The Four Friends

I thought about titling this posting "my tribe", but we are known as the four friends by so many. Our group text is even titled four friends. It's how I even refer to ourselves when I tell Ian we are getting together. Even my kids know who the four friends are. So really, the four friends is fitting. I mean, we named a market after our friend status! 

You guys, this is actually the first time the four of us have been together since our last market in October. That's embarrassing. We used to not go like a day without all being together. Ok, it may have been more like 2 or 3, but still. But 13 kids among us seems to keep us busy these days. Especially with school. Once school started for our oldest children, our time together greatly diminished. Unfortunately. 

But that's not what this is about. This is about the fact we got together on Saturday. We went to breakfast. We caught up. We took a watercolor class...which I may or may not have NO talent for whatsoever. And I may or may not have offered anyone in the class $10 to drink my paint water. I am not the most mature and probably not the best to take into refined settings! When I am uncomfortable, I use my sarcasm and jokes to cope. I was uncomfortable in the watercolor class with my lack of any talent for painting. You can imagine what sitting with me was like! 

Now that baby number 13 is born and settled and we are all recovered from the last market, we are on the hunt for our next location. We were hoping for a spring market, but that just isn't realistic at this point. So, we are crossing our fingers and toes for a fall market. Our fall markets are always a big hit anyway.

Even without the market, these girls are still among my favorites to hang out with. There's always plenty of laughs, plenty of real life and plenty of sarcasm. Now that's my type of company!

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest 

Friendship

** Just to get it out there, we literally laughed when 3 out of 4 of us showed up wearing scarves. Apparently that's what mom's do when they go out...wear scarves and take bathroom selfies. 

It's crazy to think how my relationships with friends have changed over the years. And I'm not even talking about relationships with specific friends, but relationships in general. 

The other day I was in a conversation with a mom who had a high schooler and it got me reminiscing. I remember how it was literally the end of my life it I had to be home for more than, say, 15 minutes. These days, the thought of leaving the house can feel daunting at times. Taking three kids to the mall just to relax and browse...well I would rather stab a pencil in my eye and relax at the hospital than do that. Yeah, slight exaggeration, but you get the point. At the end of a long day, after making numerous meals and snacks, doing school runs up the wazoo, changing diapers and keeping the house in a semi orderly state, the last thing I want to do is go out with friends. Because of this, my relationships have suffered. 

Friendships require effort. And just like marriages, they require sacrifice. Sometimes that sacrifice is staying out of my pjs for a couple hours longer and filling my soul by laughing my head off with good friends. Good friends are really worth their weight in gold.

Besides attempting to be a better friend through sending notes, reaching out, helping, etc, one thing I want to do this year is actually go out and enjoy myself more with my friends. Because, let's be honest, a play date with 13 kids and 4 moms is hardly relaxing! Yeah, all my friends have a crap load of kids. No, one and done happening here in Modesto!

And here's what's ironic. I never ever wish I had just stayed home. I am always glad I went out...even if I regret it the next morning. But even then, there are the group texts with us all whining together about being tired and comradery is always a good thing.

So here's to a year of dating my friends. Of staying out of my pjs a little bit longer and laughing hysterically together. Of finding people to watch our kids so we can bare our souls to each other over coffee. Because, my tribe, you really are worth it.

You can also find me on:

bloglovin // instagram // pinterest