Still Friends

Did you know that every state has there own set of laws when it comes to getting divorced?  This is one of the things I have learned in the past year.  There have been many times when I have wished that my ex and I lived in another state where they do not have the one year separation law.   Here in South Carolina, a couple must be separated for a year before filing for divorce.  Unless, of course, you can prove adultery.  You all know that my ex moved in with his current girlfriend the day he left me.  According to the three lawyers I spoke with last year, that act alone would have been grounds to sue him for adultery.  Of course, they also advised me that PROVING he was cheating was something else entirely.  I am not sure about Arizona Divorce Laws, but here, I would have had to hire a private investigator to get pictures of him going to and leaving her house.  As long as he was in there long enough for something to have happened between them (if you get my drift) I would have had a case. 

However, I was also advised that in most adultery cases, the spouse who is cheating tends to play dirty, which can make getting my divorce expensive.  Since my ex and I were not getting along at the time, I knew he would try to lessen my child support, or even try to take my kids away from me, which he has threatened me with in the past. So, waiting for our year to be up was my best option, and honestly, I don't regret it, because right now, my ex and I are friends.  It's funny, really.  I talk to him several times a day, and most of the time it has nothing to do with the kids.  I still find myself calling him when I have good news about things, and he does the same thing.

I am hoping that we can continue this relationship, as friends, at least until the kids are all grown.  I have seen, and lived through, what it's like when parents split up and hate each other.  I don't want that for my kids.  Or for me.  

Elephant Drawing

How awesome is this? My neighbor (and friend) Matt drew this for me, and I love it! He is amazingly talented! I lucked into the frame. You can't tell in the picture, but it's not actually matted.  It's suspended between two pieces of glass, floating free.  I found the frame at Walmart on clearance for only $7. I proudly hung this is my living room for everyone to see.

Apartment Living

I love apartment living.  This is the first time I have ever lived in a complex, and to be honest, I was a little hesitant before we moved in.  Living in a house, what other people so doesn't really effect you. Living in an apartment building, others actions do impact your life.  For instance, I always worry about what would happen if my neighbor's apartment caught on fire.   

The good outweighs my worries, though.  I love that the kids have somewhere to play outside, and that their friends are just one door away. Brandi's after school babysitter lives in our building, so it's easy for Kasi to walk and get her when she gets home.  I like that I have made friends with my neighbors as well.  

I would recommend apartment living to anyone.  Did you know that overseas, they call apartments flats? I'm not sure why, but there are beautiful Flats to rent in Glasgow as well as Flats to rent in Edinburgh. I would love to be able to spend some time overseas, and it would make sense to find Flats to rent in Aberdeen instead of spending a fortune on a hotel stay.  I mean, if I were to ever go, it would be for a long time. Maybe a few months.  I think it would be interesting to experience life in a country other than my own.

Unfortunately, I doubt I'll ever get there.  For me, a vacation is probably going to be a weekend stay at a local hotel.

Sending My Kids To Camp

I never went to camp as a kid.  Whenever I got bored during the summer months my mom would send me to my aunts house for a couple of weeks.  I loved spending time with my aunt, uncle, and cousins.  Even now, this particular aunt is my favorite.

The closest I ever came to going to camp was attending this weekly program that my elementary school offered for a few hours every day for a week.  I never had the experience of bunking in a cabin with other kids or swimming in a lake.  I wish I could let my kids experience what I didn't. 

I am sure they would love attending a Youth Summer Camp.  I was trying to figure out a way that they could attend Camp and I could squeeze in a vacation for myself at the same time.  This thinking led me to researching camps in New York.  I still have two sisters up north, and I would love to visit with them while my kids enjoyed some fun in the sun.  I want them to make friends with kids from other parts of the country who they can stay in touch with for years to come. I am sure there aren't many kids left who don't have a Facebook account. Isn't it funny how instead of saying I want them to be pen pals with their new found friends I talk about Facebook?  I remember a time, before computers, when you had to wait weeks for a response to a letter.  Nowadays, you can chat instantly online with people from all over the county.  Heck, you can chat with people all over the world. 

But that isn't my point.  My point is that I want my kids to have the camp experience that I never had.  I know they will enjoy it.

Neighbors

The kids and I have been in this apartment for almost five months now.  Last night, I realized how truly happy we are here.  I don't have any desire to find Calgary apartments for rent or apartments anywhere else for that matter. 

