Friends are the family we choose for ourselves

I have been so blessed by wonderful friendships. I don't come from a large family, nor a particularily close one. But I have friends who are more like my sisters than anything else. The main reason I decided to start a blog was so I could leave a legacy for my daughter. I want her to read these posts some day and have an insight into her mother's life and her own childhhood. I never intended for Katelyn to be an only child, but that appears to be GOD's plan. Therefore, I will endeavor to pass on the importance of friendship to her. If I can help it, she will never know loneliness, even after I'm gone, because she will have friendships that will last a lifetime. Like I do.

Someday Katelyn will realize that her "aunts" aren't really aunts at all. They are her mother's best friends. They are my family and hers. I met Jennifer in grad school about 18 years ago. Jen and I have shared so much: grad school & teaching, infertility and finally the ultimate joy of having a baby, marriage stuff, family issues, you name it. I love spending time with her, we really are just like twins. Even though we live 9 hours apart, we still talk by phone at least twice a month if not more. We can read each other's minds, and finish each other's sentences. Not all friendships stand the test of time, but I know Jen and I will grow old together.

I met Paula 20 years ago. She was pregnant with her first son and I was engaged to someone else, and had just started community college. Paula could tell you some stories about me. We still laugh over the stuff we did!! I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. It doesn't matter how much time goes by between visits, we just pick right up where we left off. We call each other "sis" and we mean it.

I met Ann and Kathy my first year of teaching in 1993. I am still as close to them as I was back then. Ann and I had a great time together before she moved. She was my hard rock buddy, we stood in line in the rain for hours for Metallica tickets. Kathy and I talked on the phone almost every day that we taught together. We would write pretend IEPs for the other staff members we didn't care for. We had so much fun! So much has happened in our lives since 1993, but we stay in touch and we share our lives as they are today. That's the beauty of friendship.

I met Anna through PEO about 10 years ago after moving to CO. You know how when you meet someone and you just know instantly that you'll be the best of friends? That's how it was with us. Anna knows everything about me(and I mean EVERYTHING). She is my rock. We have been through so much together these past 10 years, I honestly don't know what I would have done without her. I also know I don't have to worry about that, we're stuck like glue!

I'm grateful for all my friends, not just my BFFs. I keep in touch with a friend from the 5th grade and another from my wild teenage Nebr. summer visits. I've made new friends with my neighborhood peeps, and a couple of the other moms from Katelyn's school. All my friendships are important to me. And I truly believe you can never have too many friends. Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.