Ivy. Ivy Kristine. Ivy Kristine Portwood. Where do I begin? How can I encapsulate? Mere words seem lame and insufficient. I wish I could do the whole entry in song or verse or in haiku. No, no! In watercolor! Yes. yes. Wait. Nay! In interpretive dance! YES! That should be the medium for communicating my feelings for the sacred vine round my heart! But since all I have are fingers and keys for this entry, I shall do my best and it will fall dreadfully short but it'll be true and the truth is always beautiful, even when it hurts.
Meeting Ivy was a breath of fresh air. I was new to the single scene and not too impressed with the goings on among LDS singles. I was dead bored at most activities and events. I had my Christy but she was in the middle of all kinds of drama involving the love of her life being temporarily insane. Thank goodness that turned out. I found myself at another one of those dinners where feigning interest in the conversation was the politest thing to do, so I was doing it. We were at Sarovar, Indian cuisine. In walks a tall, thin girl with flaxen hair and forget-me-not eyes wearing a snazzy trench coat, glittering scarf, lovely heels, smart spectacles. She walks to the table with a real dull and uninterested voice, unimpressed eyes and mutters, halfheartedly, "Hi, hi, hi..yeah, um, hi," to all the members of the party. I remember thinking, this girl doesn't bother feigning interest! I wish I had the guts! I was automatically intrigued. She sat next to me and that was the beginning of an epic I hope never ends. I found out she was a businesswoman, got her MBA from BYU just the previous spring. I had no idea that the girl sitting next to me was a bona fide genius, gifted in just about every area and excelled at anything she touched. It took me a long time to see all of her gifts and I'm sure there are a fair few I'll discover yet. Suffice it to say, we hit it off from the outset.
In the proceeding months we started doing music. We shared a love for Regina Spektor and I tried to make her love Tori Amos but I don't think it worked. Ivy plays piano, guitar, and violin, the last of which she has a performance degree in. I sing. It was so fun! I felt I had found what I had been dying for: a way, an outlet, an answer, someone to help me get out all the muck and mire built up over six long years of near silence. I was starving for music! She made it happen. And how.
Not only did we do music but we went to see and hear it, too. One of the best birthday presents I ever received was a VIP ticket to the Austin City Limits Music Festival. I am forever spoiled and will never return to the festival because the tickets are so incredibly expensive and I could never endure not being a VIP after the experience we had. Deviled eggs garnished with caviar, frito pies from Heaven, all the lemonade and vitawater you could possibly drink! And luxurious outdoor misty AC units, white canvas tents, lavender and eucalyptus oil infused iced handkerchiefs, nice bathrooms. Yeah. VIP is all I could ever do now. We saw Bjork, MUSE, Damian Rice, Paulo Nutinni, and the Indigo Girls. Oh! And Cold War Kids, just to name a few.
On another occasion we saw a live taping of the PBS ACL concert showcasing The Decemberists and, I can't even say it without smiling and gasping a little, Ghostland Observatory. I fell in love that night. I will never be the same. The lead singer slew my musical heart and I'm afraid I will love him forever. I can't explain it without crying. Just google it or youtube it. I can't go on.
Anyhow, Ivy and I really bonded. We share a love of music, a love of art, a love of good food, laughter, and dancing. She is more fun than a clown car in rush hour. I love her to bits. We made a Christmas CD last year and it rocks my socks. It's gorgeous.
Ivy and I were roommates for two years. We shared sufficient amounts of drama and elation. She helped me realize a number of things and continues to enlighten and inspire me. Ivy, to the girl who can make any day a jolly holiday, you are unforgettable in every, single way. Thank you for being so exquisitely unique. You mean so much to me. I love you.
2 comments:
I've been waiting patiently through 8 previous chapters for this chapter on Ivy. I love the girl to pieces and wanted to see what one who knows her better would say about this facinating woman who shares my middle name. Well done Kristin, well done!
OMG this is the nicest most generous ode to me i've ever ever laid eyes upon. It's too beautifully crafted and for me to wish it unwritten for modesty purposes (which i'll scrap in favor of having it to read forever). Oh joyous day. This very same dear authoress has brightened my yard this week with rose petals and has kept me laughing for years. I ask nothing more!
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