It's Not Just 'Liza Doolittle Day Today...

{{aka Amy Couldn't Think of a Better Post Title}}

First of all, Happy 'Liza Doolittle day to one and all!  If you don't know what that's supposed to mean and haven't seen My Fair Lady... perhaps you should go watch it. If you have seen the movie but are still confused... well, just go re-watch this part. I would celebrate by watching My Fair Lady again today, except for the fact that I want to save it to watch during The Event which is to happen in 50 days; that is the other occasion today marks, and it far surpasses even the day when England sings the praises of Eliza Doolittle. It is exactly 50 days until... well, before you know that, a story is required to be told.

This, my friends, is The Story of Amy and Melody. Told by... well, Amy and Melody, naturally.

It all began on a bright autumn day in 2011 when a girl by the name of Amy started blogging under the pseudonym of Miss Dashwood.  Things didn't start to happen merely because this brilliant young lady had decided to start a blog of wit and humor and thought-provoking writing.  Nope, that was only part of it--the real reason that Things Began to Happen was that another young lady by the name of Melody came to visit and commentate upon the blog (a kind favor in return for Amy's having recently followed HER blog, and for the charming comments she'd left there) and became the first commentator and follower on Amy's newly-created blog.  And that, gentle readers, is when it began.

Because this was no ordinary acquaintanceship maintained over blog comments and courteous once-in-a-while interaction.  Indeed, it snowballed quite rapidly into an exchange of email addresses, which led to manifold emails, which led to the tentative exchange of phone numbers, which led to a (slightly) nerve-wracking phone conversation (well, only nerve-wracking during the first thirty seconds or so) which led to MORE and MORE and MORE emails and phone calls and before you could say "two are better than one," these kindred spirits had formed a fast, firm, long-lasting, super-duper, extra-special, indubitably swellissimus friendship.

And in case that doesn't give you a detailed enough idea of the manner of our friendship--as Mr. Bennet would say, "read on!"

When a person wishes to indicate they don't have a romantic interest in somebody, they say that they are "just friends." Just friends, eh?  In our (very humble) opinions, they rather underestimate friendship. Perhaps they momentarily forgot--or have never been able to find out--just how meaningful friendship can be.  Probably the latter... not many have the chance to discover a friendship that goes beyond ones usually met with (which are nice in themselves). One that is a series of continuous delights, that adds new definition to one's life in general, that never grows old, and where the bond only strengthens; where you feel as if your friend is another part of you, and without them you would feel like something was missing. They probably never got to know somebody and found their thoughts, feelings and understanding to be so in tune with each other that it was like they were always meant to go together.

But though these two young ladies knew their friendship was something incredibly special, one seemingly insurmountable, nearly overwhelming obstacle still lay between them: many, many miles.  The United States is a pretty big place (oops, we just told you we both live in the United States--our privacy is RUINED!) and, as life would have it, these kindred spirits live practically as far apart from each other as the country allows.  Yet there was only one thing to do--pray, hope and plan for a face-to-face visit . (Oh, wait, that's actually three things.) Someday. Somehow.  Somewhere.

And so the cautious suggesting of the idea to their parents began. (Initial reactions? "Well, I don't know about you going to see HER... but if she wants to come visit us, she's more than welcome!") As did the saving of money.  The discussions over the phone, Skype, email and good old-fashioned letters (did we mention they did those too?).  It seemed so unrealistic at times, almost a pipe dream, and at other times it seemed something that simply MUST and would happen, come what may. If the force of sheer willpower could do it, circumstances would have no choice but to obey.

Let's cut to the chase.  After many months of speculating, praying, dreaming, wishing and calculating, it happened.  Airline tickets were purchased.  Days were marked on a calendar.  And we stand (well, sit--when we're not busy jumping up and down, of course) here today delighted, thrilled, over-the-top SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEE-ing to announce that Amy is going  to visit Melody in just fifty days.  FIFTY DAYS, PEOPLES. (In case you don't want to have to do the counting, we'll just tell you that it's happening on July 9th, 2013.)

