Friends! Let's Get Together, yeah yeah yeah!

So today the kids and I were a bit crazy. My friend Ellen had a birthday yesterday and so we decided to meet for lunch. Her job has been driving her crazy so I said she should play hookie and we would go to lunch. Sounds normal until you find out that she lives 7 1/2 hours away. We met half way, spent 2 hours chatting and eating and letting the kids run around and then we both turned around and went back home.

I met Ellen while living in England. It turns out we have a mutual friend - nothing like telling a story and someone you don't know FINISHING it but that's another story. We're good friends but I think the true love affair is between our husbands. I really wish I had a picture to prove this story but you'll just have to create your own visual. We travelled down to another military base for the weekend while living there. We were at a small base and for good shopping and taco bell we would drive 3 hours and spend the weekend. (Hmm this 3 hour driving thing is sounding normal now.) Anyways. We decided to order the kids pizza one evening and to go out for dinner. We sent the men out for the pizza as we got the kids all situated. Soon Stewart walked in and I realized he had a new jacket on. Seriously, you went for pizza and you came back with a new jacket? It really isn't that cold out. And then the door opens. Greg walks in......same jacket. Like two 13 year old girls they walked in to the store, looked at jackets and bought MATCHING ones. To make it worse they proudly wore them when we would all go out.

Either way I guess I'm grateful for good friends. I'm grateful for 3 hour drives for 2 hour lunch dates. For husbands with matching jackets. And for teenage boys who pretend to despise each other yet get along a little too well at times for us to believe. And amazingly 2 little girls who wore the exact same outfit on their first day of school last year without either of us knowing.....maybe their dad's planned it behind our backs!

Complicated Families

Jordan and I went to Portland a few weeks ago to attend my cousins wedding. While we were there Jordan got to meet her cousin Grace. Grace is a year older than Jordan and they got a long great. We went to the zoo and the girls acted as if they had known eachother forever. Kids are great like that.

Grace's mom is my step sister. This was also the first time I had ever met her. We are 37 and 38 and had never met - but I've known she existed for a lot longer than she knew about me. It's a complicated history of family but we're all trying to make up for it. I'm trying not to be territorial and she's super nice considering I'm the girl that took her life - that grew up with her father as my Dad. It's difficult to have feelings that I DON'T WANT to like her but I do. I still cringe when looking at her facebook pictures of her with my mom and my dad labeled "Me & My Dad". I even have trouble seeing the pictures of Grace and her Grandpa. Jordan is the only grand daughter - or she was - and now she isn't. Like I said - complicated.

The picture above is my mom, Ann-Marie, Me, Jordan & Grace