is to do the exact opposite.


But as you know, I have had my ass kicked by a horrible separation recently.  And Mandy and my girlfriends have come to my aide many....many times.  They have helped me and the girls financially, they have helped me take care of my kids, and they have stood up for me in situations that were dangerous and very scarey.  

But like they always say.......everything happens for a reason right??

There are many positives that have come out of this mess of a divorce, even though I am STILL being hit with many of the negatives.  But one of the things that became incredibly apparent to me over the past 2 years, was how lucky I was to have people in my life that would stop at nothing to make sure that I was safe and happy.  

My friends were no longer just friends.  It was very clear to me that they were now family.  And my bonds with them grew stronger with each passing day and each challenge that I faced.   

I was beyond grateful that I had a best friend who loved me so much, and very often, put her life on hold to be there for me.

This whole experience taught me.....that I needed to be a better friend.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've always been a good friend.  You should be so lucky to have me as your friend ;)

But in my heart, I knew I needed to step it up.  That extra phone call and text just to make sure they were ok.  Really opening up my ears to hear what challenges they were facing and how I could help. Staying up past 10pm to have a much-needed girls night and catch-up sesh.  And finally, leaving my house a mess, to meet my best friend for a yoga class on a Saturday afternoon :)

Maybe there's a reason why Mandy threw that apple at my head the day we met.  

Maybe she knew that she was going to be the girl that needed to shake things up a little in my world.  

And maybe she needed to knock some sense into me.  Sense that I learned two decades later.......and I will forever be grateful.