Flyby Post

I had an awesome time Tuesday. It was fun, relaxing and I enjoyed spending some extra time with my buddy and wonderful friend Keri. I know that night I will treasure forever. (Even if we did get a few raised eyebrows for staying in a hotel, with a local home address and changing the name on the reservation for "work purposes". )

Matt made it home safe and sound Thursday after a 9.5 hour flight to San Fransisco, a 7 hour layover, a 4 hour flight to Chicago, an 8 hour layover and finally a 90 minute flight to Raleigh. Shewwww... I am tired just typing it out. The kids were more than happy to see him, as was I.

As I type I am surrounded by boxes and a crew of 3 super friendly men. The only thing left in my kitchen is the kitchen faucets, and appliances. The packers are here and hope to finish before starting to load the sea carton tomorrow. Apparently the sea carton will be delivered to our door tomorrow and it will be a giant jigsaw puzzle to get it packed just right.

Emily asked me today (yes us bad parents let her stay home while they packed our stuff) if I was sad watching them load everything into boxes. To be honest, it still doesn't feel like I am moving to Japan. Maybe it is because we are keeping our house here, maybe it is because we are still going to be here another month. I am not sure. Matt says it will probably hit me when I am at the airport. Lord help the poor people on the airplane if that is the case.

"Friends are God's way of taking care of us."

First let me say that I am feeling much better today. After a good cry on the phone to my mom (and she should be privileged as I don't think she has seen me cry in 6 years), chatting with some friends and a long talk with Matt (who btw is on a plane home right now! He will be here tomorrow!) my pity party is over. And spending two hours in my office last night just sorting through my 800+ books was a huge stress reliever for some reason. I was half temped to roll around in them but that would have been a sure indicator that I needed a little visit to a padded room.

So now I need to say "Thank You." Thank you to all those who read my flipout post from yesterday. Thank you for all your kind words. I think of each of you as a friend. Thank you for all those on SN. It is so strange to know that some of my best friendships are with those whom I have never met. Thank you to my awesome IRL friends who just let me "flipout". Words cannot express how much you guys mean to me.

So back to the title of this entry: "Friends are God's way of taking care of us." I got a call a little bit ago from my awesome friend and neighbor Keri informing me that I am being kidnapped. Her husband is taking my kids after school, I am to pack a bag and Keri and I are going for some girl time and not coming back until tomorrow morning. I am to forget about all my to-dos and post-it notes for 12 hours and just have fun. Wow. Sometimes I think our friends know what we need more than we do ourselves.

A Friend's A Friend Forever

"There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound." ~Diana Cortes

After 20 hours in the car on Monday, Jamie and the rest of the family finally made it to our house. It should have only taken about 14 hours, but when you blow a tire in Kentucky apparently you need to back track several towns and wait hours for your tire to be fixed.

We had an awesome week. For the first time, Mark came with Jamie and the kids to experience NC living. I think he actually enjoyed himself. Our week was jammed packed full of a trip to the beach, golfing, visiting the Farmers Market, shopping, lunches, working out (yes we even fit exercise into our visit!), a night out on the boat, and even getting Jamie's hair cut.

Sami and Hannah at the beach. I think they are well on their way to being best friends forever, wouldn't you agree?
Jamie and I on the golf course, with our pretty pink golf bags. Mark and Matt of course creamed us on the course, but hey at least we looked good doing it.

Jamie and her new haircut. I LOVE it!
The girls all decided to put on layers and slide down the steps over and over. What goobers.
Mark enjoying the waves.
Emily and Ashley tubing.
Mark tubing with his girls. Make sure you document this photo. It may never happen again.
Aren't they a cute couple? Jamie and I are trying hard to make sure we are related someday.
Jamie and I braved Matt's driving and decided to go for a spin too.
Even Matt joined in the festivities. Apparently I wasn't driving fast enough for Hannah.

It was a wonderful week and a few tears were shed as they pulled away late last night for their long drive home. I have been very blessed to have such a wonderful friend in my life. And I know no matter where we are, or which moving services either of us may be using, every time we get together, it is like we were never apart.

Thanks for an awesome week you guys. We already miss you.