RE-CREATION TUESDAYS: MEETING A BEST FRIEND, WEARING HANES

Today is my best friend's birthday!  I've now known this extraordinary woman almost as long as I haven't known her.  She's a successful attorney, an amazing aunt, a marathon runner (she ran a half on Saturday), dead-fish dancer, sometime competitive eater (and champion, I might add), and all-around amazing supporter and human being.  If you're reading this Ms. Howdy, please know that I wish we lived closer to one another and expect my call tonight.

In honor of Ms. Howdy, and for this episode of Re-Creation Tuesdays, I've re-created what I was wearing when she and I met. 

It was the very first day of college, and my parents were moving me into Soto room 203 in Wilbur Hall at Stanford University.

I was wearing:

a white Hanes T-shirt onto which I had puffy-painted the name of an old noise punk band called Picasso Trigger:

(Hanes t-shirt, ya you can buy these anywhere)

a pair of jeans (don't remember the make, probably The Gap):

(Kaylie boot cut jeans, 7 for All Mankind, Shopbop, $225)

black Converse sneakers, with fashion duct-tape:

(Chuck Taylors, Zappos, $45)

and a cotton velcro Split wallet with wallet chain, buahahaha!:

(Mine was navy blue with the logo embroidered in white.  Levitt wallet, Split)

I remember walking into our dorm room and meeting Ms. Howdy, who was probably wearing baggy jeans, a t-shirt, and an oversized plaid flannel.  We nervously talked about jazz music (the only musical common ground we shared between country and punk) while I surreptitiously eyeballed her stuff.

On paper, ours is not a likely friendship but over the years Ms. Howdy and I have shared everything with one another.  There's not much about me she doesn't know, and I'm sure she will continue to show up on this blog many times.  

Don't you just love best friends? 

Speaking of Hanes t-shirts, to this day I love them and basically live in white crewnecks during lazy summer weekends, for several reasons:

1) There is a seemingly endless supply in Mr. Brass Knuckles's underwear drawer

2) They're super comfy and go with everything 

3) Even after washing, they smell vaguely of Mr. Brass Knuckles's deodorant (OLD SPICE).  

Scents have a really powerful effect on me.  A guy I work with wears Old Spice and whenever we are working together in close quarters I smell the Old Spice and it instantly reminds me of Mr. Brass Knuckles and launches me into the kind of glossy-eyed reverie that can only be broken by a "And what do YOU think we should do about the excess inventory, Brass Knuckles?"

On Saturday we took the kiddies to the beach!  Both kids had a great time,and both parents had a great time taking pictures of kids having a great time:

(Shorts, cut from full-length jeans, Old Navy; swimsuit, Target; sunglasses, Carerra; earrings, Claire's.  My mother-in-law bought this swimsuit for me shortly after CoStar was born.  That winter break we all took a ski trip up to New Hampshire and I didn't pack a swimsuit, thinking there'd be no need.  Lo and behold the place had a hot tub so she quickly went out and bought one for me on Christmas Eve.  Lo and behold when we got to the hot tub it was closed).  

We topped off our day at the beach with dinner and cheese fries:

On Sunday we took the kids to a great local park that has fountains you can run through (perfect for hot, sunny days):

(On CoStar: dress, Baby Gap.  Her swimsuit fell out of my bag on the way there, silly Mommy, so she got drenched in her dress instead.  Oh well, at least we had an extra change of clothes)

a shady swing:

(Speaking of Hanes, t-shirt, Hanes; bloomer-style shorts, Tracey Feith for Target; jelly gladiator sandals, Old Navy)

and lots of room to play hide-and-seek:

Have a great week, Knuckles!