Saturday, November 2nd, 2024

For those that don’t know me, my name is Ginger. I am Andrea’s hype friend.

I find myself laughing a LOT around Andrea.

Just yesterday Andrea noted that she loves having me around because I laugh at everything she says and it makes her feel like she’s funny all the time. And then of course Cameron chimed in and said that being with me has weakened his joke telling skills because I don’t have high enough standards for what is actually funny.

Andrea and I have known each other just under a decade. She’s been historically the funniest person I’ve ever met.

We had known each other for a few months and went on a short trip with a few friends. We were all getting in the car to leave, a car that had a weirdly placed door handle. I got in first as we all were piling inside. Andrea was still standing outside the car. One friend appeared to ask her if she was okay, and after some words, she finally got inside after a small struggle. As she was scooting into the back seat next to me, she asked “Ginger, you’re dumb. How did YOU get in?”

(How did she make that sound so matter of fact and also endearing?)

She has not only never once made me feel dumb or small, but she makes me feel extremely loved.

When Andrea first told me about Tim, I remember the 2 things she was most excited about were how intelligent he was, and even more so how tall he was. “He could hold me like a little baby!”

Tim seemed nice, funny, and definitely Andrea’s nerdy type guy. She announced recently that she found her “tall skinny sad white guy” she had always wanted, and had to “lock it down”.

But for me, I think what really sealed the deal with Tim was during a long traffic heavy drive to a Halloween event last year. I routinely get car sick and, well, I was riding in the backseat of Andrea’s Toyota Yaris through some windy hilly roads. You know when you get so nauseous your mouth starts sweating and you can’t hold your head up? I really thought for the last 15 minutes of the drive I was going to lose it in the car. I started breathing heavy and making some very sad sounds a grown woman in her 40s shouldn’t be making. It took everything inside me to not let all hell break loose and ruin everyone’s night. Cameron, who was in the backseat with me and Andrea, who was in the front seat (Tim was driving) expressed concern and tried to make sure I was mostly comfortable. But also, because they couldn’t help themselves, Andrea and Cameron, began to quietly mock the sounds of my sad grunting and whimpering. Andrea was getting ready to really let loose with her jokes when Tim turned to Andrea, looked her dead in the eyes and told her a very firm “NO!”

Tim was very concerned and empathetic about my plight despite being the driver that seemingly contributed most to my car sickness. He spent the remainder of the drive being dad and protecting me from the children in the car.

Tim is caring, kind, and smart witted. In addition to Andrea, he also makes me laugh a lot. He matches as well as compliments Andreas intelligence and humor.

I find when I spent time with the both of them, I feel more energized, refreshed, more of a human.

Andrea had decided she was going to move to Atlanta for Tim and I was very happy for her and supportive although I was sad for myself. She moved away in 2020 and couldn’t even give a proper goodbye because we were on lock down. It was during this time that I realized how much I loved and missed her.

I ended up traveling to Atlanta pretty regularly to see Andrea. I feel like I became closer to her after she moved away than when she lived in Oklahoma. And during these frequent visits I really got to bond with Tim and Andrea as a couple.

I found myself falling in love with whatever this was they created together; this air of joy, laughter, and intensely good vibes. I felt myself becoming more and more excited about being a part of their greater good. I have been nothing less than honored to be part of their growing chosen family.

Congratulations to the most perfect couple I know.