 How excited do you think we are? Okay, take that and multiply it by fifty, make it all-in-caps and throw in any number of exclamation points, and you might be coming close.

*waits a few moments for the news to fully sink in*

And that is why we are not watching My Fair Lady on this Eliza Doolittle Day. Because, you see, we will be watching it in less than two months. Together. IN REAL LIFE. (We consider it to be our musical, you know. For reasons unbeknownst to all of you and that would take too long to explain. Did we mention all the private jokes and such we have? Well, yeah, that was probably kind of a given... and don't even get us started on all the nicknames and acronyms. Your head would swim.)

As for the rest of our plans... well, let's just say we have QUITE a list. (There are a lot more period dramas to be viewed too, by the way.) Will we be able to complete everything on it? Heh, extremely doubtful. But we're as sure as certainty going to try our best. :D It's going to be the craziest,  eight days (EIGHT WHOOOOOOLE DAYYYYYYYYYS!!!!!!!!!) of our lives; we intend to make the most of every single second with each other.

Just a small sneak-peek at some of the things we have planned...

~Have an elegant party where Amy can meet all Melody’s friends
~Go picnicking at a park
~Talk by candlelight at night
~Jump on Melody’s trampoline
~Visit a bookstore and read titles aloud to each other in dramatic voices and poke fun at the silly Jane Austen sequels
~Poke inside fun books such as the old Sears catalogs and look at old clothes
~Each get our own journal beforehand to write in the whole time, and then at the end we switch them and each have the one the other wrote (awkwardly phrased, but you get the idea)
~Play such delightful games as Beyond Balderdash, Imaginiff, Identify That Soundtrack and Clue
~Act out favorite scenes from period dramas and books
~Go English Country Dancing (SQUEEEEEEE!)
~Go to the mall to try on clothes and window-shop and sit on a bench and crrrrrriticise people
~Camp out in the backyard
~Play The Seaside as a duet on the piano (Amy needs to start practicing that...)

And, of course, we intend to post during the visit and keep y'all updated.  Writing blog things together? Well, indubitably! That's how we met, isn't it?  Can we just say again how thrilled and excited we are????

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."

~Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

All of the above was written by Us Together-- now it's just Amy (your usual host) putting in my two cents.  I'm not going to take up this entire space squealing and being immature (though I'm happy to do so if anyone wants to see it) but I AM going to go on (and on and on) for a wee bit about how thrilled to tears I am.  

When I first started blogging I never dreamed I'd make as many friends as I have (and I'm thankful every day for each one of you!) and certainly never imagined that one girl in particular would become such a part of me, such a kindred spirit, such a truly one-of-the-race-that-knows-Joseph as to make me wonder how I ever survived without her in my life.  I honestly pity those of you who don't yet know Melody-- and all I can do is give you a link to her blog and tell you to go meet her.  

The bond between Melody and myself is more than just a shared love of Jane Austen, classic literature, period dramas, strawberries, Carol Ryrie Brink books, Edwardian fashion, My Fair Lady and silly pictures of cats.  It's a sisterhood in the truest sense of the word (as we're both daughters of one Heavenly Father), an understanding of what makes each other tick, a sense of sharing thoughts without even having to speak them, a feeling of being absolutely free to be oneself and not worry that the other will be annoyed.  

It's a link that spans hundreds of miles (literally), a knowledge that what makes one of us laugh will undoubtedly give the other a giggle as well, a comfortableness with each other--though we've never yet actually met face-to-face--that enables us to be silent on Skype or the phone at times and not feel the teensiest bit of awkwardness.  

Melody and I have laughed together, confided in each other, shared sorrows and joys and every kind of imaginable craziness in the nineteen months we've known each other.  And yet I know full well that we still haven't plumbed the depths of our friendship, that we still have so much more to learn about each other, so many more adventures to take and things to do.  The prospect of the eight days together in July is making me so happy, so elated, so awed and thrilled and chilled, so very full of squeeeeeeee, that I honestly don't know how I'm going to get through the fifty days that remain until then.

Is it too soon to start packing?

“There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation, of one’s self, the very meaning of one’s soul.” 

–Edith Wharton