“Manaa!”  Sometimes I wonder how this girl can put up with my occasional “Pagal”  (Punjabi for “crazy”) outbursts.  I first met Gurman (aka. Money) in 1996 when I was 9 and she was 10 years old.  She had just come to America from India with her family.  It was a hot summer day in Renton when her family decided to visit mine.  I was outside roller blading with the neighborhood kids when I met Money and her cousin, whom I had known before.  I was being my outgoing self: talking a thousand miles per hour, skating all over the place, laughing and being my goofy self.  I remember that shortly after she met me she turned to her cousin and said, “she’s pagal.”  Ever since then I had become her “Pagal” and she my “Manaa.”  After her initial shock of meeting this crazy roller-blading Indian girl, we immediately became joined at the hip for the rest of that summer and many more to come.  There was a time where we would not only spend one night, or a few nights, but weeks at a time at each others houses staying up all night talking about nonsense, watching Indian movies, playing outside, snickering at the boys across the street and reading aloud to each other in bed.  As we started to become more “mature” we would tackle new challenges in life, including first aid 101 when she had to “treat” me after my treadmill accident (lets not talk about it haha), getting our drivers licenses together, and attending Gurdwara camp.  Now that we are adults and our friendship has undergone the test of time, we are closer than ever.  Money has not only become a sophisticated and classy fashionista, but she is sensitive, compassionate and driven.  Her empathetic traits have brought her to a career as an Assistant Executive Director of a geriatric healthcare facility in Wenatchee.  Being close friends for over 16 years, I couldn't imagine tying the knot without her.