Before she was my "Lil Opihi"

When I first moved to Washington State, Tallulah told me that Courtney lived near me. Turned out she was only an hour away. We corresponded for the first time since high school and hit it off as if no time had passed between us at all. It was like falling onto your favorite spot on the sofa...just warm and comfortable and even after so many years, surprisingly familiar. This is one of my first letters to Courtney, before she became "My lil Opihi"

My Dear Ccourtney -

What nice surprise to hear from you. I did see that you sent a 'Hi' on classmates.com, but I have not officially joined and did not have a way to write you till now. Of course I should have known that Tallulah would have had your info.
What am I doing in Poulsbo? Good question.
Thus far the cold and all the quilt fairs are going to my brain. After my fabulous life as a super star top model I have eschewed all forms of glamorized socialization and any form of urbania...settling down into early retirement and enjoying the occasional mile long trek to the main road to retrieve my mail. Gotta love it here. Woke up this morning and it was a sultry 25 degrees out. Good thing too since I have taken up glass cutting and am now able to use my nipples for all the delicate work.

You know, Kevin (my other half) is on Facebook and I make fun of him all the time, getting all into who's going shopping, who's making a cake, who's changing a diaper. Anyway, I think I'll join Facebook just for the Seabury hookup aspect. Kevin and I go to Tacoma a couple of times a month for the shopping as I get tired of wearing feed bags from the local "Bait and Tackle" and hopefully I'll get to see you soon.

Kevin and I have been together for about 5 years now and he recently retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service and being told they were going to sent him back to Iraq for the third time! He found a great civil service job on base in Bremerton and I basically followed him here, unfortunately knowing nothing of the job market crash and even less of Poulsbo. It really is lovely here, but I did go through culture shock. I left my job in Hawaii as a Hospital Administrator...I have pretty much given up modeling...just not ready to move into the "Dad sporting Golf clothes for Macy's" portion of my career yet. I have sent a photo from my last shoot for Coke a Cola in Vegas. My biggest gig was being sent to Japan for Coke years ago, but I still have a very friendly relationship with their advertising department. I can't believe you still have that piece of ceramic ware I made at Seabury.... I have also carried old art around with me...two water color paintings that Tallulah made for me, and she got a kick out of seeing them when I mailed them to her.

You are always welcome to visit dear, just give me a days notice so I can clear a path through the woods for you. One thing that has improved during my winter internment is my cooking skills, so shed a few pounds before coming. Last night was a lovely goat cheese and rosemary stuffed chicken with a white wine reduction and garlic mashed potatoes and fresh brussel sprouts with a balsamic glaze. Kevin has taken to actually photographing these meals for some reason. I bet he's secretly posting them on Facebook...."What I'm eating right now.."
Seriously...send me an invite for Face book and I'll join. "What my nipples are cutting right now..." Really. Not kidding.

It is hard to believe that our years at Seabury are 20 years away...my memories are so fresh. It was like yesterday and I vividly remember you and Tallulah in your Mod hats. I don't know where to begin or how to catch up. Please send a photo of you. Bring me up to date on your life and I'm sure we'll be caught up enough after a few emails to actually want to meet. I bet we do get to Tacoma in the next couple of weeks and it would be lovely to see you.

Are you a mom? Tallulah says she will be working on a baby and the thought is so freaky to me, but I have seen "Alien" too many times. Perhaps Kevin and I will adopt...a nice 18 year old, ready to move out or at least contribute to the mortgage. I think I am too selfish to have children...they are really just little homeless people aren't they? So I am looking forward to hearing from you and seeing a photo. What are you doing in Tacoma?

"Right now I am throwing on a white lace body suit and hoku lei to go dance on my front lawn as a fertility rite for my friend Tallulah"
Sugar kisses...