Greve, in the Chianti region.
Kathleen's neighborhood was less than a mile from my own, just across A1A. We didn't meet until junior year when I transferred to her high school, but oh, how quickly the friendship flowered. Like Roquefort and Sauternes, put Leeny and me together and 1 + 1 equals, shoot, at least 7.5. We even have opposite good sides for pictures.
The day Kathleen got a car, she drove straight into my driveway and began honking. From that day forth, we always carpooled. We drove to each others houses at midnight for wardrobe pillaging when we had, my god, nothing to wear for the next day's English presentation. We got back from family vacations ready to kill all blood relatives, threw down our bags, and headed to our "second" homes. When I began experimenting with jogging, I'd swing by Kathleen's for a glass of water and maybe end up watching Oprah, eating her mother's iced butter cookies, and getting a lift home come dinnertime.
But what you really need to know is, on Thursday, MY BEST FRIEND PICKED ME UP IN FLORENCE, ITALY IN A BLUE FIAT PANDA.
Allow me to explain.
Kathleen and Dax have been married exactly one year and eight days. While some couples might celebrate their first wedding anniversary with a nice dinner and a movie, she and her husband stayed in a villa in Tuscany for the week. (It was their wedding gift from the kind owners of said villa. Yes, we all feel like it's something from a Seinfeld episode.)
Dax's best friend Pete and I arrived on Thursday, making us a boozy band of four. Add a few sun-soaked days in Tuscany to the bank of "remember whens."
I still can't believe Kathleen is married. We're supposed to be lighting a nice smelly candle, painting our nails and agonizing, why, oh why, must Dr. McCarthy torture us with the injustice that is Physics homework? But if getting older means somebody actually trusts us to stay in their villa, maybe there are some advantages.
Oh, and did I mention that Dax is amazing, makes Kathleen laugh until she snarfs, and I love him? Couldn't be happier for both of my friends. Congrats on one year, kids. And thanks, so very much, for letting me crash your anniversary party.
I'll post pictures shortly.
Is his REAL name actually 'Dax'? Sounds SO soap-operaish! I love it!
Posted by: Sammy | 25 April 2005 at 05:40 PM
I just returned from Italy, and that looks so much like the region around beautiful Montepulciano. Yes people, Tuscany really does look exactly like that.
*sigh*
I'm glad you had a wonderful time. I love friends like Kathleen. So... I have to be nosy for the sake of ALL your readers - what was this Pete fellow like? =)
Posted by: rachel | 25 April 2005 at 05:42 PM
I have also stayed at a villa in Italy and I try to work it into conversation whenever possible. I am clinging to that two weeks in Siena like nobody's business!
Posted by: Em | 25 April 2005 at 05:56 PM
Sammy, it's short for Daxton.
Ha Rachel! I have to keep a few secrets for myself, non? Joking. Pete is awesome. Lives in London. Is that what you wanted to know? :)
Em, I know, I can't stop saying the word "villa."
Posted by: Coquette | 25 April 2005 at 06:06 PM
What a great idea for an anniversary! I think I'll have to file that one away in the "for when I'm married" section of my brain.
I'd also like to thank Coquette for putting Vanilla Ice in my head. (Beachfront avenue!).
Posted by: DDJ | 25 April 2005 at 07:15 PM
very nice analogy (roquefort sauterne). Says a lot more then 1000 words for cheese lovers... :)
A quizz now that proves your frenchness : What is the best wine for a camenbert ?
Posted by: schuey | 25 April 2005 at 07:31 PM
As if your life wasn't cinematic enough... :)
Posted by: Marilyn | 25 April 2005 at 08:22 PM
Mm. Pretty! My friends and I rented a villa in Tuscany (also!) when we graduated from college, for a week or so. It was positively idyllic, and I'm so jealous that you were there. That's what the good memories are made of, you know.
Posted by: Gloria | 25 April 2005 at 08:26 PM
DDJ, I almost put that into the post! We're always on the same page...
Schuey, I'm resisting the urge to google this or research in any sort of way. Please tell me! I await your wisdom.
Posted by: Coquette | 25 April 2005 at 09:34 PM
Coquette - Fun, fun! I muy jealous! My girlfriends and I are going to San Fransico for the weekend and hitting some wineries in Sonoma. I'm not the biggest wine fan, so I'll squint and pretend I'm in Tuscany.
***sigh****
Geez, all this Italy talk is making me want to hit the Olive Garden for dinner on the way home! Just kidding! Kinda!
Posted by: SaraJane | 25 April 2005 at 10:11 PM
I have a cousin named Dax. Your Dax is the only other I've ever heard of. And your story, my lord, sounds like it was plucked out of a novel. What a wonderful trip!
Posted by: africankelli | 26 April 2005 at 12:37 AM
well not wisdom but just being pretentious beyond beliefs...
A very old champagne, maybe a Laurent Perrier Grand Siècle 1990 (actually if you drink this one i'll gladly join)
or even a salon ? Blanc de Blanc ?
Posted by: schuey | 26 April 2005 at 03:19 AM
*sighs*...'Daxton'...how stoic! It give me goosebumps just thinking about it. Do you think he would mind if I named my firstborn after him?
Posted by: sammy | 26 April 2005 at 09:43 AM
The villa just wouldn't have been the same without best friends like Coquette to drink Chianti in the wine cellar...did I really just type that sentence? Amazing!
And Sammy, I just want to let you now that Dax indeed wouldn't mind if you name your firstborn after him, but I will hear about it from the egomaniac for a married lifetime.
Posted by: Leeny | 26 April 2005 at 10:02 PM
Dear Coquette,
I really enjoyed this article, especially since I'm the owner of said villa in Tuscany! We're so glad you, Kathleen, Dax and Pete had a good time. It's hard not to enjoy it, even when the furnace isn't working.
Loved the "Seinfeld" reference! My question is, "Who was playing the part of 'Elaine' since you and Kathleen are both wonderful actresses?" (If it's all the same to you, Chuck and I will pass on recreating George's parents' roles.)
We'll look forward to seeing the additional pictures, and my compliments for taking the photo from the vineyards below. It's muddy and nasty down there. (You don't want to know what Signora Bianca does to the chickens in the coop nearby.)
Congrats on your witty website!!
Kyle
Posted by: Kyle Ball | 27 April 2005 at 04:46 PM
I saw that!!
Don't worry, I swear I won't tell a soul.
Posted by: Sammy | 27 April 2005 at 06:23 PM
That is a breathtaking villa. But I have to say, Daxton doesn't exactly sound like a real name either.
Posted by: Cordelia | 27 April 2005 at 06:24 PM
I know of two other guys named Dax--both are actors.
Posted by: amy | 19 May 2005 at 01:30 AM
This Dax is a lawyer, but it's funny to know there are more "Dax"s floating about...
Posted by: Coquette | 19 May 2005 at 01:36 AM
i like this part of the post:"Oh, and did I mention that Dax is amazing, makes Kathleen laugh until she snarfs, and I love him? Couldn't be happier for both of my friends. Congrats on one year, kids. And thanks, so very much, for letting me crash your anniversary party. " is very good
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