A couple of months ago, a family moved in downstairs.  The woman is super nice, and they have kids who are Ryan and Brandi's ages.  Their son and Ryan became fast friends.  In fact, the kid spent the night here last night and the two of them went to a festival this morning.  Brandi and their daughter are also friends.  There are so many kids in this neighborhood, and for the most part they all get along well. 

Yesterday, I had a pretty crappy day.  In fact, I was crying at one point, stressing about money and life in general.  My neighbor was outside when I got home from work, so I stopped and talked to her for a while.  I talk to her almost every day, so she knows how stressed I am. 

Last night, I went out to smoke a cigarette around 9, and she came out to smoke at the same time.  She looked at me, said she had a surprise for me, and went back inside.  She came back out a minute later, and walked upstairs to sit with me on my bench, bringing strawberry daiquiri wine coolers with her.  We sat outside and drank for a while, watching the kids ride their bikes in the dark, talking about just how hard life can be sometimes.  It was so nice to have an adult to talk to; someone who understands where I am right now.

So, we plan on staying in this apartment for a while.  Hopefully, they do too.

Friendship

There was a time, years ago, when I had tons of friends.  I was in high school and working full time at McDonald's.  There were a bunch of us who hung out together all the time.  I remember when birthdays rolled around, I didn't hesitate to spend money on my friends.  I mean, I was living at home with no bills of my own, so what else did I have to do with my money?

I had this one friend who I was super close to, and for her birthday one year I bought her a claddagh ring.  To us, it was symbol of friendship.  The one I bought her was plain gold.  Recently, I was looking at celtic jewelry online, and I found a silver ring with a green stone.  It's beautiful, don't you think?

I would love to find one with a purple stone, but I think it would be funny to buy one for myself.  The problem is, I don't have any close girlfriends anymore.  The friends I do have are great, but I am not super close to any of them.  At least not close enough that they would buy me jewelry. 

Maybe it's time I go find me a boyfriend?

Hanging Out

 Where you the kid who had the No Parking sign hanging on their bedroom wall?  I remember when I was a teenager, stealing road signs was a fun thing to do.  I never did it myself, because as you all know, I was (and still am) a good girl.  In fact, I had that exact conversation with one of the guys at one of the businesses I deliver to today. A couple of weeks ago, I showed up for work after a night out, and I wasn't exactly in the best mood.  This guy commented on it, and asked why I looked so bad.  Nice, right?  I told him I was out drinking the night before, so now he thinks that I am some kind of lush.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  But, he kind of likes me, and it's fun to flirt, so today I was explaining that I am basically a really good girl who occasionally lets her hair down.  There's nothing wrong with that, right?  We talked for a while today, since all the other guys were still at lunch.  I believe he is working up the nerve to ask me out, because he was asking all kinds of questions today, and even asked what my plans were for this weekend.  And next weekend.  We'll see what happens.  I'm not even sure what my boss's policy is about dating guys I meet on the job.  Not that I want a boyfriend or a relationship right now, but it would be fun to hang out sometimes.

Anyway, if we do decide to hang out together, I don't think we'll spend our time stealing parking signs.  We'll probably go somewhere to have a drink or two.  That will be fun too.

Who Wants To Know Me Better?

 I love getting awards!  Thanks Silvergirl for thinking of me!

The Rules:

1. Thank and link back the person who gave you this award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Award 15 great bloggers you know.

4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award.

 

Now, you all know so much about me, and I really can not think of anything new to share.  So, I did what every good blogger would do and put a shout out on Facebook for my lovely friends to ask me seven questions I would answer about myself.   And they sure did ask some good questions!  Here we go:

1.  What form of birth control do you use?

Well, I don't use any.  We are leaving things up to God, but that's not saying we aren't careful.  I am pretty good at knowing exactly when I'm ovulating, so we avoid doing anything during that time.  It's worked for the past 9 years, so we must be doing something right.

2.  If you were to have another child and it was healthy, what sex would you want it to be?

This is an easy one for me...I would want a girl.  Truth be told, I was so upset when I found out Ryan was a boy.  I wanted a girl so bad, but God knew better than me, and I am so glad he gave me Ryan.  I can not explain how much I love my son...it's different then the way I love my girls.  It's not more or less, just different.  That said, I don't think I could do another boy...all the hyperactivity and struggling so much with school and the attitude!  Oh my.  But, there will not be anymore babies, especially since Brandi says she will give it away because she needs to stay the youngest.

