Love Makes All the Difference

My baby shower was today, hosted by my two great friends (and neighbors). It was wonderful! There's nothing like the feeling of being surrounded by people you love, and who love you (even though you're a little weird and hard to understand). These two ladies are exactly that -- they love me and accept me for who I am, and this sounds down right pitiful, but I've never had that from a "friend" before.

Don't get me wrong, one of my oldest, long time friends whom I've known since we were three is still my oldest, long time friend. But because we have such a long distance relationship, and have had since we were split from second grade, we don't "know" each other like I wished we did. So . . . I can't really count her. I know she loves me, but she doesn't get to spend girly time with me and realize how awkward of a person I really am!

Anyway, nothing like a day spent with friends and family celebrating the soon-to-be birth of my second daughter. They got to measure my enormous belly, and my favorite: guess what was in the diaper (from baby food to chocolate candy that looks like the real thing . . . yummy!), it was a blast. So fun, I forgot for the moment of my tormenting pain in my back and hip area. Ug!

I often wonder what it's like to have that real close girly relationship. You know the kind: shopping, talking boys (er . . . men), phone chats that last forever . . . I never had that when I should have -- when I was a teen. And now, at our age, we're too busy in life to get much of a chance to shop. And when we do, it's while trying to hassle toddlers and impatient kids along with us. Not much girly time.

But these ladies are great and they will never realize how much of an impact they have in my life, even when I tell them. I will forever cherish the little traditions we've made in the past two years we've known each other, from "girls night in" (watching a movie and drinking -- haven't done that since pregnancy, wah!) to Christmas morning breakfast with all our families, and of course my annual Christmas party. I look forward to the next, hopefully many, years we'll spend living next door to each other, attending our kids birthday parties and just being there for each other when life is tough and you need an ear or a shoulder.

What about you? Do you have any friends that you cherish? Someone(s) that make or have made a huge difference/impact in your life?