Officially Home

Okay, so we've technically been home for almost six weeks but today was the first time I really felt like I was home.

Today was the first day that I saw my best friend after more than two years. Two years during which she graduated, married and moved. Two years during which I moved across the sea, moved cities again, loved and lost my first pet as an adult and my first hospital stay.

This friend of mine, she is home to me. We can pick up after 2 years of intermittent Skyping and be just like we were only apart 2 weeks. We were laughing, joking, telling stories and catching up.

This friend of mine, she is like a long lost sister to me. Next year we will have been friends for only 10 years, but to me, it feels like we've known each other a millennium or more.

This friend of mine, I feel like we belong together. We fit together seamlessly. Even as the years pass, as we change and grow and become new versions of ourselves ,we still fit.

We each have husbands who we each love dearly and completely. She doesn't replace my husband or I hers. I don't mean to describe our friendship as if we are that counterpart  for each other. Rather, I think we complement  the husbands (or maybe the husbands complement us!). We fill in the girl-talk and squealing about penguins gaps. The baking chocolate cherry cakes and shelling nuts for baklava gaps.

Our friendship is older than our marriages can ever be but it is not better, only different. It is strong and constant, through the changes. A sisterhood bond that is mirrored in movies but only truly understood by like pairs.

Now that I've seen her again and we've started, not the the catching up process, but the moving on together process, I feel as if I'm officially home. I only hope that I can be as much to her as she is to me, this friend of mine.

Hotglue, I love you!

Since I am going to see my best friend on Thursday I thought it would be appropriate to answer the Mama Kat prompt "Describe how you met your best friend."

Luisa and I met the summer before our senior year of high school in Charleston, SC. We both attended the Governor's School summer program on the College of Charleston campus.
We were suitemates. She was the roommate of another, now lifelong friend, and I roomed with a snotty girl who obsessively bleached her upper lip.

We became fast friends over meals, late night games, picnics, brick theft, trips to the beach, walking around King Street and not feeding the squirrels.

She helped me end, and cope with the aftermath of an emotional/mentally abusive relationship. Since then we've seen each other date oddballs (mostly on my end) and meet some real winners.When we left we both cried, and she wrote me a very sweet note. Since then our friendship has only grown deeper (thanks in part  to another summer program and sharing a college town).

The counselors at Governor's School promised us we would make lifelong friends, and for that gift I am eternally thankful.

Random Thoughts

 

1.   I just got super jittery when I sent my resume off for a super cool job as an event planner's assitant. I have no clue what the pay is but it seems like it'd be more enjoyable than being a cashier. I'm not sure what my chances are on it so I'm not saying much about it now, but if by some miracle I do get it I'll be sure to let ya'll know.

2. I have lots and lots of extra cream. Please send yummy recipes my way. But please, none that require to many fancy schmancy or unique ingredients. The idea here is to use up ingredients, not buy more. 3.  I'm getting my hair cut on Friday and I want it to look like this:

4.  I am traveling to SC for graduation and hopefully will get to have a baking session with Luisa. We are hoping to make  baklava (I love it! It was served at my wedding ,and I've had the best yet a few weekends ago). Any fool-proof recipes out there?

5. I may or may not be making bacon scones tonight. And caramels. Depends on my energy levels.
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 





  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Valentine's Day Cards

I mailed out a bunch of homemade Valentine's cards at the end of last week.

K10 loves yellow and the yellow blue combo

Chocolates for Hotglue

Lots of hearts for my mom/dad/sister

Blue and Green are my "little's" favorite colors

A fun, simple card for Lyric

I also made a purple leopard print card for my divaish little cousin and a red, pink and white lacey card for Mike, but of course I forgot to take pictures!

Did I Mention....

that Hotglue and I started a new baking blog? We love to bake together, but thats become a tad difficult since I moved to PA, so we decided to start a blog where we can share our baking adventures and challenge each other to try new recipes or techniques.

Also, we love to try new recipes so we'd love it if you'd head on over to visit and throw us a few challenges yourselves. But, be gentle, please, as we're not the most experienced in the kitchen.

We've only got a handful of posts up so far, but expect more soon!

It's called Hotglue Baking Challenges and you can check it out here!

A Bachelorette Guest Post by Hot Glue, Herself

This past Saturday was my best friend’s bachelorette party…also known as the Maid of Honor’s final exam. We had a wonderful time, and while I would like to pretend that I waved some sort of magic wand to compile our lovely weekend in a cabin, followed by a day out in Asheville, getting to this point was quite the challenge and was only possible with the help of a lot of really great people! For one, all of the bridesmaids are in college, and by association pretty scarce on funds (not quite Ramen noodle poor…but almost) but by the grace of some heavenly force we found a fabulous little cabin in the mountains that we all absolutely adored and could afford, and which set the scene for our bachelorette shenanigans (it had a loft!)

 I know bachelorette parties are fairly notorious for joining the club of things not talked about by those not involved (along with Vegas trips, and really any type of childbirth stories…although my boyfriend’s mother once found it appropriate to tell me about going into labor during a blizzard). But I’ll be generous and share some details: homemade pizzas, a real fire started by one of our own in our fireplace, smores,  good drinks and even better company.

 And of course…cheesy games! We played a hilarious remix version of pin the tail on the donkey, except our version involved a  “stud” and some bright pink kisses that we had to hit on target on different parts of his body (clean thoughts…clean thoughts!)

We also had a toilet paper dress competition, which I successfully won with my innovative toilet paper hula skirt design (and the help of a very patient and lovely model). 

We ended the night with dancing, more smores, more drinks and a very classy game of Truth or Dare (of course). 

It was a great night, but I will admit getting a little sad in between smores as I realized that part of a bachelorette party means officially sending off one of our own to start a brand new life. Rachel and I have stuck through some pretty rough times and a whole bundle of changes. When we met we were both wide-eyed 17 year olds with wild imaginations, and I’m proud (and relieved) to say that while we’ve definitely matured since then, our imaginations haven’t.  And while I will certainly miss her with the same intensity I miss donuts during a diet, I already know frequent visits/invasions by me and daily talks are in order (her fiancé has been warned…my nickname is hot glue for a reason!)

Our adventure ended the next day after an incredible brunch in Asheville at the Early Girl Eatery (they support organic produce and their food is amazing!) and an afternoon stroll through the city, which never fails to surprise (for example, a run in with a very persistent fortune teller and incredible peanut butter chocolate pie).

 I hope she enjoyed her day as much as we all did. It was a perfect weekend, and the only thing that makes me happier than knowing my best friend is heading into her wedding with a proper send off is thinking about her preparing my couch for me when I come to visit! ;)