Nothing like an old friend

March 9th….MARCH 9th?!?!?!? WHAT THE HECK? I am NOT ready for it to be March 9th. I mean, honestly!!! I know I’m always saying, “Where’d the time go???” But this time it’s different (I AM giggling to myself here)!  Dude! If it’s March 9th, it means that my best friend Renee has already come and gone; it means that it’s time to start actually prepping the garden, not just planning; it means that I need to get my ass in gear!

I have so many things that come to mind in regards to the last 10 days or so.  Some of the things are profound, some of them funny, some of them a tiny bit scary – and I have no idea where to start.

Renee’s visit was so damn refreshing.  There’s really nothing like our friendship.  For so many years, we were inseparable – we did everything together. She ate dinner at my house more often than my husband did, I think.  If one of us showed up to an event alone, inevitably, someone would ask, “Where’s your other half.”  We exercised together, shopped together, partied together, travelled together, and the times we WERE apart, we were usually on the phone or texting each other!  Her arrival brought back that awesome feeling of camaraderie. We recounted and laughed about the countless, out-of-this world, that-didn’t-actually-happen stories; we philosophized about our callings, relationships, child-rearing skills; and we fantasized about our futures. There’s a comfort between us and it really quite simply comes down to one thing:  Trust.  Not everyone can understand how we managed to achieve that, and I can’t say that it didn’t come with some incredibly testing times.  But we’ve got it now, and it’s GREAT!

I have wonderful friends here in Portland, but what I miss about Los Angeles is the companionship, camaraderie, and closeness of my group of talented, successful, beautiful, strong women.  We were an unlikely group drawn together by our outspoken, vibrant, type-A personalities, and while it didn’t ever seem to be easy to get along we ALWAYS had each other’s back.  We supported each other through our insecurities, our lows, our insanely crazy dating lives, and then celebrated all of the great stuff that came our way.  Our early 20s found us struggling to find our career paths, understand who we were as individuals, and all the while enjoying being young, smart and beautiful in a great big city full of possibility.  8 years later – I still love them all dearly!

Mandy, Carrie, Lesley, Jessica P., Erin, Gina and Renee – I miss you guys more than you know.  I’ve never known a group of girls so incredibly intense, passionate, talented, beautiful, smart, caring, challenging ——– or loud. Renee’s visit reminded me again of how incredibly lucky, proud, and grateful I am to have women like you in my life!

OK. Enough mush.  Here are a few photos from the week around the farm (many of these are courtesy of my brother Jake)!

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