I have been so blessed with friends in this life. I thank God all the time for the amazing women He's placed in my life. One of my dearest friends is a girl I met while beginning nursing school. She and I share a birthday which I always feel bonds you in some way. From our first meeting, I knew she was going to be a good friend. I just sort of decided it. She is the youngest of a large family and I am the oldest, so our dynamic was immediately hilarious. I was around when she got engaged, then married, then moved nearby and had a baby, then moved away, then we were pregnant together and both gave birth to little girls within 3 days of each other. We have a special bond. We can talk about anything, from her dislike of cooking recipes longer than 5 ingredients, to the nitty gritty details of our spiritual lives and those we care the most about. We are comfortable enough to raid each other's fridges and plop down in our skivvies in front of each other. Breastfeeding side by side on a bench at the mall sort of breaks down barriers. :) I love her kids like they were my own and her husband is counted among my dearest friends, as well. I just love them.

And so I was delighted when they were able to come down this past week for a brief visit. Our kiddos got along fabulously, I was able to try out some new recipes (things with more than 5 ingredients to broaden her palate...), we played at the park, threw our kids in the tub together and just enjoyed being real around each other. For all the times I never tell her how much I love her - I hope she knows how much I do.