Change of plans...

This morning I was going to lament not taking my camera to our house last night. So much has happened this week...our floors are down in the kitchen and the tile is in the entry. They have tiled the kitchen back-splash. They have added a second coat of paint. And probably the biggest change is our backyard where they have removed all the yucky stuff and left only our one HUGE tree. It is an amazing transformation!

This is what I WAS going to talk about. Then I clicked through my regular daily blogs starting with Carole's. Carole has three blogs. Her personal one, the one she started for her family, and the one she keeps for her daughter. So I click through all three each day to see if she has added anything. There are many times I can click for days and nothing new will be posted. She is busy with a 2-year-old and blogging comes way down on the list of priorities. Then I click to the blog of my friend from childhood and see beautiful picutres of her son. And then for some strange reason I click on the link to my own blog. :)

This is my daily ritual. Once in the morning before work and then usually some time when I get home from work. It is a wonderful way to keep up with friends.

But this morning my clicking was interrupted. When I clicked on Carole's blog link I noticed it was new! Happy! I love reading her blogs. I think they are so much better than mine. :) anyway...I digress...

She has posted this amazing blog about US! A tribute to our friendship. We send cards that wax poetic about friendship. We have a little "friendship ball" which is silver and is a pain to polish when it tarnishes....that we pass back and forth (when we can actually find something that fits in it). :) I think this ball was meant to be more sentimental than it actually is. Pretty much we just laugh about it most of the time and it has become our own little joke mixed with sentiment "girl" feelings. We send long emails and have the ocassional phone call. We could talk on the phone more since we both have cell phones and weekends are free. But we both hesitate because unless we have 2-3 hours to spare we know we should not call. The most recent example of this was when my wedding dress arrived. There was no option...the minute the answering maching clicked off I picked up the phone and called Carole first. What good is a best girlfriend if you can't share the arrival of your wedding dress! The plan was to just call and tell her really quick since we were both in the middle of our dinner preparations. As I recall she was wrist deep in cleaning chicken for dinner...at least I think it was chicken. Britt answered and told me the situation and I said..."well..maybe you can relate my news because I just have to tell it!" Carole was quickly washing her hands because as she said later, "if are calling in the middle of the week at dinner time...it must be important". I told her I was only calling for 2 minutes to tell her that my dress had arrived...and those 2 minutes became at least an hour. It was then that the idea that they live with us in our new house this summer first came up.

So...even well intentioned phone calls end up lasting much longer than the time we have. :)

So we have all the regular things that friends have...but her blog post this morning...it is a true tribute. It is better than a Hallmark card. It chronicals our life together. Of course...as I read it I get so much more out of it because I have the mental images that flash through my mind as I read it.

Carole is an amazing friend. We have had our angry moments....moments when we are frustrated beyond words...but there is one thing that I have never questioned. I know Carole will be there. I know I can tell her anything...even when I think she is upset with me...I can say it and we can talk it out. I have friends....but Carole is more than a friend...she is a chosen sister. She is someone who has been there through 10 years and will be there for the duration. I am lucky I think. I am lucky to have found such a friend.

So...here is my imaginary toast to Carole...to my best friend...to my matron of honor...to the woman I choose to have by my side for the rest of time! I love you dearly and I can't wait to spend this summer with you!

P.S. If you want to read her awesome blog about me :) LOL and all the other great posts she writes just click the link. :) Mixed Veggies