A Big Huge Thanks

These are my friends and I love them very much. We ironically call ourselves the "Pinks" after the Pink Ladies on the movie Grease. Ironic because we are nothing like the real Pink Ladies... we just watched that movie a thousand times in high school and dressed up like them for Halloween one year. So, here we are sixteen years and a total of 15 kids later at the park. T, who is not shown, is off being hip in Chicago. Each one of these girls are seriously neat people. In a world where so many people are making less an less sense to me, one of the highest compliments I can pay to anyone is that they make sense. These girls make some serious (but not always serious, of course) sense. I love it.

For my birthday this year they did the neatest and most thoughtful thing ever. 11 days before my birthday, Kristi shows up with a little gift (chocolate dipped pretzels... I love stuff dipped in chocolate) and a mysterious message about it being the "First day." Well, on the second day, Cyd shows up with a gift and a message about it being the "Second day." I finally caught on. I was excited because I knew that meant I was going to see my friends everyday until my birthday. See that super cute tray above and that cake stand (I love cake stands so so much)? Those were part of it. I got the neatest stuff... a handmade book, a candy shopping spree to Blockbuster, an inspirational book, an action B&W photo of me and my kids at the park, lunch at the super delicious Food for Thought in Draper...

So, instead of dreading the big day, I was looking forward to each day leading up to it. On the final day we had a fabulously girly lunch of a big salad and homemade bread at Kristi's. Kristi had this quilt that she made for me waiting. I am so blessed to have such good friends. On the side it is quilted, "Pookie, you are loved... Think Pink." I was so touched and got all teary and grateful.

Here are most of our kids, playing at the playground. I just kept thinking about the journey that we have been on as we sat and watched our kids play. I was grateful in high school, then in college, but who knew that I would be the most grateful for them 16 years later? If I had the skills I would bust out in some ballad that I wrote for you guys about how much you mean to me. But I don't, so I just chose to go on and on and on about you guys in my blog/new life.