Life is Good!

Can I just say that one of the best things about living in King George County, Virginia, was the friends I made there? It all started with Michelle, who I met in the hospital when my son was born. He arrived seven weeks early, and her son was also born prematurely. We discovered not only did we share the challenges of being parents of preemies, but that we lived within a mile of each other in the same neighborhood! We were destined to be friends and so were our boys.

Michelle's warm personality and her love of entertaining drew her into an ever-widening circle of moms. Lucky me, I got to come along for the ride as she and some other enterprising women organized a playgroup and social network in our neighborhood. When the children were small, we took turns hosting weekly gatherings in our homes.

As our kids matured and headed off to school, the focus shifted from entertaining preschoolers to building closer ties among the moms, who began getting together once a month or so for a Girls Night Out in different people's homes. The group stuck together as members moved away and others joined, stay-at-home moms returned to work, and schedules got hectic as our kids embraced sports and extracurriculars. Often the ONLY time we'd see each other was at our Girls Nights Out.

One of the hardest aspects of moving to Belgium was leaving those relationships behind. Happily, my Home Grrrls have not forgotten me. For the second year in a row, they got together to celebrate my birthday. Heather hosted the first V-Grrrl fete last year with a Better-than-Sex theme. This year Michelle gathered the gang at her place for a tea party because I'm an avid tea drinker (and because she had an itch to break out her Grandma's china). :D

The Grrrls all bought gifts for me, packed them into an ENORMOUS wicker hamper, and shipped them to Belgium. E staggered up the stairs with this huge box last night, and I had the fun of digging into it as we received our first snow of the season here. There were gourmet teas, coffees, chocolates, cookies, and treats and lotions and books galore--everything a Grrrl needs to get through the gray days of February.

E-Grrrl, watching me as I unloaded the box said, "All I can say, Mom, is your friends TOTALLY spoil you!"

And they do.

Love y'all.

I'm one Lucky Grrrl.

February 7, 2007

Comments

[furiousBall]

That's a great story, friends are wonderful to hang on to. It makes me wonder what my buddies activities will be years from now. I doubt beer and softball will always be my first choice, but that will do for now.

[Char]

And that is what friends are for!

[Shirley]

Such phenomenal friends! What a nice surprise for you yesterday to get your wicker hamper of goodies ... the birthday celebration gets extended another week ;-) .

[mamatulip]

Reading this made me teary. Friends like the ones you have are amazing.

[javacurls]

What an amazing circle of friends you have back home! Receiving packages filled with the little things you love from the people you love most is just the BEST!

[Nance]

Lovely ladies, all. You keep good company, miss! It will be a blowout when you return to the fold.

[amber]

That is one of the nicest thigs I have ever heard of! How loved you are! Go's to show how lovable you are. ;)

...Or do your friends just need a reason to party and shop?? LOL

:)

[Mary-LUE]

What wonderful friends!

[smv]

I can't believe your friends thought of you on your birthday from all across the globe. Not only that, they celebrated your birthday in style. You are a very lucky lady. I enjoy reading your posts since they give a very well-rounded view of life in Belgium. I also moved to Belgium (not from USA) and am facing the culture shock also. Your blog is a treat to read!! I absolutely love it!!

[Debbie]

Oh my gosh! That made me get all teary. How sweet and wonderful your friends are and of course, you must be to have such sweet and wonderful friends!

[Elisabeth]

This is phenomenal, V. You are one lucky woman to have such great friends! Bonding with a bunch of women, by the way, is something that I have never experienced (it's supposedly not part of the French psyche, but I am not sure about that...). Very cool that you did, though.

[wordgirl]

Wow! What a haul! Even without the goodies, good friends are a huge source of joy!

[TB]

Your friends are lovely people. Truly. It's easy to see how much they love you.

[Neil]

That is really touching. You must be a great friend yourself.

[Annie]

Now, those are some really great friends. I love that they throw you a party in absentia. It should be a whopper of a party when you return.

[Mo]

That is so wonderful! What a delight. You are blessed.

[Mignon]

That's awesome. Can I be their friend too?

(Is the woman front and center in the eating picture cursing you from across the ocean? That would be me, if I were in that picture.)

[Ortizzle]

What great friends. I have friends like that, too. But they are all in Spain. (sigh... I was 23 when I went to Spain, so all my great adult pals are Over There.)