So if you've googled me you've probably read at some point that I grew up in suburban Alberta, and shortly after I turned 14 my family and I moved to Islamabad Pakistan with my father's work for the UN. I don't often talk about how difficult this was, because I like to remember all the rewards that eventually came along with it instead of the inevitable struggles that coincide with such a massive life change. One of the things that was most difficult for both my brother and I was to leave behind our close knit groups of friends whom we had known since we were young children. For the first year or so I wrote letters to all of my friends. Some of them wrote back, but naturally the excitement of letter writing faded, the distance grew and we all went on with our lives. From ages 11-14 I was particularly good friends with a girl named Julie Morris. In grade six we used to write long goofy notes to each other and pass them in class (these were the old days of the 1980's where we didn't have laptops, cell phones or texting). I always thought Julie had an incredible sense of style. She had fantastic 80's bangs and long brown hair that hung straight down her back. She also sported the giant hoop earrings that were all the rage at the time. She always appeared confident and composed which I really admired about her. But above all she was a very loyal friend and that is what mattered most. Well, after I moved away we did write to each other for awhile but this came to a natural, eventual end and we lost touch.
Fast forward 20 years to a little thing called Facebook. I have an album on my personal page entitled "Through the years". In this album I have a few pictures of me and my friends pre-Pakistan, and Julie is in two of them. A mutual friend tags Julie in the photos, and I find her! She lives in Kansas and is happily married with two daughters - but here is the most wonderful part of all: she's a jewelry artisan! And not just any run of the mill jewelry artisan - a super amazing talented one! She named her jewelry company Buffalo Lucy and among other things, she makes these completely awesome chunky rings. She backs this all up with a well-written blog that I love to read. I look at the pictures of who she has become and I am so excited and proud to know that a friend I admired as a child grew into an adult that I admire even more.
Here are a couple of past and present photos of Bazant and Buffalo Lucy.
Past:
1988. Me - top row, second from left. Julie - top row, first on the right
1990 Me - bottom middle in white shirt, Julie - bottom right (in the same shirt but blue).
February 2010 - Me in the middle (at my bachelorette party)
October 2010 - Julie sporting a necklace for her etsy shop
