16 October 2008

Farewell, Faithful Friend

In December 2001, my college friends and I exchanged gifts before we took our very first college finals and parted ways for the holidays. Lucky for me, Megan gave me the blue Nalgene bottle that would go everywhere with me for the next 7 years. In that time, my Nalgene and I hiked across Spain, caught the train across Morocco, explored the hills of Pennsylvania, snorkeled in Ecuador, napped in parks around San Francisco, checked out the sites in China, got to know George's family in New Zealand, hiked and snowboarded around the Pacific Northwest, explored southeast Alaska, and attended many, many undergraduate and law school classes.

Last week, our journey came to an end. The handle, which was so convenient for hooking onto my bag or belt, broke. I'll probably replace the handle and take my Nalgene on a few journeys in the future, but she's going to be retired from everyday use.

In her place, I have a new Bilt stainless steel water bottle. I love the ferns that remind me of New Zealand, and I look forward to having many adventures with my new bottle!