Now and Then

I promised my friend April that my next blog post would be happy and uplifting since my last post was a tear-jerker. I’m not going to lie; I had a hard time coming up with something. Anyone who knows me knows that I am usually very happy & enthusiastic, so this should not be a struggle for me. However, I have been very sad and emotional lately, and that’s okay. I am grieving. I do need to take time and appreciate the good things in life. So while wracking my brain, trying to think of something to write about, it dawned on me…I’ll write about friendship! I was reading my friend Molly’s blog (which by the way you should check out if you haven’t already! She is a phenomenal writer! www.hotmessmolly.com) I remembered a blog she titled Beaches. She talked about how much she loved the movie, and then went on to write about the friends who have made an impact in her life. So she inspired me to do the same. I am not stealing her post, but I am going to use the same idea! I’m sure she won’t mind! 😉

In her blog, Molly writes the following:

“With each passing year, I grow more and more grateful for the female friendships I’ve made and kept throughout everything that we’ve all survived. The depth of those rare bonds, the loyalty between true friends, the love that runs deeper than any dark force can touch, are what make life not only bearable, but worth it.

Seeing Beaches again reminded me of this, and it got me wondering… Who is this person for you – or people, if you’re blessed to have more than one?”

Who could you fight with, be beyond angry with, while also knowing that it will never change how you feel about each other?

Who do share an inexplicable connection to, even when you’re thousands of miles apart?

Who knows you frighteningly well, and accepts you – flaws and all – without judgment, even with all of the darkness you carry from your past?

And the biggest, hardest question… Who would you trust to raise your child, if the unthinkable were to happen?

I’m curious, friends. Who are your Beaches?

I couldn’t agree more with Molly about growing more and more grateful for the female friendships I have made and kept throughout the years.  Like Molly, I too have a movie that always makes me stop and think about the female friends I have. That movie for me is Now and Then. The bond those women share into adulthood is not unlike the friendships I have carried into mine. So my post is going to answer Molly’s questions.

These are my “Beaches”:

April: The one who inspired me to write this blog, who better to start with! The peanut butter to my jelly! April and I met through a mutual friend in middle school. She attended many school dances and band competitions with us! April and I connected instantly. In many ways she’s like my other half. It’s uncanny sometimes, how much she and I think alike. Many friends have come and gone, including the mutual friend we had, but April and I remained.

She and I kept in touch through the years by working together at Wal-Mart, then chatting on Facebook when she married David and moved to Fairmont. April and I reunited when we worked together at Enterprise, and are now working together again at the Non-Profit agency! She is the perfect work buddy; she helps me stay sane when everything around me is chaotic! She has been with me through some of the darkest moments of my life, including the death of my mom and has shown me nothing but love and support. She has cried right along with me during some of those moments. We share a love for sappy love stories and Sex and The City! She has become one of my best friends, and I have grown to love her and her family dearly!

Devynn: I have only known Devynn for a short period of time, but she and I connected instantly. She is also my coworker! She understands by dark humor, and my love for Supernatural. She also shares my love of food and Coca-Cola, so she understands how hard this journey to lose weight & get healthy is. She has also become my exercise partner. We haven’t been able to walk due to weather & life’s complications, but we will be getting back on track very soon!  Although, she is 5 years younger than I am, she has so much wisdom & intelligence – we connect on an intellectual level! She is so fun to play games with! I saw just how much I mean to Devynn at my mom’s memorial service. She hugged me and cried, and I knew she was crying because she knew I was hurting. Friendships like that don’t come around too often.

Khristyn: I met Khristyn when her boyfriend and Neil worked together at Advance Auto. We still keep in touch with them. Khristyn and I don’t get to see each other near as much as we would like, she goes to school & helps run her dads business, so she is constantly busy, but when we do get together, it’s as if no time has passed at all. She is also a big part of my support system, I think she texted me every single day while my mom was on her death bed. She came to my mom’s memorial service with tears in her eyes, which meant the world to me, because she never got to meet my mom. We share a love of wine and baking! She and I don’t talk every day, but I know all I have to do is pick up the phone and tell her I need her, and she’ll be right there!

Amanda: “Every brunette needs a blonde best friend.” Amanda is mine!! I met her 19 years ago! We are talking 19 years of laughs, tears, boys, and fun! There was a period of time  where we didn’t talk when she moved to Texas, but we are so close that I don’t even count that year, or however long it was.

I am Aunt Kristian to her loveable little Man, and I adore the man she married and chose to raise her son as his own.  Amanda was the first of my friends to meet and “approve” of Neil. She looked past his leg braces, and loves him for who he is! I had other friends who said that Neil was boring because he is not able to stay out all night, or is not able to be on his feet for long periods of time. Needless to say I am no longer friends with those people; they are just too immature for my taste! J Neither Amanda nor her husband has had any of those issues with Neil. They are perfectly content just hanging out, watching movies, eating fantastic meals, usually prepared by her husband or mine. (We both were blessed with husbands who are fantastic cooks), and laughing. Neil is great at making people laugh! I will ALWAYS cherish her for that, and she is always thanking him for taking such good care of her best friend! It just doesn’t get any better than that!! Amanda and I have had many conversations of chai tea & glasses of wine. She is my go to when I need to vent, or if a random thought pops in my head! Amanda is the queen on random, one time she texted me out of the blue and asked me what brand of toothpaste I used, just because she wanted to know! I absolutely LOVE that about her!

Ashley: The friend I have known the longest. 26 years to be exact! We have shared our whole lives together basically, since she has been my best friend since kindergarten!  First crushes, kisses, dances, heartbreaks, trials, triumphs, you name it, we have been through it together.  She is like the sister I never had, my constant since childhood.

Whenever I have needed anything, she has been there… from advice, to laughs, to a hug. I know I can count on her to be there for me through all of life’s journeys. I’m confident she will remain my constant for the rest of my life! I can’t wait to watch her children grow up, and be a part of their upbringing, and of course, she will be Auntie Ashley to my children as well.

I didn’t need adopted into another family, because my family is amazing, but her entirely family has become my family too. Her dad still refers to me as his adopted daughter. My family considers her one of our own too!

These women have been the best friends I could ever ask for, mu un-biological sisters!They have all rejoiced in my accomplishments, and loved me at my darkest hours! These are the women I would do anything for, without hesitation!

Thank you for loving me, even at the times when I have been not so loveable! Hugs and love to all of you!

 

Love and life lessons,

K.

 

 

Honorable mentions: Marcia, Jess, Jen T., Cathryn, Mary, Caitlyn, & Breann – You are all my girls, and I love you more than you know! xoxoxo