I was just getting ready to post a Happy Birthday message to one of my best friends in the world and decided that a Facebook Status just didn't give me enough room... I needed more space. So, here I am... at 12:30am with plenty of space at 4 Drama Girls and a Daddy :)
I met Wendy, in person, January of 2001. Unbeknownst to me at the time I had actually met her via email when I had sent an email to the MOPS group in Santa Rosa while we lived in Napa. I had poured out my "lonely Mama of three girls under the age of 2 and needs some girl time" story to a strange email address on the website and Wendy was the one who had responded. This, we actually didn't figure out until a few months into our friendship.
When I first met Wendy she told me I smelled good. I was filling out my registration at the MOPS group (for those who don't know, MOPS stands for Mothers Of Preschoolers) and she randomly told me I smelled good. We shared the same love of Sunflowers perfume.
Some how Wendy and I got together for a play date with our kids. Hers were 9, 7, 5 and almost 3. The twins were almost 4 and Abbey was 2. I knew right away Wendy was someone I could be good friends with.
First of all, we parented very similarly... something that makes a friendship with small kids a bit easier. We had a lot of same interests, although she informed me early on that she was NOT a crafter... and Wendy... well... Wendy made me smile. She laughed at my sense of humor all the time. The first few play dates we had, I seriously had thoughts of being a stand up comic, she made me feel like I was hilarious. To this day, I love to make Wendy laugh, and we have had plenty of that in our friendship.
Before long, we talked on the phone every day and hung out as much as we could. Within a year we were camping and traveling with our families and our girls were best friends. Her house was like home to me unlike any friend I had ever had.
We have been through a lot together. Summers at Wrights Lake, Winters in Tahoe, laughing so hard in the movie theaters we pee our pants(almost), Halloweens with our kids dressed up, Christmas Eves, Trunk or Treats, July 4th BBQ's and fireworks that night, Sports Camps, 2 surgeries, a few trips to the emergency rooms, tough times with our marriages, tough times with our kids, job losses, new jobs, new seasons of life, more Nerts and Speed than you can imagine, weight losses, weight gains, Black Fridays, Chili's for dinner and lunch (thus the whole weight loss and gain thing) tears, laughter, and to top it off... a few farts along the way.
She has been my friend through some of the darkest valleys of my life, she has cleaned my house, done my laundry and held my hand. I will never be able to live up to the bar she has set for friendship.
One of the hardest parts of leaving Santa Rosa was my friend. I have shed many tears in the last 18 months over Wendy. I miss our everyday life together. I miss a friend who gets me... all of me. Who knows me almost as well as my husband does. I miss the laughter. I miss seeing her kids growing into adults... I just miss her.
Wendy's birthday is December 11th... it's taken me years not to think it's the 13th or 15th. How I was given the blessing of being her best friend, I will never know... I feel very undeserving of it.
I hope she knows how much she means to me. I hope she knows I am NEVER going anywhere. I hope she knows she is a once in a lifetime friend, and I hope, Wendy, you know how much I love you!
2 comments:
What a special friend.....you two are very blessed. Friends like you have found in each other does not come along very often in a lifetime.
What a special friend.....you two are very blessed. Friends like you have found in each other does not come along very often in a lifetime.
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