Friendship Gratitude- Cepand

How we met:

Cepand and I met through Shari. Her aunt was having a Christmas dinner and because I am basically Persian, she invited me to the family party. She was like you’ll fit right in and it was true.

Was it love at first sight?

No, it was not love at first sight, absolutely not in the slightest, no offense Cepand. You know I say that with all my love for you, but it’s the truth.

At dinner, Shari and I sat in the corner and the topic of politics arose. Everyone got pretty heated, including Cepand. I remember turning to Shari and whispering, your cousin is so intense. I didn’t know him that well, so I just viewed him as this super opinionated person and I told myself as a check never to bring up any serious topic with him because he’s too smart and uses really big words that goes over my head.

A few weeks later, I spent New Year’s with Shari and Cepand was there. He was a semi-wall flower, but of course I am a talker, so I asked him lots of questions. That’s when we connected and that night, I took a lot of pictures and he read my blog on being an honorary Persian and I think I won him at that point. I guess you can say he could not resist my optimistic and bubbly personality.

After that, we continued talking and overtime, I became a trusted confidant, his social and fashion advisor, and best friend. His nickname for me is his Craysian Fireball, I sometimes still don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Favorite Moments:

• Prada, Gucci, Louis: I helped Cepand pick out some sexy new shades, so we scoured the mall for the perfect sunglasses. We were free and silly, without a care in the world except to find the sexiest glasses for him.  Later on he told me in that moment, he forgot about all his worries. He just learned to enjoy the moment with me. I told him the benefits of being with someone with a simple mind.
• I used Amazeballs? Cepand was appalled he started picking up language from Shari and I. One day he used amazeballs and blamed us.  What can you say, we rub off on people.
• Y’all know I am OBSESSED with Whale Sharks. When he went to the Cayman’s, he asked what I wanted and I said a Whale Shark.  He just shook his head and said, you want me to bring you a sea creature?  I said yes and of course, he kept his word and brought me a form of sea creatures.

• No pictures please. So, on this particular day, Cepand was at dinner for Shari’s bday, he walks in and immediately says no pictures today. I was dying when he said that. There were so many times, I lifted my camera and he just gave me the “don’t you dare” look, but in the end I got THIS fabulous picture.

• He hates selfies…well pictures in general. Yet with me, he just indulges me. I think I made a breakthrough when he took this silly face one!  I taught him the importance of knowing your good side and his response was that he doesn’t have a bad side. He’s just that damn sexy. FYI- Mine is turned sideways and looking to the left.

3 Best Qualities:

• Wit and Sarcastic Humor. When you first meet Cepand, you can definitely get the wrong sense that he’s more reserved, serious, and more introverted, but don’t let that exterior fool you. Cepand is one of the funniest people I know. He is very witty and he makes me laugh all the time. When I have a bad day, his humor makes it 100% better. My favorite moment was when said goodbye like he was in a play. His exact words was…And with that I’m out…3…2..1…Curtains fade.
• Knight and Shining Armor. I tell him again and again, there are not many men left like him in the world. He is one of the few truly good guys left. He is sweet, kind, caring, and a great listener. He is one of the few men who opens doors, keeps his promises, lets you have dessert even when he doesn’t want any, and ladies…He always pays for a lady even when we are just friends. But granted as a nice guy, he will never let you walk all over him, which I like. When I’m being absolutely ridiculous, he still calls me out in a semi-kind way.  I tell him that he is a rarity and he gives other men a bad name to live up to because he sets the bar high.
• Protective Nature. Cepand is the type of guy you can count on time and time again. He would never let anything happen to you. Even his Myer’s Briggs indicates that his personality is like a guardian. He is the type of guy who will beat up anyone that hurts your feelings, defend your honor, and put an invisible cloak around you when you are feeling down to protect you from the world.

My Most Grateful Moment:

Cepand has played a big role in so many of the pieces of my life that it’s hard for me to thank you for just one particular moment. He’s the person I turn to when I get frustrated or lost. No matter what happens in my life, I know I can tell him everything on my mind, even threatening to be a nun. Maybe he laughs a little at how emotional I get, how crazy or ridiculous I am, but he’s always there for me.  I really couldn’t remember life without him in it.

He accepts me for all my flaws, my weird quirks like being deathly afraid of Ebola or Zombies, my inability to stop taking pictures (even when he says no), talking, or the fact that I get distracted within seconds of telling him something.  The picture below shows a snippet of what he deals with, bless his heart.

I think two moments do stand out in particular though. The first was when I was really upset with G after he bailed on a date because he put work over a possible relationship, Cepand’s answer was to “Double-FK him in the ear with a stick of fire covered in spiders.”

When I had my cortisone shots and started gaining the weight I worked so hard to keep off, I vented my frustrations to him. He reassured me that everything is going to be ok and that I will get better.  He also told me, weight is just a number and when he looks at me he sees nothing but a kind and optimistic person. If I ever needed to vent, he is there to lend a listening ear. He did not deflect the seriousness of the situation, but he did not allow me to wallow in it either.

Thank you Cepand for being my best friend, the protective family member I never had, confidant, keeping me semi-grounded, my live comedy show, and just being you.