So, I Have All These Friends . . .

I have a lot of friends . . . not to sound cocky or obnoxious, because I think we ALL have a lot of friends from various stages in our lives. If we are lucky, we’ve all connected with people and made long-lasting relationships in childhood, high school, college, work . . . all these friends mean so much and remind us so much of a certain time in our lives.

For me, I have one friend in particular that has literally grown up with me. We were forced to be ‘locker partners’ in 6th grade, and I’ll never forget that she had a picture of her cat hanging in there when I ‘moved in’ to our rectangular metal digs. Other kids at school told her I was weird because I had recently moved to Georgia from California . . .and she definitely bought into that because it was not at that time in our lives that we became the sister-like friends we are today. It was later, in 8th grade, when our PE coaches made us walk laps around the track (or be subjected to some organized sport – it was our choice) that we truly found each other and hit it off. We’ve been inseparable for so many years now . . . 16, to be exact. She was the Matron of Honor in my wedding, and we are about to have babies just days apart later this year. (That's us -- she is in yellow with her two girls beside her, me with baby Meg in summer 2006 . . . and our other high school friend is with us with her two boys.)

I have another friend that sticks with me from college . . . we met when we were positioned next to each other in the Redcoat Marching Band. She was “G7” and I was “G8” – or something like that. Fate had not only put us next to each other in the marching formations, but also in the same dorm AND on the same hall. It was like someone had two big hands on each of our backs, shoving us closer together and saying, “Hey, you two will get along . . . here, be friends.” We were in and out of touch through some of our college years . . . she stayed in the band and I veered down the sorority route. After college, our friendship grew closer but our lives were still physically a bit far apart . . . until I married and chose to move pretty much right down the street from this dear friend. And when we moved this summer, I couldn’t bear the thought of moving far from her, so we stayed within 5 miles . . . and actually live closer now than we did before. Her youngest son and Meg are 12 weeks apart . . . meaning that I was pregnant right along with this friend two years ago. (That's us in the pic, both prego in May 2006.)

I have good friends that I’ve met through Jim -- Jim’s friends wives, girlfriends, etc. Our family has grown with these families . . . I’ve celebrated many weddings and births with this particular avenue of friends. I cannot say that I hit it off with every wife/girlfriend that I meet – naturally, there are a few that just don’t click with me – but many are great friends who I enjoy seeing on a regular basis. Two of them in particular are not really even “Jim’s friends’ wives” – they have fast become MY friends, and the boys just hang out when we get together. Heck, if it weren’t for my friendship with some of these wonderful ladies, Jim might not see some of his old buddies on many occasions! These friends and I have connections because of our husbands, but we are much more than that. (NO comments about my attire in these photos are necessary -- Tech was playing Notre Dame, so I was trying to be a supportive wife!)

And now, at this new mom-stage in life, I have new friends. I have friends that I’ve met in mommy-oriented classes, such as Meg’s swimming and music activities. I have friends that I had before mommyhood . . . but since we’ve both become moms, we have found a new level to our friendship – we have something so powerful in common that it’s hard NOT to become better friends. I have friends that I’ve called on for many mommy-type needs . . . all of which I don’t know what I would have done without them since the birth of pretty little Meg.

Even still, I’m making more friends these days in a more unconventional way . . . on the internet. Yes – I have ‘on line” friends! Some might even call me a 'blog stalker'. These new friends are mostly associated with my photography endeavor and my time spent on Flickr . . . I’ve tapped into people’s photo streams and really, truly gotten to know them and their families through pictures and emails. I have a great friend in Canada who – terribly and unfortunately – shared my miscarriage experience with me this summer. She and I are both now expecting new summer babies . . . but I don’t know what I would have done without her in that month following our loss. She has become more than just a ‘pen pal’ – she’s a real friend who I speak to and think of almost daily. I have another friend in the Midwest who is having some medical procedures done right now, and she’s been kind enough to share the experience with me. I have a friend in Seattle who adopted the most precious baby girl that is just about Meg’s age . . . and I so wish I could find a way for Meg and Lily to meet! These friends may be a bit unconventional, but they are people that I care and think of just as I do any other friend.

It’s so interesting to think of all of these different friends – and to think of how much each of them mean to me. My college friend often says friends from so many walks-of-life makes it hard to get together with ALL of your friends at once because when you do, it can be like ‘worlds colliding’ – which is very, very true. Each friend means something special to you – but mixed together it CAN be a unique experience. (Ahem, remember your wedding? Your Grandma and your Boss in one room? That’s what she means.)

So, I have all these friends. I consider myself lucky, and I take none of you for granted. As the “Golden Girls” theme song boasts, “Thank you for being a friend . . .”