With friends like these...

 I've said this before, but I don't think I can say it enough: I have amazing, awesome, wonderful, smart, forgiving, funny, lovely friends. And there's a lot of them. More than I can detail here. I don't know what I've done to deserve them, but I'll just say that this is the rare occasion I will say the word, "blessed" is about the only one that fits.

The Showgirls let me in back on our FOB-JEK days and I've been grateful ever since. I'm not sure our waitstaff is ever as pleased as we are to spend an evening together, but we do have fun. Thank you, MadDawg Madison. Please let us come back...

My Bunco Club hasn't rolled dice in months, if not years, but we don't let that get in the way of a good time. Again, I apologize to the crew that waited on us at Union Jack. Neither of these photos shows the whole crew, but I'm sure over the years, I've fully represented. 

I'm feeling a little friend sentimental because I'm still a bit buzzed from the latest edition of Sleepover Book Club this weekend. In my defense, I started earlier than usual, but it's possible that I'm less able to process excess than I used to. 

We celebrated 15 years of Book Club and Andrea's milestone birthday by going back to a local Air BnB thanks to Niki's expert planning and her addiction to super cute cakes. 

We brought back a unicorn and flamingo float for the pool only to discover a llama was already there. The plastic menagerie had stalker mentalities, though, and never failed to creep up on someone who was alone in the pool or when we weren't using them to keep us upright.

We've been together as a Book Club -- yes there is wine and yes we read & discuss the books and even track them from best to worst -- for longer than we have had our annual sleepover. If you have a Book Club, I highly recommend you have an annual sleepover. We were missing a few members, but Book Club pool and hot tub time is time I wouldn't trade for anything. 




Fact is, I wouldn't trade any of these friends (or others not in this blog edition) for anything.

Friends are a precious thing, people. You don't have to agree with them all the time. Heck: you can have big issues and arguments. There may be times you don't see them for days, weeks, months, years on end.

But when you're together, something clicks. You're home. You're safe. You're loved. And you give all that back. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing.

Speaking of beautiful, the Captain surprised me with birthday roses today after I dragged myself home. Our summer has been a series of running here and there with friends and family, getting Alison settled into her first solo apartment and tons of unsexy home improvement. 

Hitching my wagon to the Captain's (Thank you Bunconians) is the best thing that's ever happened to me.  Which, if you've been paying attention at all to this, is saying a lot.

I've been too busy having fun with my friends this week to think about doing something to mark the passing of another birthday. I'm sure we'll think of something. 

In the meantime, I'll revel in the gift of friendship with these fabulous humans and all the others who have generously agreed to take me in. 





















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