I have 4 girlfriends that I am sure that I will be able to call my friends when we're old and rocking in chairs on the front porches of our nursing homes. All of whom are from different parts of my life.
The oldest friend I have has been one of my very dearest since Jr. Highschool. In 7th grade Ashley and I met at church. I was home schooled and she went to public school that year, but in 8th grade I was going to start going to the same school as her and needed someone to hang out with, and a friendship blossomed that year that I can't even put into words! Our 8th grade year would be the only year Ashley and I would have together in the same state as best buds forever, but that was enough. 8th grade is hard for a lot of people, for me in particular, but Ashley totally guided me through some very interesting drama situations. When we found out she'd be moving to CA before high school started, I was heart broken! We kept in touch for quite some time, she came to visit, I went to visit her. Luckily her grandma still lived here, so we got to hang out once a year or so all through high school, and even after. She was obviously a bridesmaid in my wedding, and I got the honor of recently standing with her in hers!
My sanity during my Sophomore - Senior years was often provided by my friend Jenny. We met at church also, and as soon as we were introduced we were like 2 peas in a pod. People associated us together because our names were both Jenni(y), so, it was pretty much like destiny. We used to drive around, just to drive, we'd bum $5 for gas from one of our parents and just go wherever we wanted. One of our favorite past times was tee-peeing one of our youth sponsor's houses every new years, such good times! Jenny and I had a silent rift in our relationship a few years back. We never had a fight, but we disagreed on an issue that was un-bendable for either of us, and grew apart. For whatever reason, I one day I felt like I should send her a message just to let her know I missed her (which was weird because it had hit me like a brick wall that I really truly had missed her friendship and was sad that we'd not been in each other's lives for so long). I invited her over and we talked for quite a while. I had determined that I was super-wrong about the whole situation that had driven us to part ways. And she accepted my apology for being a total idiot. It was seriously as if we'd never lost touch, we went shopping a couple weeks later for hours with my daughter. And within 2 months of reconnecting, I got an invitation in the mail that led me to tears. She wanted me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. I of course accepted! We've actually only hung out a hand full of times since her wedding over a year ago, but not because we've grown apart, just because life is busy. I don't worry at all about it, we'll chill when we chill :)
Toward the end of my junior year of high school another lovely lady entered the realm of BFF. Sarah and I had known who each other were through a mutual friend for the first 2 and a half years of high school, but to be perfectly honest we just didn't like each other all that much. Neither of us knows 100% why, but oh well, doesn't matter now. I don't remember the actually turning point in our friendship, but I think it was a mutual hatred for our speech teacher... we got to talking about that, and found out we actually had quite a bit in common. Sarah and I ended up being such great friends that she flew out to TX to move me back from the horrid wretched place I spent my first semester of college and then we got an apartment and became roommates for about a year. Granted the roommate thing probably wasn't our best idea, as we had a bit of a rift there....but luckily we worked at the same place by the time she moved out, so we were able to mend that up pretty quick and stayed fairly close. Sarah has always been that friend that will tell me her opinion, even if I'm not gonna like it (and she'd usually be right). I just love it. She recently moved out of the state and I was way more sad about it than I thought I'd be. We hadn't really hung out outside of work except for our annual cookie bake off in a few years, and although we were definitely friends, I figured it would pretty much be business as usual. I was totally wrong, I miss having the possibility of hanging out. But! It is ok, she has an awesome blog that I can use to keep up with her world, she'll be back in 3 years, and we're still doing our annual bake off!
The friend that has taken me by storm in my more adult life is Luchia. This girl....I just can't even explain. She has been probably the best advice giver I could have ever asked for. We bonded when I was pregnant with my daughter, I don't know exactly what got us talking, but I'm pretty sure that's about the time frame. We too have had times of not always hanging out or being visual BFF's, because of work hours or what not, but she and I will always be close I'm sure. We had really gotten to know each other quite a bit through her knowledge of kids and what to do and not to do with them, and when her dad passed away, I tried really hard to be the shoulder she could cry on whenever she needed. She's helped me through mom stuff, marriage stuff, daddy stuff, pet stuff, house stuff, work stuff, gosh just all kinds of stuff. Luchia and I could spend hours and hours just talking about stuff, and never get bored. That's what I absolutely love about her! Luckily, we now work pretty similar hours so we can talk about stuff just about any time! :)
Those are my girls, I don't even have pictures of all of them and had to steal them off their websites! But that's the stuff that doesn't matter, it's the friendship that runs deeper than a camera flash :)
I obviously have other friends worth talking about. My nertz night crew, Tina, Ivy, and Karen (and recently Fanny) are just a fantastic group of women who I would love to spend more time with. Karen I feel like I've known forever from youth group (being youth and sponsors together), Tina was my matron of honor and has been my mom-buddy for like 3 years, Ivy is not only Oakley's mommy, but a fantastic florist, gamer, target shopper, and all around super fun girl to hang out with.
Becca, my sister in law is near and dear to my heart, more so than I think she knows.
And of course my mom, she's a friend like no other :)
Many many more I'm sure, and hopefully more to come in my future. My group of friends is relatively small, but they mean so much to me, words can't even express!
