My Saturday Night

On Saturday I got the much needed opportunity to hang out with two of the best girlfriends anyone could ask for! These two ladies are very special to me because they are two of my oldest and dearest friends.

K and I met when we were 5 years old (or maybe even younger, I can’t remember) at a dance studio in our home town. We went to the same elementary school, and then reconnected in high school. She is silly, crazy, and at times a little ditsy. This is what we love the most about her—along with her BIG heart!

S and I met at freshmen orientation for high school. Before the first few weeks of school were over, we were joined at the hip and remained so for the next 4 years. I will always have a very special place in my heart for her as she kind of became a second mother/older sister to me. She kept me grounded and pushed me to be my best—she never gave up on me. She didn’t put up with any crap from me either. She was never afraid to hurt my feelings—when she felt that I had done something wrong. Yet, she was always the first person to defend me.

These two are the kind of friends that you can pick right back up with after weeks or months of not being in touch. We know each other from the ground up—we understand where each other came from. Our pasts are entwined together, and that fact will always bind us together.

We had a blast. We shopped, ate, and reminisced about high school friends and experiences. It did my heart a lot of good to be around them. I have been a little bit of a hermit lately. I find myself not wanting to put forth the effort to get ready to go out. I often feel guilty for leaving my husband alone with P when I know he wants and needs to relax as well. It took a lot of reassuring to get me to go Saturday morning. I love my friends dearly, but I have been struggling with the baby blues on and off for the last two months. Saturday morning those feelings were very strong.

Every time we are able to get together I am surprised at how naturally it comes. Everything just flows. Of course things were a little different for me this time. I was checking in constantly with J about how P’s day was going. I yawned at least every other minute—I never get caught up on sleep. When we got back from shopping and were done with dinner—it was not long before I had to head home. While I would have loved to stay and play games all night, the thought of going 22 hours without seeing P’s smiling face is too tough to bear.

While I am sad about missing out on what I am sure was a really fun night, I know that it is just a side effect of being a mom. One day, we will all be calling it a night way earlier than we used to. We are growing and changing constantly as individuals. I am comforted by this simple fact: I know that while we grow separately—we will never grow apart.

I am immensely thankful for these two ladies and for all that they have meant to me. I know that they will shower P with lots of love and support throughout the coming years. I’m grateful that while P won’t have real Aunts—she will have these two adopted ones. I’m a huge believer that friends are the family that you choose for yourself. They are mine.

Till the next time ladies! Lots of love!

Caroline