5 Reasons Why It's Great To See Old Friends

Lauren, Lindsey and Little Man came to visit us this past weekend, and it was WON-DER-FUL to see them again. I didn't realize that it had been years since I'd seen Lindsey, and I hadn't seen Lauren since we were both barely pregnant with our boys. It was so great to see them. Here are a few reasons why:

1.) You don't need to sweat it with old friends. You can have simple meals and they'll say "yum". You can have a clean but not cutely decorated house, and they'll go on and on about what they love about it. Your kids can throw temper tantrums and sneeze and cough on their child and they just smile, wave their hand and say, "It's okay."

2.) Chances are, your kids will LOVE your old friends more than they love you. Boo took a particular liking to Lindsey (Yinzee). Lindsey was getting ready to go visit a friend and was fixing her hair, putting on makeup and even (brace yourselves) let Boo help her choose her earrings! Boo was in heaven at all the femininity and especially the cute makeup bag, and is still asking "What's Yinzee wearing?" You have an adoring fan. She's also still asking where "Allen" and "Warren" are. I love the names! She wants you all to come back to her house, okay? Oh, and turkeys say "Look-A, Look-A, Look-A"

3.) Old friends know just what you need. Jamba Juice, Cafe Rio and a new hobby! I told Lindsey, "We only get this kind of food on special occasions!" Thanks for treating us. It was great to talk to Lauren about parenting, temper tantrums, picky-eaters, keeping kids reverent in church, etc. She said my favorite Lauren phrase several times, which makes me really happy. "It's okay!" I think it throws me back to the MMA days, when L-train knew everything and I was totally clueless as to how to do my job. She helped me daily back then, would always reassuringly say, "It's okay!" I wish I could record it and play it back when I'm having a bad day.

4.) It's fun to see how much we've grown. I think it takes not seeing someone for a time to realize how much you've changed. I've gotten married and have had two kids since I last saw Lindsey! Lindsey has graduated from college for crying out loud and has cool hair, which I totally covet. She lives on her own and has a real job and everything. Lauren is an amazingly patient mom and works so well with Little Man. She's having another little boy and it's so cool to see her and think, "Holy cow, you're a mom!" She handles stress and pressure as seamlessly as she did while we were working together, and I'm in awe that she's made the transition to motherhood so beautifully. Sometimes I feel like I'm still transitioning!

5.) Old friends teach you new stuff. Wil and Lauren introduced us to Skype, and JB has since told two of our family members about it. What a great way to stay connected! Friday night after we got the kids to bed, JB was making a malt using frozen berries and ice cream. Train worked her magic and took some berries, tossed them in a pan with some sugar and made a heavenly sauce to top our ice creams. L-train brought a huge pad of pretty paper, which she let me use to make my very own mod podge picture frame. She walked me through step-by-step and now I have a new hobby and some paper to get started. Hooray!



So, thanks for visiting, my friends. I realized when cleaning up the basement that I neglected to put a wastebasket in the bathroom down there for you. Sorry about that! It was great to see you!