How Sweet are Friends?

Today one of my best friends came up with her children to stay the weekend. I am so delighted. I wondered, after 4 years, would we still be the same, friend-wise. That was very easily assured early on in the eve.

Our two oldest (both girls) are only a year apart and our two youngest (both boys) are merely 5 months apart. It was amuzing and entertaining to watch the boys play together. Her boy has long dark hair, is slightly chubby, and about an inch shorter than Bun. So here's my boy sitting on his back trying to get a horse-back ride, bringing his favorite toys to him and putting them in his hands, showing him around, sharing his favorite crackers and drinks with him, having an all around good time.

The difference between my friend and I are many. She lives in Louisville, I live in the country. The boondocks. It was funny, she thought there was something wrong with her phone because she couldn't get a signal. (hahaha, that's just plain normal around here!) So when Bubs is bubs and stands on the table, she gets anxious. I instruct him firmly to get down. It took her a while to walk out of the room and rest that her boy would come to no harm, my older girls where watching him. It was good for her to relax a bit, she's pg again. (theres a story for another day!)

This gal has done so much for me. She is directly responsible for my current existence. Jenn and I met in college. We were instantly arch enemies. The next year we were housed right across the hallway from each other, at the end of the hall where there is no door out. We had to go the full length of the dorm to the stairwell out. NOT GOOD! So, we made friends. And after getting to know each other, we made best friends. You didn't see one without the other.

Many times in college I was depressed and heading to the car to drive it off into Persy Priest Lake. How it is that she always "popped up" before I got to the car had to be God and God alone. It got to where I planned it when she should be at work, class, on a date. Always she "popped up".

And the "popping up" was the least of it. She would lock her arm through mine and ask me where we were going. Truth be known, true suicides don't want an audience and don't tell. If someone is threatening, they are asking for help, not necessarily just attention. My answer would be 'for a drive.' Then it got to be, "I'm going for a drive, you are going.........(to work, to class, with so-in-so)" Nope, she would climb in, click her seatbelt and not leave.

Well now, I couldn't very well drown her with me. I mean, com'mon, that would be murder. And she was just too kind of a person. The world needed her a bit longer. (yes, realize that there is no sense in murder/suicide. All will send you to hell.)

Sooooo........we would drive around. She would chatter away. Make me laugh. We would stop somewhere to eat, I would play the deaf person and do sign language during the whole meal to mess with the servers, and we would laugh amongst ourselves about it later. (because of her, there was a 'later')

As stressful, aggravating, annoying, painful, disstressing, rotten and horrid as times in life can be, I would never have known what it was like to fall in love, to give birth, to mend a relationship with my mother, to see the parts of America I have experienced (NYC being my favorite at the time), get my degree, make more friends and enjoy all the blessings God has graciously advanced my way if it weren't for my friend. She would argue with me, but I owe her so much, and truthfully, she deserves it.

Aside from the noble acts she unknowingly did at the time, she is also very much like me in person. We are clutzy, stubborn, strong-willed, goof balls that bawl our heads off at chick flicks like 50 First Dates. We enjoy virtually all sweets. Worry about how well we raise our children. Are concerned about what kind of wives we are to our husbands. Can sit and talk for hours, lose track of time and spastically get off the phone leaving the other person cracking up on the other end.

There has never been a time in our friendship that I have regretted knowing Jenn. She is honest to me, even when it's not what I want to hear. (I have a few other golden friends like that, I am blessed) She has always concerned herself with me instead of herself. And the best part of all is that I'm not the only person she is like that with. That's just Jenn.

And as worried as she is about the baby she is carrying, I know that God is not merely going to take care of her, He's going to repay her for all the kind-hearted, loving things she does for people. She deserves what she wants in life and I wish her well.

SPRING HAS SPRUNG THANK YOU GOD!!!!!!!!!

After cleaning up the massive mess Bubs creates at least three times everyday, the two of us don on shoes and go for a walk. Ahhhhhh.........we have to shed the jackets. It's so warm.......marvelous! We are walking down the road, breeze gently caressing us, birds chirping, sun shining. I love it!! So does he!

We are walking past the neighbors dog, in the cage of course and he turns all the way around in the stoller with just one of those little buns on the very edge? How does he do that? If that were me, I'd already kissed the sidewalk. He watches the dog intently, and then, growls back at it. It was so adorable.

Further down the road we come across the next neighbors' horses. I love horses and they have about 7 of them all on land about the size of our back yard. Probably not very healthy. Beautiful animals. Now each morning Bun likes to crawl up in my bed, pull up the blind and look for the horses that are right out our back window. I thought he'd enjoy these majestic creatures standing within arms reach, right? WRONG!

I guess he deciced that they were far much larger than the ones he gazes at each morning and starts to, well, not cry. It was so funny. He's so much like his mother. He's frightened, curious. He can't turn away, he can't go full boar. He's, hiding his face in my neck one minute, reaching out to, no pull the hand back, reach out again. I took it and made him pet the horse. He giggle and hides his face in my neck again, peeking out from underneath. Reaches out again, waiting for me to take his hand. And mom says, "awwwwwww......"

So we finish going down the road to where the last house has, I kid you not, baby doll heads on the fence posts. What's that all about? The kids told me about it referring to the movies Toy Story and Chucky. It was fairly freaky, I have to admit. Hmmmmm.........well, okay........

Coming back, he has to do his balancing act while looking at the horse, growling at the dog, watching to waterfall. Get home and he's all through the flower bed. They'll grow back and he won't be this size forever. Through the yard to where there are about 2,000 flies on the side of the house. Again, what's that all about? It was so funny, he stands there staring at it. They make this eerie buzzing noise, the combination of them all. It frightens him. Hahahaha, he's pointing at the mass, talking in his nonsense language, and runs. Funny!

Besides all this, I have to let everyone know, I did something I never thought was possible. I turned in the VB.Net assignment due THIS Friday, at 1:30 am this morning. EARLY!! Yeah for me!!!!! Now, if the prof will ever post what is due for the final project, I'm sure I can work on that as well.

Goal for this week: Get database homework done. Ace my C++ test tomorrow. (It's a Larry test. Everyone who has taken Larry Strains 'anything' class, knows what horror I am about to face.) and see if I can't get ahead in ANY of these classes. Cross fingers, say prayer.

You've GOT to be kidding!!

Okay, so last we hear, I can't find my planner anywhere. So I talk to my spouse and he to me he doesn't have it. SWEARS it to me. We give up the search. The next morning I hear, "Oh yeah, I was pulling things out of the truck and found your planner there." The scarier thing was on the day he was coming back he tells me he HOPES he brought it. I inform him I will send him BACK to Bloomington, IL for it. He pulls over and checks, it's all good! (heart beat slows down)
This is the same man who has lost three phones in taxis, my new camera with Bub's first trip to NYC on it (also in taxi cab) and money only God knows where. Yes, I have reason to worry. And, he took the new camera on a trip to DC just today.

Sooo, after sending my hubby back to the airport the morning after he came home, and going to church, I decide I will conquer the trampoline. The youngest girl got a new pad for it for her birthday. So, all three of the girls and I go out the replace it. I have now strained my shoulders, ripped the skin off my hand, and have come to know just HOW out of shape I am. It was so worth it, the girls and the neighbor spent all day out there having a blast.