3.  Have you ever smoked ? If you have, what brand did you smoke, how many packs a day. Have you quit and when ? 

I did smoke for many years.  I didn't start smoking until I was 18 years old and almost out of high school.  I smoked until I was about 7 months pregnant with Brandi, and I was smoking about a pack a day.  Yes, I smoked through all of my pregnancies, and I am convinced that that contributed to Ryan's ADHD issues.  I smoked Marlboro Lights.  This past October was 9 years since I quit, and to be honest, I have never even craved a cigarette since.  I am also the worst when it comes to smoking now.  The smell makes me sick!  Bob started smoking again after his dad died, and I HATE the way he smells these days.

4.  What is your favorite time of the day and why?

 

I actually have two favorite times of the day.  I love the few hours after the kids get on the bus in the morning.  I usually go back to bed until 10am, and it's the best sleep I get all week.  I go to bed most nights about 1am, get up at 2:15am to get Bob to work, then again at 5:15am to get the kids off to school.  I lay back down around 7am, and those 3 hours of sleep are heavenly.  I also love the couple of hours before the kids go to bed at night.  Homework is finished, baths are taken, and we usually either play a game together or lay in my bed and watch a little television.  During this time, I don't think about all the blogging I have to do or whether or not the dishes are done.  This is my time to spend with the kids, and they deserve my undivided attention.

5,  If you could move anywhere... anywhere... where would if be and why ?

 

Wow.  To be honest, I wouldn't want to go anywhere.  I would love to move into a house we own, but I would want that to be close to where we now live.  My parents live close by, as well as my brother and one of my sisters.   I love my family, and I want my kids to grow up with their cousins.  Some of my favorite memories of growing up involve my aunt and cousins, and I want the same for my kids.

6.  Do you wear a wedding ring?

 

Yup.. I put it on almost 16 years ago, and it's never been off my finger, except when my fingers swelled so bad when I was pregnant and it was cutting off the circulation to my finger.  Wanna see it?

Pretty, right?

7.  Why don't I drive?

This is a tough one, because I never sound sane when I explain this.  First let me say that I know it's irrational, I know it makes me sound crazy, but I have comes to term with that long ago, and you should too. :) When I became of driving age, I was never pushed to get my license.  My parents were going through a tough time back then, so it wasn't a priority.  I had friends who drove, and I worked at a McDonald's that was close enough to walk to, so that is what I did whenever I didn't have a ride.  I had a boyfriend back then who tried to teach me, but that didn't work out well.  He had me drive his car, which was a manual transmission, and as I was going down a busy street, I got a little freaked out and wanted to stop.  He told me I couldn't just hit the brake, but he wouldn't tell me what I did need to do to stop.  That freaked me out!  Then when I first met my husband, he tried to teach me.  I drove with a permit for a while (always with him in the car), and then one day, there was a spider on the dashboard.  I asked him to kill it, and he wouldn't, so I grabbed a soda bottle and started going after it, completely forgetting that I was driving the car.  I swerved off the road and hit a mailbox.  Thankfully, I swerved back onto the road (I don't know how I didn't over-correct and wreck the car...God was most definitely looking after us that day), but that did it for me.  I was very pregnant with Ryan at the time, and all I could think of was how I would have killed him if I had wrecked the car.  For the past 15 years, I have been living with that fear...of killing one of my kids if I wreck, that I become paralyzed with fear just thinking about driving.  I am also really careful about who my kids ride with.  Like I said, I know this is irrational, but it's me.  Oh, and since I am not a fan of being in public anyway, not driving doesn't normally bother me.  I don't mind being at home, that's why this whole blogging for money thing is perfect for me.  It's also why I am still slightly freaked out about this whole Bank Of America shoot.

Thanks to Dawn and Diana for the great questions!  I am passing this award to the both of you!

She Needs Internet!

 I hate talking on the telephone.  I always have.  If I have to make a phone call, I dread the small talk.  I just want to tell you what I have to say and be done with it.  This doesn't make me a very good friend, but I'm okay with that.  And so are my friends.

One of my favorite people in the world is just like me.  She doesn't like the phone.  The only problem is that she doesn't have internet at her house, so it makes it hard to keep in touch.  You all know that I am always sitting at this computer, trying to keep these blogs going.  Okay, so maybe there is a little Facebook thrown in too, but every working girls needs a break now and then.  Right?  RIGHT?

