Moms Gone Wild

Adam kept Kenly Friday night and Saturday that I could hang out with Debbie, Courtney, Shannon and Jessica. Friday night we were all kid free, so we hit the town in Columbia. Which really means we had a nice meal at a Japanese steak house and then talked into the wee hours of the morning. The trip was good for my soul. Jess and I had two long drives to talk too, so now I'm missing my girlfriends like crazy. Nothing says Debbie like bows...we had to wear some of Hadley's bows in honor of Debbie's love of the big bow while we were in high school.

Courtney and Shannon.

Yummy dessert dip--cream cheese, powdered sugar, and mini chocolate chips slathered on graham crackers. Yum...almost as good as, well, sex.

Courtney cuddling Kason and Cole....ooh...that was fun to say.

Back in the day, I met some amazing friends who have always been around even though there have been periods of absence. These girls are not friends for a season; they're here for the long haul. When we were "girls gone wild", haunting the halls of LHS, we lived it up. Wild is a relative term...we looked like prudes or saints given that we were all goody-goodies. But, we had our moments. We loved to jog wearing only our shorts and sports bras. I don't know what we were showing off given we were all official members of the IBTC, but we flaunted what our mamas gave us or what they didn't. We didn't sleep for two nights on our senior cruise...we flirted and danced and wore short shorts and teeny bikinis. We dyed our hair. We giggled about what our lives would be like. We made predictions--most babies, last to marry, weirdest husband. We played endless games of MASH with absurd numbers of children and the names of boys that now make us cringe. We told secrets, set goals, and tried to help heal broken hearts. We were high school best friends. College hit, people moved and married, and then babies came. Time passed. Some of us fell away--some by choice, some by distance, and some because there just wasn't time. But, we're back....and now, we're Moms gone wild. And even though we don't talk very often or even if we don't see each other for years, it always feels the same. The wild part is that we have more in common now than ever. We're more real with each other because most of that high school insecurity and longing has worn away. We're moms in the trenches now, getting our hands dirty every day. Galations 6:2 says, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." These amazing women do that for me. I can let it all hang out, and they still hold my hand through it all. They might think I have six heads every now and then, and we don't always agree, but I know they are there for me. They help me carry my burdens, and I try and help carry their burdens. We been through a lot together. Since distance separates us all, we can't always bring meals or dry tears, but we can pray. I know these women do. Since high school we've weathered premature babies, lost jobs, false accusations and even arrests, disease, preeclampsia, infertility, failed adoptions, and family issues galore. We have kids who span every age group--sixteen to five months. We don't have all the answers, but we do have each other, and that is truly WILD. The most amazing thing about these women is that they always remind me that God is in control...even when we're wild and out of control. Even when our circumstances are too stormy. It's fun to be wild with a few close friends.