Today’s topic is one I can really get into, friendship! Attire, beauty, it’s good to be grateful for everything but my friends are above and beyond amazing. I feel it deep in my soul, I could never be unhappy with the…you know, I was going to say amazing again because it’s really the only word that comes close to describing the people in my life. I love them so much.
First, a big crowd of friends…MOPS. This is a large group of moms who gather together every other Monday from Fall through Spring and they talk and really get to know each other. They care about each other, wholeheartedly. When a mom has a baby or gets injured, they want to take her a meal. When they ask how you’re doing, they care about the answer and will offer a hug, prayer, or words of encouragement in return. Even the people I’m not close with, I feel close to at our MOPS meetings. I love the feeling of sisterhood it brings to me and I’ve got so much gratitude for this.
I’ve been friends with my best male friend for over a decade. He’s the only person, besides my mommy, that I’ve stayed close with through the years. We like a lot of the same things and we have a lot of fun together. He’s a really caring guy and even though he always said he didn’t think he’d want kids of his own, he’s phenomenal with mine. He and my middle daughter get to chatting about Dr. Who and it’s adorable. She’s only seen a few episodes but she loves the sci-fi aspect so they’re like two peas in a pod.
He’s a great friend to me, too. He’s made it to almost all of our parties and get-togethers, and we chat on the phone at least a few times a month. We have healthy debates and give each other advice. He’s always there when I need him and I do the same for him. I love our friendship. I feel like it’s a platonic marriage. If my husband couldn’t be my date to a wedding, Jon-Paul would surely be my next choice and we’d have a ball together.
The next one might be tough for some people to understand but my other best friend is someone I’ve never met. Erica, the author of Secondary Soul, and I have been friends for several years. In the past few years, we’ve become so close. We’re so similar in personality, it’s kind of crazy. Thankfully, we’re similar on a social level too so we could go several weeks without really saying much to each other and then resume talking like nothing. This is perfect since we’re both swamped with life, blogging, husbands, kids, and all of the other fun stuff that comes with life. If I can’t get a hold of my mom or husband, Erica is the one I call for my big and small life situations. I trust her judgment, always. When something good happens, I need her to know about it. When something bad happens, I need her to talk me through it and I am the same way for her. She is like a sister to me and yeah, it’s limited to the phone and Internet, but it’s such a good friendship.
Despite the fact that we are on completely opposite sides politically and religiously, Erica and I have always understood where the other was coming from and we’ve never ever fought. She’s beautiful, intelligent, and HILARIOUS. I love her to death and we’re in the rough draft stages of planning a fun meetup weekend for sometime in the future. I can’t wait to hug my best friend. And more to the point of why I love her, she took this crazy picture just for me to post in my blog:
I’ve got so many other friends that I’m grateful for. There are ones that I’ve never met and ones that I haven’t seen in a long time because I’ve moved, or they have. There are the ones I see on a somewhat regular basis and ones I see here and there. My friends are all so caring and loving and we all reach out to each other with support when the other is going through a tough time or with congratulations for the great things. Darci from Everything Mommyhood has always been one of my favorite people, dating back to when we were pregnant with our three year old daughters, but lately she’s also been really helping me with blogging and I appreciate it so much. I look up to her, she’s such a strong and intelligent woman, and she used to make me crave the craziest foods when we were pregnant!
My friend, Ashley is a relatively new friend that I’ve become close with. We went and got our noses pierced together, then I took her and her adorable little son to New York City to see Frozen on Ice with me and the kids. We had a blast and we all got along so well. And if I may take a few moments to pat myself on the back, I drove pretty well in New York City!
Elizabeth is a hilarious and sweet friend that I get together with and talk for hours on end. We can’t ever meet up “really quickly” like we intend to because we get to chatting and never stop. Elizabeth and I trade babysitting and help each other out. After I fail to read rules at our daughters’ dance class, she let’s me know what I’ve missed with minimal mockery (lol!).
Dianna has been a friend since high school. We lost touch for a little while but I love going out with her. The kids love her and even though they usually ask if people have kids, they don’t care that Dianna doesn’t because they love her just the way she is! She’s a nurse so I always go to her with medical questions, which she probably hates but she’s too nice to tell me to shut up! Dianna was there when my baby boy was born at home, taking a few pictures and mostly watching the kiddies for me! She’s a very important friend in my life!
There’s Heather and Melissa, Michelle and Randi, so many more wonderful friends and that’s not even everybody. My mom and husband are out-of-this-world friends too but since there’s a family post coming up, I’ll save it for them. Grateful doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about the fact that these people are in my life. I am blessed beyond words.