Grownups

Okay, I'm officially Blogging while Sad. I had a fantastic time with my family in Arkansas, and within one week I got to see three of the best friends I've ever had, and the last bunch just left. After the frenzy of catching up and overeating it's back to the baby and me, at least until our hero Dave/Daddy returns home from work.

But let me back up. Ah, March 6: it was an auspicious evening. That's an inside joke I'm not going to elaborate on, intended strictly for the people in these photos. These people are Stacey, Debra, and Richard and his wife Crystal and smart, sweet, well-behaved twins (okay, the twins don't get to hear about March 6 until they're older. maybe.). I suppose you could say my core group of college friends coalesced on March 6, 1993. We all knew and loved each other when we were young and stupid. Now Stacey is a CPA who is learning Italian, Debra is a special ed instructor who knows kung fu, and Richard is a high school teacher who plays the drums and a host of other instruments. I felt instantly comfortable when I met his wife Crystal yesterday--Richard and I agreed that we're two highly conversational women who just kind of merged conversations upon meeting. And of course, Arkansas being the small state that it is, Crystal is friends with a number of cool people from college I would love to reconnect with. Dave and I met Debra and Stacey for dinner and Hot Springs, and Richard and co. crashed at our house while on a cross-country trip.

So yeah. Good friends. Really good friends I can still call on and am proud and grateful to know.

Luckily consolation is abundant. I just opened an email from my sister-in-law coordinating the details for my mother-in-law's birthday dinner here in town. Oh yeah, and there's the aformentioned husband and child. And many now-old friends here in Portland. I think to cheer myself up I'll give one of them a call in a little while.