My Girls

If you read this blog you know I have a set of friends I go out with on a regular basis. And you have probably read about them in the past.

Tonight I met with them again. We did our monthly dinner out. Except it has been many months since we have been able to do it. So it was long overdue.

I have known these women for over 3 years. Our kids went to preschool together for 2 years and we have remained friends despite the fact that our kids now go to different elementary schools.

On my way home from the restaurant I felt different then I have in the past. Yes, I still had that feeling of being recharged after a lot of good laughs. I enjoyed our conversations. But tonight I felt more. I realized how special these women really are. I realized how much I depend on them, how much I admire them and how much I love them all.

I have many other friends in my life that I love. I have a best friend of 30 years. I have 4 fabulous college friends that live in four different states and for which I would do anything.

Why is this group so special to me? It is hard to explain but I will try.

There is no judgement.
There is total comfort around them.
They are sincere.
They are real.
They are funny.
They are extemely complimentary.
They love to make fun of each other's quirks.
They love to laugh.
They have great kids.
They have great husbands.
They are accepting.
They are all very different from each other.
They are extremely supportive at times of need.
They give great advice and true opinions when you really want one.
They know what is right for you more than you do.
They know how to make you feel good.

Life has been stressful and tough lately. And these women have been my rocks. They have held me up and pushed me forward. All in their own ways. They have given me hope and guidance. They have spoken words that have changed the way I think. Being a strong-willed person who is usually the rock for someone else this is sometimes hard to accept and admit. But they have been there without judgement. And have been there faithfully.

Prior to dinner, the most important thing I wanted to know is if one of my friends went to her class reunion. The day before the event she sent an email that she might not go because she wasn't feeling so good about how she looked. Well, tonight she expressed such gratitude for all the emails that we all sent back to her encouraging her to go and telling her how beautiful she really is. She was so amazed by our support she shared the emails with her husband and it actually made it him tear up.

Another friend gives me things because that is just her. Not out of welfare, but because that is what she loves to do. Share. And what it does for me and my self-esteem is more than she knows. Having that little something new or pretty makes a girl stand a little taller and smile more.

Recently, that same friend let me borrow a necklace for my job interview. She sent me home with 3. I privately loved 2 of them. I returned them to her tonight at dinner. She opened the little jewelry bag and pulled out the two I love and said, "Wait, you were supposed to keep these." I was taken aback. "No, I can't" I said. She said, "Yes, I have only worn that one once and I have something very similar to this one already." I immediately took off the necklace i was wearing and put on the white one and wore it with pride! It is not the material want or need of her gesture. It is the generosity. That she knows what I love and that she loves to give. To her giving and making you happy makes her happy.

I could go on about the others. They are all very special to me in their own way. I have a special relationship with each of them in my own way. They all provide something to me that the others may not. They are all unique.

But what they all have in common is that they are all beautiful. Inside and Out.


-end-

Funny girls

Tuesday was another night out with the girls. We meet up monthly. I have written about them before. I laughed my ass off. It is so nice to go out with friends once a month and just relieve the stress.

Being a Tuesday night, none of us really wanted to go but someway, somehow we got ourselves there and ended up having a roaring time. It turned a not so thrilling day into a very fun and relaxing evening.

What's our secret? Being open and ourselves. Daring to laugh at each other and ourselves. Sharing stories, concerns, frustrations, achievements, life. And most of all . . . never taking offense. Our pokes at each other are from knowing each other and pure admiration.

Thank you ladies. Your friendship is valuable and I look forward to next month!

What I learned this week

So I lied. I feel like writing again. Trying to wind down from a night of intense web work and just started thinking (it's 12:15am). One can always think better in complete silence. Doesn't happen unless all are asleep in this household.

So I was thinking about my day, the week, etc. Here is what I learned.

1. Victoria Secret is funding my panty collection. They just keep sending me these cards for a free panty. Pratically every other month. They really want me to use the coupon on there for $10 off a free bra, but I hate to tell them I ain't buyin' no bra for awhile. Times are tough Vicki. Bras from your store are PURE luxury. But, hey, keep sending me those free panty cards. Hubby likes them too!

2. I haven't met a Blue Bell I didn't like. Up north we don't have Blue Bell Ice Cream. So when my neighbor suggested I try it when we moved here I hit the jackpot! The kids and I had Extreme Chocolate tonight. I am particularly found of Banana Pudding and Banana Split. My girl likes to go for Mint Chocolate Chip. Hubby likes plain Vanilla. I just think they are all phenomenal. OH! We tried Snickerdoodle last week. Yummy!

3. Just when you think you know someone, you find out you really don't. And something happens between you that will change your relationship forever. And you suddenly look back at your past times together and realize that maybe you just ignored that part of the person or simply shrugged it off. In retrospect it seems so apparent. Was I naive, oblivious, dupped or just being ole' me and giving everyone the benefit of the doubt?

4. Now is the time to Christmas shop. Everything seems to be on clearance everywhere. Holiday merchandise prep has started. They are clearancing the shelves for all the new shiney holiday stuff. I picked up a huge victorian doll dressed so gaudy I could puke for my daughter. She spotted it at K-Mart and about died because I wouldn't buy it for her. Se actually had tears and claimed her extreme love for this doll. I made mental note to return to pick up this hideous doll for her for Christmas. It was a whopping $7.00 on clearance. Yup, it was that bad that it was on the clearance rack. I have a feeling though it may be her favorite gift this year. Two years ago it was the singing rudolph from my sister-in-law. Of all the things!

