Say Yes Whenever Possible

My friend Kelley's dad had a Christmas party last week, complete with a live band.  At some point during the party, the band members asked my friend Monica to sing a Christmas song.  So she snagged me and said, "Come sing, too!"  I was hesitant but remembered my rule to, "say yes whenever possible."  So I snagged my friend Kelley, too (because I'm only brave to a point!).  And we sang a few songs!  Just like the good old days!  (We all did theater together back in the day.)


It was great fun!  That "yes" was such a good idea.  And I felt so smart for forcing myself to say it!  :)

Our girls gave it a try, as well.  They were so brave!  They didn't seem nervous or shy at all up on stage singing.  At one point when they were belting out Rudolph, my friend Amy said, "It's a shame they're so introverted."    Hah.

So many times this holiday season, I've just had this overwhelming feeling of how lucky I am to have such wonderful friends and family.  It's remarkable what kind and interesting people I am blessed to have in my life.

What have you said "yes" to lately that brought you a happiness boost?  

My West Coast BFF

I have the best friends.  

Seriously.  The best.  

I've gotten to spend lots of time with my west coast BFF this past week, and it's been such fun!  My daughter and niece love her!   As do I!  

What friends are you grateful for?

Fall Fun with Friends

On Friday, we were so lucky to run into our friend Lucy and her mom at our neighborhood park. Flannery got to play for several hours with little neighborhood kiddos, and it was such a treat!

Then, Saturday, we had a picnic and played at the park with another of Flannery's favorite friends, Nythia. The weather was perfect, and we had a great time playing freeze tag, kick ball, and just running around. I just love fall! And enjoying the wonderful fall days with friends makes them all the more special.









How are you enjoying the joys of fall so far this season?

Playdates Rock

Last Sunday, we had the chance to have a friend of Flannery's over for a few hours to play. Her mom (pregnant with twins!) needed a few hours to rest, understandably, so we borrowed Lucy for a bit, and had a wonderful time!

The girls and I played dolls, Barbies, pretended to cook, made play-dough cakes and sang happy birthday to Cinderella baby, pretended to take a nap, skated through the apartment, had lunch, had snacks, went to the park, and eventually watched Olivia while eating popsicles. It was a playdate extravaganza!

It was so fun to watch the girls interact. They've always had a sweet little bond and just love being together. It's neat to see kids "click" at such a young age. When Lucy first came in the door and sat down with Flannery, she said, "Flannery, I missed you! I not see you for a long time!" And Flannery replied, "I know, I missed you too!" And then they ran off to play with baby dolls.

That's friendship at its sweetest.









Who do you "click" with? Call them up, send them an e-mail, reconnect! It'll make you happy!

A Visit from my BFF!

I have two fantastic best friends--one in California, and one in Georgia. Since we're all grown up and responsible now, our visits with one another are getting fewer and further between! But, one of my best friends, my friend Kelley (from L.A.) was sweet enough to swing by for a visit during her vacation last week, and it was so wonderful to see her!

She helped me pack, helped me fold laundry, helped me take a load of boxes over to the new apartment, and entertained Flanna while I got a little work stuff done. What a good friend, huh?

But I promise I didn't just invite her here for free labor! We also had a little bit of fun! We showed her Duke's campus, took her to our favorite museum, played hopscotch and puzzles, danced quite a lot, had some long chats after Flanna went to sleep, and went out to dinner and for frozen yogurt, too!

We told Flannery the story of how we became friends....how we bonded over the drudgery of braces and brushing our teeth every day after lunch in 8th grade.

A lot has changed since then. Her mom is gone now. Kelley lives across the country now. She writes screenplays, and I'm old and married and a mama now. We're such different people than those insecure, melodramatic, nerdy middle schoolers brushing our teeth together in the school bathroom.

But some things remain from that time. An understanding of one another's character, maybe. Friendship, definitely. And good dental hygiene habits, most assuredly. :)




How did you meet your best friend(s)?