After a long, long, long writer’s block, I’ve finally overcome it through the sheer and selfish desire to hear more about my friends’ lives, particularly during the portions that we have not shared together. For some background, Nicole and I met each other during our junior year of high school. And while we are inseparable now, there is a large gap in my knowledge of her life prior to that point. So, with this first installment in this new series Friend on Friend, please enjoy learning about the childhood of my bestie Nicole!
- What was your favorite color as a child and how much of your identity surrounded it?
For some reason, I remember my first favorite color being red. I don’t know why I think that because I never had like, red walls in my room or red articles of clothing that I can remember loving or anything like that. So I guess not that much of my identity revolved around it! But it’s funny because red is one of my current favorite colors and I definitely make an active effort to incorporate it into things I wear/decor I hang up/things I make/etc.
- What was your relationship like with your first childhood bestie?
I met my childhood bestie in kindergarten and I just remember wanting to do absolutely everything with her. I even picked up the same sport she played almost immediately after we became friends so we could spend more time together. Outside of that, we hung out a lot with each other’s families – we were always inviting one other on family trips or to extended relatives’ houses. My parents ask about her from time to time and I still think of her as family even though we don’t talk that much these days!
- When teachers would ask us to draw what we wanted to be when we grew up, what did you imagine?
The first thing I ever wanted to be was an astronaut, which I think is hilarious because present-day me is so not interested in ever leaving this planet. After that, I really wanted to be a dog groomer and have my own pet salon where we’d give dogs fancy blowouts and paint their nails with doggy-safe nail polish and tie bows in their fur. I would have called it Shampoodles, which I totally stole from Animal Crossing.
- It’s summer and sunny outside, where could Kiddo Nicole typically be found?
Kiddo Nicole would likely be digging up rocks in her backyard to add to her collection. I had a tupperware in my room of all these stones and pebbles that I found, washed, and drew smiley faces on in permanent marker. Alternatively, I could also be found playing kickball or hide-and-seek freeze tag with my older sibling and our two neighbors in our cul-de-sac. Side note, but I feel like living cul-de-sac was an extremely defining feature of my childhood.
- Name five of your favorite songs that were on your iPod Nano.
- “I’m Just A Kid” – The Simple Plan
- “1985” – Bowling For Soup
- “Unwritten” – Natasha Bedingfield
- “Who Says” – Selena Gomez & The Scene
- “Raise Your Glass” – P!nk
- Tell us about your childhood stuffed animal.
He’s a stuffed panda bear, aptly named Panda. He was a Christmas gift from my cousins to my older sibling and at some point I stole him and claimed him as my own. His fur is completely worn out in most places from all the love he’s received, so he wears a soft purple body suit with Christmassy mistletoe patterned trim that my grandma made to protect him. Over that, he wears a red and white knit sweater with a heart embroidered with the words “I LOVE HUGS.” He also has a blue rhinestone studded collar with a personalized tag that says his name. He’s very stylish, and also a big part of the family – for years, he had his own stocking that we’d hang up with the rest of ours at Christmas time.
- What do you think Kiddo Nicole would think of you now that you’re (almost) all grown up?
I think Kiddo Nicole would be unimpressed – she was very judgemental and hard to please. Just kidding. Mostly, lol. I think younger me would be proud of who I am and all that I’ve accomplished. I think she’d like my current style, too, but she’d probably wish I turned out a little bit taller.
Thank you to Nicole for taking the time out of her very busy and accomplished life to share these moments with us!