5. Everyone was right when they said, "Have another child and give your daughter a playmate" when I complained how she would never leave me alone and always needed my attention. My 2 year old has reached a point now where he is fun for my 5 year old to play with. He worships her and follows her in any activity she wants to do. He is a perfect playmate for her because he does what she says. They are so cute together. It is like a whole new feeling for me as a mom to watch my kids play together so well. I never really gave it much thought when I was pregnant or when he was little. But it is pretty darn cool. Sibling love!

6. If I stay up any later I will be a bad mom tomorrow! So off to bed I go. Goodnight

I met my BFF 29 years ago

My Girl is going to kindergarten in the fall. Go back 29 years in my life to her current age and this would be the summer I met my best friend to this day - Jenny, now refered to as Jen.

I remember it pretty well.

There were a good bit of kids to play with in my neighborhood (unlike where I live now) and I remember being able to play freely up and down my street at the meer age of five. One summer day one of the other neighborhood kids informed us that a new girl just moved in. I was of course very curious as the boys in our hood out numbered the girls.

I don't remember how we ended up meeting but I do remember finding out she was my age and starting kindergarten in the fall like me. I then invited her over to play on our swingset. It was there that we decided to be best friends. And we still are to this day.

So it makes me sad to think that my daughter is at that same point in her life already. Currently, her best friend Ava has moved to another state far away. They met at age three. I wonder if this friendship will survive the distance between them. They talk of each other often despite the fact that they rarely see each other.

Regardless, I can only hope she finds a best friend as good as mine!

Florida, Friendship, FUN!

In a previous post I told you that hubby was letting me go child-free to Florida to visit my best friend for 5 days. What a saint he is!

It was great! The first night I arrived I didn't get to her house until 8:30pm (3 hours late, but that is a whole other post!). I had traveled all day and she had worked all day yet we managed to stay up until 1:30am talking. We could have talked all night. Neither of us tired of the conversation. I reminded her that she had to get up with her boys in the morning and get them off to school. Right. 5:45am was creeping up quickly.

The next day we grabbed a bite of breakfast and a coffee and headed out to Siesta Key Beach. Of course we yakked it up the whole way there. By accident we found public beach access 7 that led us out to a very open stretch of beach with like two other people on it. The sand there is so white and as fine as sugar. Therefore, it was not hot on the feet. The weather was perfect that day. Not too humid/hot and a steady breeze! The water was so clear that you could see your toes in three feet of water!

We set up camp and went right into the water. We just floated and chatted. We then walked all the way down to the main public beach area to use the restroom. We walked all the way back and past our camp to the other end of the beach. We brought ourselves lots of water and a rum/juice concoction. We filled our water bottles with the rum treat and headed back out for more floating and chatting. When we returned to our blanket to finally get some tanning in I asked Jen if she wanted her book to read. She said, "No, the conversation is too good.". I don't think we quit talking the whole day! At 3pm we decided we had enough and packed it up only to find out later that we had a nice burn despite our many applications of SPF 50!

Later that night we went out to eat at Joe Crackers??? with Jen's hubby and two neighbors. What a blast! The food was Yummy! The drinks kept flowing! Thank you dearest Andy (Jen's neighbor) for picking up the tab!

After dinner we headed to a local bar for another beer and then decided to take the party back to Sherry's house. (Jen's other neighbor) We hung out there until 1:30am again. I think 1:30am must be my cutoff. I would suddenly be extremely tired.

The next day we packed it up again and headed to Jen's camper that they keep at a nearby campground. We were sorta spent from the day before and it was very hot so we just lounged under the camper awning and read/chatted/drank. That night we started a campfire and played Sequence where Bart kicked our butts to many times. Damn!

The following day we woke to Bart cooking up a big Sunday breakfast. After that we headed out to play a long afternoon of Shuffleboard - just Jen and I. I had never played before and it was actually pretty fun. Although, anything can be fun with a little rum to go with it!

We dipped in the pool after shuffleboard and headed back to cook up some burgers, corn, baked beans and tomato/onion/mozzerella salad. YUMMY!

The next day I left and was glad to be going home as i missed my family, but was so refreshed from the time alone.

BTW, Hubby did fine with the kids by himself. He actually said he enjoyed it!

Thanks, Jen, for the good time and good conversation! Next time, you, me and the french quarter baby!

No, Bart, you can't come!

Everyone is moving

Since Katrina, I have had 9 of my friends move out of state. None because of lose of house. One because of lose of job. The others, mostly job changes. That is how this area I live in is. Transient.

I am sad to say that another one of my good friends moved today. She moved to the Atlanta area. I am probably most sad for my daughter. She is at the age now that she really cherishs her friends and 2 of her best friends - the ones she begs to have over daily - have moved out of state in the last month. Yet, she doesn't understand moving. She keeps asking why and if I know how to get to their new house. She even asked me why they don't take their house with them and didn't seem too hot on the idea that someone else was going to be living in their house now. She then asked if we were moving too. It was sorta sad. She cried a little but I still don't think she gets it. Heck, she thought they lived out of state just because they lived on the other side of town. When returning from their house we would get to a certain intersection and she would say, "Are we back in Louisiana now?"

But I know for sure she understands friendship and will miss them dearly. And so will her mommy.