Heart Friends

Friends are so important..and I'm not always the greatest one..I'm always late calling to wish Happy Birthday, it doesn't always click with me what my friends' greatest need is until its too late, and while I wish I always had the right thing to say..I can't ever seem to think of it when they probably need it most. All of this probably contributes to the fact that I have many acquantainces, some close friends ( I grew up in Ga, live in Ga...kind of happens by default), but really and truly, less than you can count on one hand of close friends...I call these my heart friends....they don't even necessarily live in Ga, which makes me want to jump on a plane more than once every month..
 

NG fits in with her suitcase full of goodies for the plane ride - she was a pro

So this month, I did just that.


Bonnie is one of those friends. I met her in Ms. Allen's Basic/Cobol programming class my freshman year at MHS. She was a Junior and was the teachers "aid" that semester. Ms. Allen, I think, encouraged this friendship because she always let me sit in her teacher's office and talk to Bonnie every day when I was done with my assignment (ps - Ms. Allen was also the cheerleading coach and was not opposed to showing favortism).

And boy would Bonnie talk..about her boyfriend....he seemed SO old to me then...but I came to learn that she would always go for the mature guy....like already out of high school and real job guy...and I was mesmerized by that....I could not imagine even how to approach such a guy at that point in my life. Bonnie's stories were certainly engaging, as she already had her house plans, her wedding dress, and her actual wedding planned out - she's still a planner.....no, she didn't marry that boy...but she did marry an amazing guy (also "mature") after graduating from college and has 4 brilliant and beautiful children today....and she's still the keeper of the most up to date houseplans and designs and fabric swatches in the country......

Bonnie was the friend I asked to take on my 16th bday cruise with my mom. Bonnie was there for first dates, helped me visit and pick a college...has encouraged me in everything that seemed to be against the odds for my situation. She came to my high school graduation, stood beside me in my wedding, was there when I was first pregnant, and pointed me to the neighborhood I live in now, and was on of my rocks of wisdom through all of this.....She's truly a heart friend. She knows mine and we carry each others.

Arkansas seemed like a really far way away for her to decide to move..and awful timing for me..I was finally moving near her and pregnant with my 1st baby when she popped her news....right when I needed her most (at least in my mind). But she's been only a phone call away every time I've needed her for baby tips and such.


This trip was good..NG had an amazing time hanging out at her house....and so did I...my biggest decision each day was to decide what time to drive to Starbucks.....I needed that....a haven to decompress in the furthest top corner of Arkansas farmland that you can get. We laughed and rested and I got to see her kids in actoin. I will go back to visit....sooner next time.....

NG and Grant enjoy their "old school" cartoons like Droopy and Pink Panther and even Aardvark 
Riley, Emma and NG play i the backyard..I've never heard NG laugh so hard and loud as she did playing with those Palasak kids...they are quite witty you know!