Anyway, the reason my friend doesn't have internet it that the cable companies don't run lines out to her house, and every time she has tried to get it through the phone, the reception is horrible because she lives in the middle of nowhere.  I was telling her the other night at Ryan's party that she needs to look into hughsnet.  They are one of those satellite internet providers,   This would be perfect for her, because even living in the middle of nowhere you can get satellite reception.  Going to the library once a week to get online just doesn't work well, and I miss talking to her.

Well, if you consider Facebook messaging and IM-ing talking.

Win A CSNStores Shopping Spree

I absolutely love CSNStores.  You can find just about everything you can think of.  I really want a new blender or food processor (I can't decide which) so I entered Anna's giveaway.  She is giving away a $75 shopping spree to CSNStores, and I really want to win. You can enter for yourself here. I see these CSN giveaways all over the blog world, and I have never won one.  Yet.  Let's hope luck is on my side this time. :)

It's Crystal's Birthday!

Do you guys know Crystal?  She has had a few blogs over the last couple of years, and is now blogging at The Sounds Of Laughter.  I met her a couple of years ago...now that I think about it...maybe almost three years ago?  I know it was before my surgery, because she was such a great support to me during that time.  It was crazy to me that I could be so close to someone I had never met!  Anyway, she knows I love her, and I want all of you guys to go show her some love today, too.

Happy Blogiversary Stacey!

While I was blog hopping and dropping ecards before, I noticed that Stacey is having a blogiversary today.  It seems she has been blogging for two years!  I found Stacey's blog through entrecard, and was amazed to find out we have so much in common. How could we not become friends?


Seeing her blogiversary got me to thinking about mine, so of course I had to look it up.  And, as usual, I missed it.  In fact, it was April 17th.  I started blogging three years ago.  Wow!  I was going to say that I can't believe I have had that much to say, but come one.  You all know how big my mouth is. lol! 

Anyway, go wish Stacey a happy blogiversary, and while you're there, check out her blog.  Especially her "Chick Flick Fridays".  She reviews some of the best movies ever made.

Happy Blogiversary Stacey!

Gossip, Anyone?

I am nosy. I love gossip, although these days I stick to celebrity gossip. I want to be in the know, especially when it comes to my friends and family. I hate when I hear something second or third hand, and it is something that happened months ago, but no one told me. I have three sisters and one brother, and I consider us to be a close knit family. However, I don't speak to any of them on a daily basis, and I miss that. I know it is my own fault, since I have become somewhat of a hermit the past couple of years. To be honest, if I could have my groceries, and chinese food, delivered, I probably wouldn't leave the house at all.

Thanks to the internet, I can check up on all the people I care about, and even some of the ones I don't. For instance, I could browse south carolina bankruptcy records and find out the details of a certain some one's bankruptcy status. But to be honest, I don't really care about all that. I just want to know when pregnancies occur and babies arrive. I want to know my family members are safe and healthy.

I also stalk a certain celebrity gossiper's website, but that's just between us, okay?

How I Spent My Day

My sister called last night and asked if I wanted to spend the day with her and the kids toady. How could I pass up the chance to snuggle with baby Lylah, and play with Carson?

It turned out to be a wonderful day. We came back in time to get the birthday girl off the bus, and then went back to my sisters to let her and Carson play. My mom met us there, too, and as always, it was great spending time with family.

For dinner, I let the kids pick what they want to eat for their birthdays, and Brandi wanted Chinese food, so off to the buffet we went. Missy and her gang met us there, and we had a great time eating delicious food. A group of 14 kind of confused the waitress, and they ended up over charging me, which was easily remedied with a refund.

After dinner, we headed back to Colleen's for a little while, singing happy birthday to Brandi and the kids ate some cupcakes. I know she (Colleen) wasn't feeling all that good, so we left pretty quick, and headed for home.

After a quick stop at Walmart.

I asked Brandi if she had a good birthday, and she said she did. That's really all that mattered to me today.

Our First Thanksgiving Of The Year

Last night, we went and had turkey with Missy and her family. (notice the turkey hat on Sam's head...that thing is getting a lot of mileage!) There was good food and great friends, and really, what more can you ask for?

The kids had fun driving each other nuts while the adults hung out and ate. And eat I did! It has been a while since I have been this full. Missy makes a mean turkey!

Cultivating A Friendship

I am so blessed.

I know this because I have the best friends.

Not only was I lucky enough to find a man who is not only my husband, but my best friend, but in the past year I have been lucky enough to have become friends with an amazing woman and her family.

