My Other Girls

Last year I had the opportunity to go spend a little girls' night out in Dallas with two of my very best friends. We made promises to do it again the following year...they even made the offer to come all the way to Connecticut and guess what? They did. It was such a happy happy weekend. I was almost not wanting it to happen because I knew it would be over too soon. I miss these girls so much. I need my friends. It was a rejuvenating weekend filled with hours upon hours of talking talking talking, laughing, joking, teasing, eating (way too much eating!) and pure enjoyment. I love their company so much and I am so grateful that they made the long trip to come see me.

Kristen lives in the Austin area and Natalie lives near Dallas. Clark and I have been discussing moving back to Houston to settle which would complete our little triangle and make our get togethers easier and hopefully more frequent.
They both arrived on Thursday night. We stayed up too late every night eating and talking. Clark tried his very hardest to be home as much as possible to let us go out for girl time. I love that he knew how important that was to me and that he can appreciate what these girls mean to me! So thanks Clarky pants. They stayed through Sunday, long enough for me to show them off at church and partake of our after-church festivities of "nacho Sunday" with a roasted asparagus twist this week just for Kristen. So without further adieu, here was our weekend.

Nat gave us both beautiful necklaces that matched her own--its a big year, we will all be 30 soon!

and how can I resist including pictures that she took of my kids just being themselves?

They indulged me with a trip to visit a submarine...and I tried to indulge them by visiting the Italian Submarine that is here right now...but alas, we saw no Italian submariners (and just in case you are worried about the appropriateness level of this activity, Clark was leading the way...just what does an Italian sailor look like?...we may never know.)

We had fun changing our clothes and doing our best to "gussy up" on our evenings out...evenings that mainly featured lots of talking and lots of food.

There is Kristen who is honest and forthright...with nothing to hide she is bold and kind. Naturally she had her camera with her for which I am always grateful. She is joyful. She has a true talent for "capturing" people both with her lens and her intuition. She has such a knack for conversation and genuine interest in people that she will know more about you in five minutes than it takes most people a year to learn.

Natalie is good and kind. I don't think she has a mean bone in her body but she is also strong and immovable. She inspires me to be more, and do better. She is sincere and so filled with love for people that it is invigorating. She has a countenance that makes you feel like her best friend, even if you've only just met.

It has been an invaluable experience for me to have individuals like this in my life. People with whom I can be myself, all of me, nothing hidden or altered. I can feel totally loved and appreciated even through our differences and disagreements. There is no jealousy, no bitterness, no grudges, no judgements passed....just genuine love, approval, admiration and understanding. They are beautiful and sensitive. They go through trials and so many experiences and come out better than they went in. They are good, and they inspire me to be good. They are wholesome and lots of things that I aspire to be. They are sincere and honest, compassionate and caring. I am so grateful to be included in this friendship. No matter how long its been between visits, no matter how much has changed, those inherently good things remain and will continue to be there. Thank you for such a tremendous weekend!
(Sorry, I would love you to know them better but both of their blogs are private...just take my word for it...they rock.)