Friends...

Today I was able to spend time with one a of the greatest friends I've had.  Christina is one of my best friends who lives in Virginia Beach w/ her husband, Chad, and six-year-old son, Brady.  Well, that whole clan was visiting Chad's parent's in northern New Jersey this week and I got the pleasure of catching them on their way down I-295 while they were heading back to VA Beach today.  They stopped off an had lunch with me.  It was such a treat!

Christina and I met about three years ago and she's always been a bundle of energy and a free spirit.  She cracks me up and is a little inappropriate at times and I love that about her.  (she's probably reading this too) We've been friends throughout the three years but we really got close when she moved to VA Beach and I moved up here to Philly.  We kind of just understood each other's situation and realize how important friendship really is when you're far away from home.  I visited her in VA Beach about a month after I moved up here and then she came to visit me a few months later.  We talk about once a week and vent our troubles to each other.  It's the kind of friendship that you really can rely on.  I know I'm never bothering her when I call and if I am, she'll tell me.  And same goes for when she calls me.

But, as I said, today was a real treat.  I've had a less than stellar week this week and it was so refreshing to see a familiar face for an hour today to vent everything to.  And I'm sure she felt the same because we each did our fair share of bitching!  haha  Christian called me right after I saw Christina and he asked how I was doing today (because he knows I've had a rough week) and I started crying when I said "seeing Christina made it a lot  better".  That really proves how important really great friendship is, especially when you're going through some rough patches or when you're lonely while you're husband's gone for over a month and you're missing him like crazy, or when situations just aren't going the way you'd hoped.  It's so important.

I've said this before and I'll say it again, I've always cherished my really close friendships... always.  But, moving away and not having those friends within a 10 or 20 minute drive makes you realize how important the really good people in your life are.

So, to those other super close friends of mine that fit this mold- I love you and you are few and far between!

To Alison:  my soul sister, my best friend for life (24 years so far) and the person that would sit on the fireplace steps when I left Little Beaus and Bells before you.... you're my rock.  You always make things better and even if we didn't see each other for ten years, I know we'd come right back to the place where we could lay in bed and talk until 4 o'clock in the morning.  I love you.

To Laura:  my no bullshit sister.  You are amazing.  The lack of sugar coating in your life is what I love. Your honesty in our friendship has meant more to me than you will ever know.  When my hair looks like shit, I know you'll tell me.  When my outfit is way out there, I know you'll ask "what the hell are you thinking" and when there's a point in life when I need to buck up and deal with things, I know you'll say "buck up and deal with it".  And then, there's the compassion that you have and the peaceful way you listen to my stories.  You've been by my side through so much as we've grown to adulthood and you've never allowed our friendship to falter when it easily could have.  I love you!

xoxo,

Chrissi