dua-puluh-satu

Ok, so I have this reeeally embarrasing photo, ok, a few, of my good friend Steffanie. But I know that if I upload them here she will throttle me.

Today it is Steff's 21st birthday. I just wanted to acknowledge that on my blog, because she is by far one of my closest friends.

It all started in late february 2005, a warm sunny day where I got a blood nose. The first day of the rest of my life. The first day of university. I was standing in a group of people, on the second floor of the education building. In this group contained a few 'popular people', people who seemed to know each other, I had come to Bendigo knowing one person in the whole city. There was a guy there who was seemingly outgoing, and introduced himself as Bluey. There were two other quieter girls, their names being Steff and Tegan. From around the corner was the first time I saw Nita, she rushed past us, we acknowledged that we were her new Indonesian class, and she rushed off again. Everyone smiled at the little Indonesian lady, and everyone noted that she was so cute. I remember this day like it was yesterday. We all entered EDU22.5 and there was our first Indonesian class.

There was something about Steff I couldn't shake off. She seemed like a really nice girl, very quiet, very clever, a quiet achiever, but there was just something about her that made me want to know her more. (this is starting to sound like a love story!)

One of my classes was called "Intro to teaching" with Wilf Savage. On my first tute I realised that there was someone I knew in there, that girl, agh, can't remember her name. But she does Indonesian with me! So I sit next to her, this loud outgoing indigenous lady who goes by the name of Kerri, and another girl called Annette. We decide to work together on our tute presentation for the subject, a free choice, which ends up being about safety.

I remember our first meeting for the subject so clearly. Kerri and Annette got talking about something else, and I was just sitting there with my new friend "Steph". She was eating a sandwhich, and I had brought something from the canteen. She casually asks me, "So.. are you involved with Christian Union?"

Lights went on. I knew it, this girl is a christian! That feeling I couldn't knock, this is it! I said that I was, and that (at the time) I was going to Victory. "oh, they always send new christians in town to Victory!" she told me.

One day Indonesian became unbarable. I was terribly homesick and the grammar became too much and I couldn't hide it. It was back when we had classes at 7:30pm. I rushed to the toilet to try and get myself together, and who would follow me but Steff. I confessed to her that I was so homesick, stressed, and just not understanding the grammar. I remember the concerned look in her eyes.

The second semester of my first year came up quickly. Steff was in my inclusive ed tute with Cherry Rattue. Here started my hanging out in the SU, meeting new people, and forming "the latest phase" friendship group.

Time went on and it was time for me to move back to Pinnaroo for summer. I didn't want to but mum needed my help. It was the craziest 3 months of my life. I kept in contact with Steff, thanks to the beautiful creation called MSN. It's funny the conversations that you can get into on MSN, its like you can get to know someone on a different level.

I was so happy to move back to Bendigo. Steff invited me to her youth group. The first time we went we went to Eaglehawk. She came and got me from the terraces. I stood in the carpark waiting for her, and I knew exactly when it was her, because the volvo was coming up the road at about 20kmph.

I kept a few of my MSN conversations with Steff. I have numerous "Steffs PE advice" (wanna borrow it?) and "Steffs advice about this" and "Steff's advice about that" files throughout my computer. One of them I read with utter frustration the other day about how Steff was so willing to help me, but I held back and became such a neusience!

Over my first prac for second year, I discovered Dragostea Din Tei. Oh dear. Oh yes. THAT song. It was repeated over and over and OVER again, and we know each word to the romanian song. With that came many phases, the blitz phase was one of them. Retro another.

One day I remember waking up at 6am in an utter panic, coming to my 8am class in tears. I told Steff my deepest darkest secrets, and she didn't judge me. She was extremely supportive, and has been ever since. We stayed up until 3am on MSN once with me telling another one of my most secretive secrets. Steff probably knows me the best closest to God. She helped me get back on track, and challenged me in my walk with God. She has been such a strong influence in my life, and I look up to her.

We were once driving along in the Volvo, when she said to me, "hey, you know, it's funny I turned out like this when I lived in Kangaroo Flat." I said, "yeah, you didn't stab anyone or anything, but for all I know, you could have taken someone out into the bush and killed them." Her voice changed and she said to me "where do you think we're going now?"

Yes, I am a dag, but I'm Steff's dag. I may be a dag, but Steff is a fiss. Maybe it's just a South Australian thing ;) Maybe it's because I've been diagnosed with a fatal condition, and I am dying. My remaining lifespan could be a mere 70-80 years. The condition longevitis infectus fericirea et-al (LIFE) But it's ok, all of the worlds most successful people have also been diagnosed with this condition.

But I think that it was meant to be that Steff and I would stumble across each other at this time in our lives. Because the 6km distance from Steff's house to the Bendigo CBD does indeed correlate with the 6km distance from my home town to the SA/VIC border. It is simply the cosmos' way of informing us that we should be sisters, and in fact, were it not so, the very universe as we know it would spiral off into chaos.

Steff and I have a secret language too. Obeng. Sembarang.

The other day, I was innocently sitting next to Steff in a lecture theatre, holding my broken lunch box. Steff turns to me, and says, "I have the sudden urge to piff that across the room". I hand it to her, expecting her not to do it, and she throws it down the front of the lecture theatre.

So here comes the third year. And I'm happy Steffs still around.

I just wanted you to know Steff that you are indeed a very special person in my life (is-tem-e-wa!), and what a better day to let you know than your 21st! May you always know how great a part of my life you are, and that I wouldn't trade anything in the world to be your friend.

May God bless you and keep you today and always!

*hands book* Steffanie Cutmore, this is your life! *and the crowd goes wild*

This is my tribute for you: