“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”  (Unknown)

Jennings and I have been friends since I was 19, and Jennings was 18. Now we are in our 30s. We have gone from bright-eyed, hard-working college students, who both seemed to hardly ever get a date, to what we are now…..one married mom of four and one successful flight attendant and aunt extraordinaire. Jennings was there the night I went on my first date with Alan. She was one of my bridesmaids. She already knows the back story. That’s what’s so wonderful about ‘old’ friends! They already ‘get it’! No need to explain anything. They already know anyway.

Now when I say we were hard-working college students, I can’t emphasize that enough. We were not your lazy party girls. No, sir. We meant business. We were also both recipients of the same National Alumni Academic Walk On Scholarship. Jennings and I both, at some point during our University of Alabama years, held down two part-time jobs a piece, while going to school full-time. That’s how we became such good friends. We worked together as Resident Assistants in the largest freshman girls’ dorm on campus.

Jennings is the friend that you feel like you can tell anything to, without feeling judged, or at least she doesn’t let on that she’s judging me…..ha!

“Oh, I’m never going back to the regular work world. I really didn’t care for ‘working,'” I admitted to Jennings last week. I don’t think she judged me…

lol

We had such a wonderful time, touring the California coast. Jennings is quite the world traveler; however, she has never been to my particular area of Cali, so we had a great time exploring.

The boys went almost everywhere with us. They had a BALL, and I do mean a ball.

Poor JD.

The sea just beckons us to join it, and so he tried. He timidly toddled, just barely into the surf, when a wave suddenly came and knocked the tiny fella right over. And when you are 20 months old, and so very small and inexperienced, you don’t know what to do, but to lay there, rather stuck, and cry.

The boys were partially laughing at the drenched-in-his-clothing JD, and partially laughing at their mother. That wave took me by surprise too, and I shouted, “Oh! My boots!” I instinctively backed up, but then I saw my baby, stuck on his back, and jumped back in and grabbed him.

Don’t worry. We’re talking one half an inch of water, no harm done, and two adults there to quickly grab him up.

Now I am off to sleep. I was up until 1 am last night with my friend Julia, and a room full of 11 and 12-year-old girls. I know. I never thought I’d write that last sentence either, but I’m helping Julia with a Wednesday night class of pre-teen girls, and Julia decided to throw them a sleep-over.

But that’s a whole other story.

We just love hosting our friends and family. Next week, my parents arrive! Alan’s parents are visiting in March. Then in July, a whole family of friends from Virginia is coming!!  🙂  So exciting!

Come back anytime, Jennings! Next time, come on a weekend, and Alan can take you out kayaking with the sea otters!

“A world without friends, I don’t think I could bear it.”  ~Jeff Foxworthy