Amanda+Rick+Ada

I've started and restarted this post several times and I've decided that I can't justifiably blog about my best friend and her family with telling the story, or rather, our story of how our friendship came to be. Internet, get ready it's going to be a long read...

11 years ago I was undergrad moving into my first dorm room at The University of Iowa. I remember the day vividly; my mom was wearing a pink shirt and my dad a short sleeve plaid shirt. As we were toting items in through the dimly lit hall my mom, enamored with college life, stopped to read fliers on bulletin boards and welcome signs from residence hall staff. As she worked her way down the hallway, she came to a large sheet of baby blue paper. On this sheet of paper my Resident Assistant introduced herself, "Welcome to Hillcrest. My name is Amanda Hammon. I'm from Sycamore, IL but I was born in Maquoketa, IA..." My mom quickly called me dad over to read the introduction. The both remarked, "I wonder if that's Bob's daughter?"


Maquoketa is the small town in Iowa where my teacher parents had met in the Principal's office, fallen in love, and married within 9 months. The principal at this small high school in Maquoketa was Bob Hammon and Amanda was, in fact, Bob's daughter. Since that fateful meeting in the Principal's office, Bob and his family moved to Illinois and my parents moved to another town in Iowa. They both raised daughters who, 26 years later, would be randomly placed on the same floor in a dorm at the University of Iowa.


Amanda and I quickly became close friends. My freshman year was particularly difficult; my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer, I was in and out of a childish relationship, and I (an only child) hated having a roommate. Amanda and I frequently talked into the wee hours, making smore's over our toasters. She was the most interesting, most hyper, most passionate person I met that year. One moment she was a coxswain on the men's crew team, the next she was going to capoeira practice. She inspired me.


One summer during college, Amanda began dating Rick. Rick soon consumed much of our conversation the following fall. I was impressed with his kindness, patience, and practicality. He made Amanda swoon. A year older than I, Amanda graduated and Rick quickly proposed. A few weeks after I graduated college, I put on a hideous watermelon colored gown and stood next to Amanda as she and Rick were married. At the reception, Bob claimed responsibility for not only Amanda's existence but mine as well. It's become a running joke in both of our families.


The past six years have led us into adulthood. After the demise of a particularly hard relationship for me, Amanda spent countless hours on the phone with me and flew to Minnesota to help me move. She unpacked boxes, took me grocery shopping, and made me chocolate martinis. When she left we stood sobbing together at the airport. I'm eternally grateful for her presence during that period of my life.


A few years later, she called me on the way to the hospital and then, again, moments after she gave birth to their daughter, Ada. I've spent many nights sleeping on their couch when visiting Chicago. We still stay up to the wee hours, only our conversations are now punctuated with comments from Rick in the kitchen. He still impresses me.


Our friendship is nothing remarkable, nothing out of the ordinary. There were periods of distance and we still have our disagreements. But what is remarkable is that I found a best friend in the daughter of the man who brought my parents together. There are few circumstances in life that lead me to believe that some things happen for a reason; this is one of them. Without each other, both of our lives would have been completely different.


Internet, thank you for bearing with me. Now, I'd like for you to meet Amanda and her family...