The other day, my friend, Melissa, was able to come down to L.A. to visit me! We were both really excited, and a little nervous, too, because we had never spent any one on one time together before. I met Melissa through Misti, and the two of them have been friends for years and years. I'm really happy that Melissa's not just one of Misti's friends to me, but she's also a close friend of mine. We had so much fun together the entire time she was here. I loved talking with her, swapping stories, learning about each other's pasts, and just generally getting to know each other better.

We went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's and cooked dinner together. It was nice to be able to keep on track with healthy eating while we were together. It was actually easier when she was here, I think, because we both had the same goals and had an ally in each other with our Quests for Good Health! Ever since Joe and I started this moving process, he and I have just been grabbing whatever's quick, and that has not always been whatever is healthy. Anyway, Melissa showed me how to make chicken in a way that I actually like, hooray! And I showed her how I make oatmeal. She said she kept trying and it never came out right, so she wanted me to make her some. I did, and she turned to me and said, "This is the best oatmeal I've ever had in my life!" Yay! I am the Oatmeal Queen!

One day we visited UCLA and I gave her a little tour around campus. I liked showing off my school, and was really happy that she liked seeing it, too. I had this fear she'd be totally bored by it! But we had a really nice time.

Of course, the two of us are major ocean lovers, so we had to go to the beach. I don't mind going to the beach by myself, but it was extra nice to go with Melissa. Plus, I'm always more willing to play in the water if I have someone with me. I could stand in the cold ocean waves and giggle by myself, I suppose, but seriously now, that is the type of thing best shared with a friend!

We watched the other body boarders and imitated them. I was scared to dive into the waves or to go out too far. But we were still having an awesome time! We kept guessing which waves would hit us the hardest, and of course, we kept guessing wrong. So not only would the waves completely plow us over, but the ones that did always took us by surprise as well! We were laughing and falling down and helping each other up over and over. A few times, I was able to scramble across the sand with my hands as the waves carried me toward the shore. And I only got sand-burned once.

Poor Melissa got a terrible sunburn on her back which she noticed when we got home that evening, so we got aloe vera at the store, which seemed to help a lot.

Last but not least, Mel also helped me go clothes shopping for my job interview. It was so great getting her advice, and we pieced together a really cute outfit for me. It was really fun!

We said goodbye at the train station late at night, and while I felt a little sad to see her go, it was outweighed by the happiness of having grown even closer to a wonderful friend. Love you, Mel!