why i love tamara handy

This next post is in honor of my best friend, Tamara Handy. My life wouldn't be as great as it is today if it wasn't for her.












This is us at a Penn State football game last year, 2007.

I've known Tam since I moved to Westfield, NJ in second grade. We did not become friends until probably mid 4th grade. Actually one day on the playground I was blowing bubbles and she yelled at me because I was blowing them in her face - when really the wind was just taking them over to her area. We always joke about that.

Anyway, there are so many wonderful things I can say about Tam. She has always been such a great judge of character, I mean - I'm her best friend so obviously. But seriously, she is very perceptive of people, she can assess a situation and give the best advice. She is calm and proactive when stressful situations arise. She saw that I was having a bad day yesterday and simply said, "Robin, you need to get your work done in a calm environment so I'm just going to take you to the library - let's go." She was right. We got to the library, did our work and my stress was gone. Then we treated ourselves to Wendy's late night and I started a fire in my backyard. We joked about the good old days until midnight and then went to bed. I always want to be able to do that with her.

We've had great times and horrible times. But what makes a true friend is that through those horrible times, we were able to communicate and find a common ground. Our relationship has grown so much over these 14 years and I have come to understand that not everyone is blessed with a friend like that. So Tam, if you're reading this I want to tell you that I love you and I appreciate you more than you'll ever know.