To All the Friends...

My sister-in-law has told me before that she can't believe the amount of friends I have in my life, the numerous groups that pull my life this way and that. I've always been someone who finds herself to be "friends" with everyone. In high school, while part of a "clique", I differentiated myself and had public school friends, friends from sports, friends from summers, friends in other cliques at school (lord forbid!)...and I prided myself on being that girl. Groups of girlfriends can be tough, though. They can cause drama at the drop of a hate, they can turn two against one, they can oust one because another says to. They, in short, can be "mean girls." I have had my fair share of mean girl experiences...from being part of a group that passed a big gossip notebook around to being part of a group that named themselves "the twelve." Yup, we even bought ourselves necklaces with XII engraved on it. As I write that, I laugh. Knowing that I still share very deep bonds with a few of the "12", I can't say that I'm ungrateful for that group and what they were during high school, but I can say, in the end, you don't remain friends with everyone. In the end, you grow up, you move on, you become your own best friend and you take with you the ones that matter, the ones that count, the ones that are what I like to call "friend soulmates"...

You know how people say "when you know, you know"? Usually this little piece of wisdom describes romantic relationships but I think it rings true for friendships as well - when you know they are a friend soulmate, you just know.

Looking back, I feel as though I still am that girl that is friends with everyone...I can talk to a brick wall and make the most boring of events interesting by chatting incessently and asking a million questions (sometimes on dates this makes me a little confused as to whether I actually like the guy or am just being friendly, but that's another issue, another blog post). That being said, I've finally, finally realized that in life, if you can count your true friends on just one hand, you are very very lucky. I say finally because for way too long I felt the incessant need to be everything to everyone, to say yes to every invitation, to have an invitation to everything, to make sure I was never "missing out" or being "lame", to always be someone people want to be there. I would get bogged down trying to schedule all of my friends in, a lot of times finding myself standing in a crowded bar only wishing I could be home on the couch with a glass of wine and just one other person. In the end, it became exhausting...I felt always the need to be "on" and entertaining...to be that great friend. Now, don't get me wrong, I love being a great friend, I love listening, I love long talks and deep conversations, I love sending cards at impromtu moments and giving unexpected gifts...but I also now know the meaning of true, soulmate kind of friendship.

You have friends and you a friend soulmates. Friend soulmates will be there forever...and have been there from the start. Not necessarily the start of your life, but the start of something significant and they will be there when the significance continues. They are the type that you can not talk to for months...maybe even years, and then you meet up over dinner and it's like you never skipped a beat. I write this blog for everyone in my life, friends, acquaintances, soulmates because I want each of you to know that I think about you all the time and carry our memories together with me each day - you've shaped me, inspired me, lauged with me, celebrated with me, cried with me and grown with me. And while I may not call as often as I would like to and I may not make it clear all the time I do know that when I see you weeks, months or years from now...we'll pick up right where we left off. So this is to you, friend soulmate, from the moment I met you, I just knew, you'd be in my life forever. Thank you for being that for me...I hope I can be that and more for you, whenever, wherever.

Dallas
Sarah

Megan W.

Emily C.

Kristen S.

Haley

Megan J.

Laura M.

Kelly B.

Beth

Kim G.

Ashley S.

Lauren Y.

Alex

Jared

Ben

Joey

Sam

Sarah K.
Brynee

Raeanne

Patrick M.