Tomorrow is a sad day for us. A day that I’ve known for a long time would eventually come but one that I’ve dreaded nonetheless.
Our best friends are moving away.
They are more like family than friends really. They’re certainly the closest thing we’ve got here in Southern Arizona.
Kelly and I became friends nearly four years ago when our husbands were sent halfway around the world to work together in one of Saddam’s former palaces in Iraq. It was actually our husbands who became friends first. They set up a blind date, if you will, for Kelly and I. It turned out to be a good match. We spent several months hanging out together and keeping each other company. My friendship with Kelly took root during that time. And before long our little seed of a friendship became a sapling. Then our husbands came home and our new-found friendship blossomed in full.
Since then we’ve spent countless hours playing Cranium. And Taboo. And random other card games that they’d teach us after returning from a visit with their card-playing families. We’ve shared meals at home and out. We’ve celebrated birthdays together, including some milestone ones. We’ve shared martinis and beer and Smores and cookies. We’ve barbequed on Mother’s Day, lit sparklers on the Fourth of July, carved turkeys on Thanksgiving and worn silly hats to ring in the New Year. We’ve shared laughter and triumph. We’ve endured struggles and pain. We’ve rejoiced with one another at the announcement of a pregnancy. And we’ve visited each other in the hospital to help welcome newborn baby boys. They were thrilled when we asked them to be Jayce’s Godparents. And we were honored when they asked that we do the same for their Adam.
I’m so thankful for the time we’ve spent together. Thankful for the bonds we’ve built. And though they’ll be a few states away, they’ll always be near and dear in our hearts.
I miss them already.
