Best Friends for Freaking Ever

Do you have those people in your life who know you better than you would like sometimes? The people who call you on your crap and tell you what you need to hear instead of placating you? The people who are there for everything? For me, those people are my girlfriends. We all formed our group in 6th grade but really the story starts long before that.

Becca and I met in 1st grade. She was my first sleep over. She introduced me to the Boxcar Kids and 4H. We learned to square dance, play soccer and read together. Kristine and Aubrey met in Kindergarten at a different school. Like Becca and I they grew up pretty inseparably. In 6th grade, Becca, Kristine, Aubrey and I met as well as Lauren and Danielle. We have been together since. It seem that whatever life throughs at us, we are in it together. From awkward middle school, through high school and college and now over 20 years into our friendships, we have seen each of us in our best moments and our worst.

We have celebrated babies and weddings. We have been there for dress shopping and showers. We have danced all night in celebration. We have sat in waiting rooms for hours waiting for babies to arrive. The happiest, most joyful moments.

We have also been the family and support in the harder moments. Boy troubles and break ups. Work problems and feeling insecure. This group rallied around me when I lost my mother.

Every thing in life I have done with this group of girls supporting and cheering me on. Or being there to bring me French fries I am sad or sleep at the end of my bed when grief is too much. These are the girls who will one day help me but on my wedding dress and fix my hair as I prepare for my wedding. These are the girls who will be in the hospital room when my future children are born. These are my people. They are my family.

Do you have those people? We all do. They are the people who make us who we are. The family we chose. The people we are lucky enough to have in our lives.