A different kind of anniversary

All of these women including myself, have a very important thing in common. It is the thing that introduced us, and in the beginning what kept us together. We all have babies that were born in September 2000. We met online through an email group.

In the heyday of our group, there were over 20 members. It was odd at the time to belong to a group like ours. We were sharing details of our lives with strangers that not only were all over the country, but all over the world. There were discussions about our older children, our husbands, our jobs and of course our pregnancies. There was this abandonment of our personal social facade. We were able to be utterly honest because there was a safeness in the anonymity of it all.

Over the years members have come and gone, but we have stayed, the roots of our friendship running deep, binding us together in a way that I don't think any of us at the time could have possibly fathomed. We know each other's dreams and fears. We have shared the secrets that we hide from the rest of the world. We have celebrated with each other during times of complete bliss, and we have held each other when our worlds were falling apart, even though we are all states (and continents) away from each other. 

A few of us have been lucky enough to meet face to face, and it didn't take long to slide into the intimate comfortableness that only old friends share.


In your lifetime you make be fortunate enough to have one such friendship, one who loves you for all that you are, and everything your not. But to know that you have six such people in our lives...

So, on the eve of our children's entrance into double digits, the Wise One said:

 First, i can't believe they are gonna be 10.  But mostly, I think it is amazing and wonderful how we have stuck with each other despite distance and different lives - through almost all of us moving, relationships ending, more children coming, jobs gotten and lost, careers changing, new ventures begun, illness and problems with our kids and our families and friends.  We have supported and encouraged each other - given advice - shared ideas - and just chatted.  A lot of people probably couldn't understand it, but somehow it has meant a lot to all of us over these years.  I really love and appreciate the friendship of all of you.

and we all happily agreed. 

These strong, beautiful, powerful, intelligent, honorable, loyal, astonishing women make my life better because they are in it. And even though thousands of miles may separate us, that doesn't make what we have any less than just the complete and unadulterated awesomeness that it is. 


Happy September 2010!

The End of August, how did that happen?

To say that things have been crazy hectic would be a very large understatement. Slowly boxes have been unpacked and things moved into their new places. Unfortunately other things have just been moved. I know it will take a while to get really settled in. Where we have more room in some aspects, we have less in others. I can organize things that I want them done... and I am finding that some things aren't where they should be. It's a chaotic mess, pure and simple. However, I am to the point where boxes are not threatening to take out a child... mine or one of the neighborhood kids. 

Yes, neighborhood kids. Butter and Banana have both made friends on the street. I have met their parents and several other neighbors. I was talking to my mom about it, and she said that the street I grew up on was like that. She knew the parents of the kids I played with, and several other of the neighbors close to her. It doesn't surprise me, I am in the same area that I grew up in. I am a lot further of a walk to my parents than I was to my in laws... as in the babes can not walk over there by themselves, but if I really need to get there I can with no problem.

The Chef went and got himself a new job, so we are waiting and seeing how the chips fall. He needed to be out of the place that he was... not to sound overly dramatic, but it was killing his soul. His immediate supervisor took every opportunity to throw him under the bus that he could, and that gentleman's boss and The Chef just had a personality clash that could not be resolved. He too downgraded his abilities, his talent, and made him feel worse than gum stuck to the bottom of a shoe. I am glad that he is away from there. I so very happy that he isn't constantly hearing how much he sucks every. single. day. 

As for the children, the oldest three are all signed up for school and more than ready for it to start. The city that we are in isn't starting until after Labor Day because of the construction that they are doing on the high school... better to have the entire district on the same schedule. Butter and Banana will be attending the same school and we are close enough for them to walk to and from. I have taken them a few times, and of course I will walk with them for the first few weeks so they know exactly where to go. It's not hard, it's pretty much a straight shot, but Banana gets lost walking around the block (I really wish I was kidding about that). Jelly is going to be attending the school that I spent my elementary years, and then next year he will walk with the other two. He is attending all day Kindergarten, which will be interesting. I am going to miss the hell out of him when he is gone... at least for the first few weeks days.

Pineapple is trying very hard to pull herself up, and she will stand if you hold her hands. She is getting more and more vocal, and she will give the other 3 her two cents if I am fussing after them when she is around. She still isn't the smiling baby that the other ones were, but you can tell she is content. She is the most easy going out of the 4 of them, and she is really up for anything. And oh... we have found out that applesauce is her crack. But that's another post. 

As for me, I'm going. My birthday is coming up fast, and I am really not looking forward to it. Normally I am all about my birthday (because ya know, birthdays are the ONE DAY out of the year that you can make it all about you, and no one cares. Hell, it's expected in this house.) but this year it's not clicking for me. 34 is an ugly word. I know I can't stop it, and I might as well except it, but it is honestly bothering me more than 30 did, and 30 rocked my world. 

Just a crazy little update... The Chef has to take the computer to work with him because his has not come in yet, so I am offline most of the daylight hours except for the few times I post on Facebook with my iPod. I hate being disconnected that way, but hopefully soon his work computer will come in, and I can have our laptop back. One can hope right?

Soon, we will be having a conversation about the law against nature, for cryin' out loud it's 90 degrees outside, hockey. Banana has skater legs already and Butter is taking on a new position. He seems to have a knack for it, and I don't have to push him to practice... but more on that later... 

This was hastly, and not a bit elegant... and I didn't get to play with words like I usually do, but I hear The Chef's alarm clock going off...