Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Catching Up With A Long-Distance Friend

This week, I’m having the pleasure of hosting my longtime friend Camilla, who's in town from Nicaragua, where she works for the Norwegian embassy.

Camilla and I became fast friends back in 1993, when we lived on the same floor during my junior year in London. Last night, over Japanese food at Ko Sushi and then a bottle of wine on my roof deck, we talked about old boyfriends, new political horizons for the U.S., and the power of a woman’s maternal instinct.

Camilla is the mother of two beautiful little girls. I had the pleasure of meeting them both when I flew to Oslo last summer for Camilla’s much-anticipated wedding to their dad, her partner of ten years, Daniel.

A Midsummer Night's Dream: Camilla and Daniel on their wedding day

The theme of Camilla and Daniel’s nuptials was a Midsummer Night’s Dream and, some rain notwithstanding, that’s exactly what the fairy tale affair felt like. From a ceremony in an intimate, candlelit church to Camilla’s stunning Shakespearean-style gown and bouquet of wildflowers, the wedding was one of the most memorable and moving I’ve ever been to.

Celebrating with the bride

During the reception, family and friends paid tribute to Camilla and Daniel in a series of anecdote-filled speeches--nine speeches to be exact! The bride made me smile when she recalled a day in Cambridge years ago, when the two of us got stuck while punting along the canal and Daniel rescued us.

As Camilla and Daniel look forward to celebrating their 12th year together, I remain inspired by their example of enduring love – and happy that my friendship with Camilla continues regardless of how many time zones are between us.

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