This woman is like me in so many ways, and then in so many ways we are complete opposites. Like me, she has an awesome sense of humor. (yes, I think I have an awesome sense of humor...it might not come out in my writing, but I have been told a bazillion times that I am one funny chick) She loves her family more than anything in the world, and seriously, has the biggest heart. Like me, she would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it, even if she didn't have another to put on. I know that it would take one phone call, and she would be there for me, no questions asked. (except maybe where we need to bury the body)

Where I am extremely shy, she is beyond outgoing. This woman never met a stranger in her life, and has passed that eagerness to make friends down to her son. (I have seen first hand how her son is accepting of everyone, and I love that...that right there is a sign of great parenting) We both hate talking on the phone, but do it anyway! Which is funny to me, because there are never any of those awkward silences. We always have something to say. She loves her mom as much as I do mine, and I love her mom as much as she loves mine. Weird, right? But it works.

As many times as I have vented to her, I was so happy to have been able to be there to listen to her yesterday, and offer my shoulder.

Now let me tell you the crazy part.

We met through blogging.

That's right. It started with one comment on my blog, which led to the realization that we lived pretty close to one another, and that was that. We met up for the first time at Ryan's birthday party last year, and that was it. She has become one of the closest friends I have ever had, and I love her to pieces. We have plans this weekend to trick or treat together, and I am so excited! I love hanging out with her. I have always loved to laugh, and I laugh so much when we are together.

Missy, I hope if you read this today you are laughing. Or at least smiling. You know I love you, girl!

You're Looking For Me?

Two nights ago, I was shocked when I got online and found a message from someone I worked with twenty years ago. I can't believe I can say that; twenty years ago. That's something my parents said. When did I get old enough to start saying the things to my kids that my parents said to me? That's crazy.

Anyway, I had looked for this person in the past, and had not been able to find her. She had two beautiful daughters, and I was their babysitter. I loved those girls like they were my own. I remember one year, when the girls were about two and five, my friend and I took them to the mall and had a video made of them singing a song by New Kids On The Block. It was adorable! I gave it to their mom as a Christmas gift, I think. I wonder if she still has that?

Man, I am sidetracked again. The point of all of this is that I was shocked to see that she was searching for me. I was shocked that she even remembered me. I like searching online for people, but never realized that people might be looking for me to. (If this sounds weird to you, read my Friends post under this and you will understand my craziness, just a little) This got me wondering who else might be trying to find me. I checked MyLife, which is the site I like to use to find people, to see if they could tell me who was searching for me.

They could. As you can see in this screen shot, 64 people have been searching for someone with my name. (I whited out my last name to protect my privacy, although most of you know what it is anyway, so I don't know why I did it) Of course I want to know who those 64 people are, so I will be upgrading my account soon. Since I have moved pretty far from where I grew up, I am curious to see if anyone can find me.

I am excited to see how her girls look all grown up, and to catch up on all that has happened since I have last seen her.

I wonder if her girls remember me?

Friends

***I am keeping this post up top, because I like that people are connecting with it, and me. For newer posts, scroll down.

I was reading a post on Stacey's blog yesterday, and it really got me thinking. It was about staying in bad relationships, with a side of friendship thrown in. Personally, I have only been in two serious relationships, and they were (are) both wonderful. I have, however, witnessed bad relationships. I don't want to go into details, because they are not my stories to tell, but it does make me wonder what I would do if I found myself in an abusive relationship. (those of you who know me are probably laughing, thinking I would be the abusive one, not the victim...yeah, very funny...not that I beat people...I just have a very strong, opinionated personality...but I'm really shy...almost phobic...figure that out!) Would I be able to leave? I'd like to think so. Anyway, what I wanted to talk about is why I don't have friends.

Now, I am not trying to make excuses, so if it comes out that way, sorry.

I am a big girl. I always have been. Sure, if I starve myself, I can get skinny, but as soon as I eat, I gain weight back. I have lived my entire life stuck in this cycle, and I pray every night that I can make the right decisions every day to change this. So far, no luck. It doesn't matter what I eat, good or bad, I have a very hard time losing weight. I know it's because I hate to exercise. I love walking, but can not do it where we live right now.

Anyway, as a big girl, I am very defensive. If I walk into a room, and someone laughs...even if it's not about me...I always think they are laughing at me. When you grow up constantly being made fun of, and told that you need to diet, you just assume everyone is like that. I know it's not always the case, but that's how I think. This makes it hard for me to be around people, especially people I don't know. I actually have anxiety attacks thinking about having to go to functions where I will be around a lot of people. In fact, there have been several family functions I have avoided in the past because of this.

