A Best Friend

Now this is a picture of a best friend.

It is my honor to introduce you to one of my best friends, Daeni. This is us, good pals, elementary school 'til today - to infinity and beyond!

I'll start from the beginning on why Daeni is a best friend. In the 2nd grade I moved to Upcountry Maui and started at a new school. On the first day of school in my new class, Daen was my first friend. She inivited me for my first sleepover in my new hometown. Back then I was her friend with a "froggy voice" but she still invited me anyway! And so begins our history.

Together Daeni and I conquered the world. As "Dandy Bears," our legendary 4-H club, Daen and I whipped up recipes and presented them to the crowds at Demonstration Day. Basically she did everything cause she's the best cook and I smiled and poured in ingredients as her happy helper. =)

We did lots of stuff together. We played store with her parents when I went for sleepovers, I went on Easter egg hunts in her back yard. We tried to play tennis as youngsters and our goal would increase - first hitting the ball back and forth over the net 2 times, 3 times, 4 times, maybe even 5 times. You could imagine how exciting our tennis games were - and we loved every minute of it. Pictures can be found of us in our lovely "candy striper" vests when we volunteered every Sunday at our local hospital. Other snapshots can be found of us sewing aloha shirts together. Basically we did so much together that we also decided that we had to have the same last name, Hamahara, we decided. It was the best combination of "Hamaoka" and "Uyehara" we could muster. Daen Hamahara, Ape Hamahara, we were the perfect pair. 

Through elementary school, intermediate school, and high school Daen was always, always there for me. Sounds cliche, but it's true, good times and bad, she was there. 

What do I love about her? Why thanks for asking. Here's what I love:

• When another best friend, Tasha, and I took a roadtrip around the US, we were fortunate to spend a few nights with Daen and her husband Mike in their lovely Seattle home. Not only did she serve as the warmest host, making sure we were well cared for on our trip, she sent us on our way packed with goodies - snacks and meals - for our journey. When Tash and I arrived to our campsite in the freezing cold later that night, we were so thankful for Daen's home-cooked meal.
• In the 2nd grade we did a May Day performance to the "Duck Dance." I have a picture of Daen and me from that day and it's one of my all-time favorites. You should see our lovely duck headbands we made. I love that we share such quality memories together!
• Daen had the most beautiful 8th grade school photo. One afternoon after school we sat in our living room signing wallet size photos for our friends and we both commented, multiple times, on how great our pictures were. Those photos and giving them to frieds was important to us as 8th graders and we both enjoyed celebrating our beauty to one another. (Very dislike us in a general public way, but completely acceptable in a best friend way.)   
• Daen and I also have "hi-tech" photos from the 8th grade to prove our best-friend-ship.

And, most of all, Daen is an honest friend. She tells me what I need to hear when I need to hear it. She challenges me to be better. She makes time for me. She shares her recipes with me (mostly I love eating them). She inspires me to be an all-around loving person because she's an all-around loving person. For fun we do stuff like having dinner at home or taking her dog for a walk in the park. What we do is always fun because we do it together and we get to share the time together. I have the utmost respect for her. I feel comforted, cared for, and loved because she's my friend and this has become my goal for myself - to care for others in such a way that they'll be able to feel the warmth and love that I feel from Daen.

I have photo proof of all of the above childhood times. The best part - the memories and photos will continue forever because Daen is a forever friend.

Love you, Daen!