I met Carrie when she was 20 and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the Lord knew He wanted our worlds to collide. One of my best friends - Jenny - had been her core group leader in high school and Jenny’s little sister Kacie was Carrie’s best friend. Kacie and I both went to Rock Harbor Costa Mesa and we joined LifeGroups at the same time. Kac convinced Carrie to go with her and we all got placed in the same group. Right around that time, I was looking for a roommate and Carrie was desperately ready to get out of her parent’s house so she moved in with me. We only lived together for about 7 months, but that was all it took. While we shared a home (and a wall for that matter) our hearts grew closer and closer, so on the day when my cell phone rang and Carrie said, “Shell, I can’t even say it” I knew without question or hesitation exactly what she couldn’t say…Carrie was pregnant… my response, “I’ll be home in 5 minutes.”
That was the beginning of our story. Over the next five years we wrote infinitely more words and filled a vast quantity of pages with laughter and tears. I remember watching her walk down the aisle towards Joe on her wedding day radiantly gorgeous, so ready to become his wife. I coordinated Carrie’s wedding and got to be part of every insignificant little detail - from the beer sign mislabeled “new moon” to the red punch that poured out of the drink container and all down Brea Blvd. since the tab was accidentally pushed down during transport from the church reception to the private reception. We danced like fools that night and “this place about to blow” by Ke$ha will forever be a treasured memory.
Only a few months later, I got the call that she was in labor and Izzy would be arriving soon. I picked up coffee for Joe and headed to St. Jude where Carrie was laboring and anticipating the arrival of this girl that had forever changed the trajectory of her life. Later that evening, I held Izzy Mae Sanchez in my arms for the very first time as tears streamed down my face and I took her in, gazing at her and praying over who she would become. It was one of the few moments I found the words hard to find. I had no idea how many more times I would hold her sweet little body in my arms and tearfully pray over her. When Iz was diagnosed with biliary atresia and ultimately needed a liver transplant, walking alongside Carrie got real in entirely new ways, we spent a lot of time together in the hospital, feeding Izzy “sweeties” (basically sugar water), watching whatever was available, taking trips to Diddy Reese and the nearby BJ’s or Chipotle for a desperately needed change of pace, spending entirely too much money on parking and not blinking an eye over it. I remember going to the hospital to say goodbye to Izzy on a Thursday afternoon…I just had this deep, sinking feeling that I had to go, that it was time to say something, anything, to attempt to prepare my heart for closure. On Saturday afternoon I sat on the couch across from Shannon and sobbed as I asked gut-wrenching questions about how to be a comfort to Carrie in whatever came next. Saturday night my phone rang and it was the call I was so desperately afraid would not come in time - they found a match - Izzy got a liver. We sat together in that waiting room all night long - and I would not have been anywhere else. Izzy has since blossomed into the most incredibly vibrant and joyfully energetic toddler imaginable. She is strong and brave and has taught us all so much as has her mama who never once stopped fighting for her or trusting God with her life. I watched my best friend almost lose her daughter, it can’t not change you.
When Carrie told me she was pregnant with her second, the joy was incomprehensible and THEN we found out it was a boy, which made it even better! On Sunday, November 24 I stood beside Carrie and held her hand as she painfully awaited the arrival of her son. Carrie asked me to be in the room for Rory’s birth and I had the honor of taking pictures throughout labor and delivery. The memories are poignant and it is undoubtedly one of the most intimate experiences of my life. I have often described Carrie as my sister, and I think it become true in an entirely new way that day. Getting to be present for the very first breaths, first blinks, watching her first moment with her boy, I can close my eyes and see it all again. It is a treasured and prized possession.
Outside all the big moments, there have been countless others. We have seen more midnights while talking about the joys and sorrows of this life for far longer than anticipated while propped comfortably on her couch than I can ever say. We have shared countless meals together and taken more trips to Target than should ever be admitted. We’ve celebrated every Christmas and birthday and any other occasion that has come over the past five years and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We talk about our shows and the housewives like we know them and they’re our friends in real life. We just live life together. Every once in a while she talks about moving to Washington to live closer to Joe’s family and friends and my heart skips a few beats…what on earth would I do without my best…right now I can get in my car and drive for approximately four minutes and fall into a mess pile on her couch. I am not sure I would know how to breathe without her nearby anymore, but she promises her new budget would include airfare for me on a monthly basis. It’s an amazing thing to go from not knowing someone to not being able to envision life without them. Carrie is my best - she feels like a part of my heartbeat - and I sincerely hope and pray I’ll never know life without her. Regardless of geographic proximity I have a feeling I’ll forever carry her with me because she is so deeply engrained in the fibers of my being, she has changed me, and I am so tremendously grateful. She has taught me to laugh through life and to not take it so seriously, and apparently I’ve taught her to be a good friend and I can say with 100% confidence - she is one of the very best!
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