Carson's birthday party last weekend was a big deal for me. Usually, I sit with my mom, and we don't exactly socialize with everyone else. My mom was in NY last weekend, so I was on my own. I actually made an effort to walk around and talk to Colleen's friends that I knew, and I surprised myself by having a good time. Was I self-conscience that whole time? Absolutely. But I made it through.

What does this have to do with not having friends? Well, when you put up these walls around yourself as a defense mechanism, it's hard to let people in. Sure, I have a couple of GREAT friends who I love to pieces, but it is not easy for me to let people get close to me. I always feel like I will say the wrong thing, or make an idiot out of myself. I hate talking on the phone, which doesn't help the making friends thing. Jenn sent me her phone number in an email last week, and I had an anxiety attack just thinking about calling. Would I love to talk to her? Absolutely. But I just can't pick up the phone. I know that sounds crazy. I know I have issues.

I have also been hurt in the past by very close friends, and I guess I believe that if I don't let people get close to me, I won't get hurt. Does that make sense? No, not really. All it does is prevent me from living a full life. Sure, I have my family, but since reading Stacey's post yesterday, I am starting to believe I am missing out.

Now please don't think I am nuts, because trust me, this is nothing. I haven't even discussed my restaurant aversions and the reasons I can't drive. Or why I would rather never have to leave my house ever again. I would make a happy little hermit, as long as Chinese food was delivered occasionally.

Finding Long Lost Friends

I used to have this friend. My sisters always said she was a "toxic friend", but I just saw someone who needed a friend. Looking back, I can see that my sisters were right.

This girl was manipulative and a compulsive liar. I remember the first time I caught her in a lie. She was telling me about something that happened to her with a past boyfriend. I had heard the story before, so I was only half listening. Now, I know people have a tendency to change little details when they retell stories, but she was changing big details. She took a story that was originally about her daughter, and made it about herself. I was shocked. I was also suspicious that maybe she had made the whole thing up, and it never happened to either one of them.

From that point on, I started paying attention more to the things she said. I found myself doubting everything that came out of her mouth, and the final straw was when she was telling Junior about something that happened, and she added so many false details that it was ridiculous. I know this, because the story she was telling involved me. I was with her at the time. I was floored that she didn't bat an eyelash while lying her butt off, even though she had to know that I knew she was lying. It was right after that incident that I stopped answering the phone when she called, and eventually she got the hint.

A few weeks ago, Junior and I were going somewhere, and we drove by where her trailer used to be. I say used to be because it was gone. This got me wondering what happened to her. As soon as we got home, I jumped online and searched for her using MyLife. This site is great for finding people. I just entered her name, age, and the state I wanted to search, and four names came up. I am pretty sure the first name on the list is her, and it says she is still living in South Carolina. I need to become a member of the site to see the rest of her information; I just don't have the money right now to do that.

I guess in a way that is a good thing, though. I don't really need to get back into contact with her. It was hard enough being friends with her the first time around.

Finding Old Friends

I have been thinking a lot lately about the friends I had long ago. In fact, today is my best friend from high schools birthday. It's funny how I still remember that. I remember how we were inseparable our senior year. In the HS I went to, Junior were able to create their own schedules for senior year, and I did both of ours, insuring we were in all the same classes. A few years after graduating, I moved from NY to SC, and we lost touch for a while.

My sister still lives up north, and about a year ago, she ran into a mutual friends husband, and he told her that my old friends parents had both died in the last year. I was so sad to hear that, because I loved her parents. I decided it was time to find her again, if for no other reason than to offer my condolences for her loses.

I checked with MyLife, and was able to find out that she was still living in NY. In case you don't know, My Life is a pretty cool site where you can search for people from your past, like lost friends or first loves. You can search for free, but to get all the good details and view that person's profile, you have to become a premium member. You should try it if you are looking to reconnect with someone from your past. It worked for me; like I said, I was able to find out that my friend still lived in the area we grew up in. I decided to send a letter to her old address, on the off chance that she still lived there.

She did. Turns out she bought her parents house when her mom died, and her and her new husband are living there. I was so happy to hear from her, and even happier to know she was doing well. We now keep in touch with emails and Christmas cards, and I can not wait until I can make a trip up north to get to see her again.