music on mondays

I am so thankful for my "girls" weekend get-away last weekend.

Whew!  I have had a rough few weeks and I NEEDED to be with my BFFs.

So,

Amy and I drove up to Charleston, South Carolina
to spend the weekend with Jan
at Jenny's house.

Amy and I left our kiddos at home for 2 whole days!
Rock on!

Our friend, Jan {who's baby boy is in one of my previous posts},
is leaving the country  for a few years
and we needed one last chance "to be together"
...the 4 of us.  

We have been friends
...the 4 of us
...for over 15 years now.

Good food.

Good friends.

Good wine.

Being friends with these amazing women is such an honor & a blessing.

They are so easy to be with and always have been.
I can be myself when I am around them
...it's like exhaling, relaxing and just being real.

I can count on them to keep me grounded when I need to be and encouraged when I need that, too.

They let me whine and cry about something and then tell to put on my big girl panties and deal.

They each have their own practical advice and always know just when to give it and when to bite their tongue.

In some ways we are so alike and yet in others we are very different.

And these girls can make me laugh so hard until I almost pee in my pants.

Most of all...they love me.  They know the real me and love me anyway.

The only way to repay them for the amazing gifts they continue to give me
...is to forever love them back.

We have all 4 lived in the same town {ages ago} and we became the best of friends.
We have lived all over the US and we're still friends.
We have been mad at one another...gotten over it...and we're still friends.

We've gotten married (half of us more than once), had babies...
been through really good times and really bad times and we are STILL friends.

And now, Jan, is moving across the ocean and we will still be friends...the 4 of us.

I am a better person for being a part of such a strong bond between this group of 4.
I am a better wife, a better mother and certainly a better friend because of each of them.
They inspire me daily and I am so thankful they are in my life.

They are my sisters and love them dearly!

It's funny how our chats over the years have gone from 

sex to breastfeeding...
really great expensive shoes or a really great dress
to practical diapers and coupons

hot dates to potty training...

weddings to pacifiers...

road trips to car pool...
late night trips to the Grill {in Athens, GA} to "getting our bodies back" after having babies.

We have been through alot over the past 15 years.

Now {well, when we get the chance}, we laugh about the old days, while sipping a glass of wine

and watch our kids play together...

We only hope that they too,
will be friends like we are...

or get married to each other.

Certainly, since the 4 of us have produced
9 kids - 5 boys and 4 girls...

we will get one betrothed couple!  Right?  {wink, wink}

Since this is Music Monday...I really wanted to post the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
...ummm, ok, I really didn't want to.  But it sounded good.  Didn't it?
{My girlfriends, while reading this, just vomited a little in their mouth.}

But, I did find a song just as meaningful...
and a little less cheesy!



Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. 
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. 
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why. 
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time. 

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. 
I hope you had the time of your life. 

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind. 
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time. 
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial. 
For what it's worth, it was worth all the while. 

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.


I love you, my sweet sweet Jan.  
I hope you have the time of your life!
{and take lots of pictures}