Circle of Friends

It's been over a month since I've posted.  I missed the whole month of June...oops!  I have been reminded that I'm being a little neglectful.  I appreciate the gentle nudging, not because I want this to be a chore, but I do want to make it a priority.

Have I been off doing brave things?  Well, yes and no.  I have been continuing the journey of being more honest and genuine with myself and others and trying to "keep it real."

I just went on a weekend getaway with part of my college posse.  We have a yearly weekend getaway.  It's just the girls, husbands and kids have to stay home.  We choose a location that works well for all of us since we are coming from different parts of the Northwest.  Last year was Walla Walla, WA, this year was Leavenworth, WA and it has been decided that next year will be Bend, OR.  I think the original purpose was just to set aside time to re-connect with our friends since busy lives seem to make it impossible to get together often, even for those of us living in the same town.  It seems like, at least for me, it has also grown into a renewing of the spirit and connecting with myself as an individual before I was a wife and mom.  It also provides a chance to get away which makes the longing to come home and see the sweet faces you love so much even more lovely.  Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

The Leavenworth Ladies (Katie, Aylish, Me, Kim, Laura, Robin)

We all expected there to be plenty of laughter since that is a given with my funny, irreverent, outspoken sisters.  There have also been many tender moments of deep friendship, realizing that our past connects us so much but our present lives have so many parallels even though we don't talk daily or weekly like we did in our 20's.  There have also been tears.  We have all reached the 40 mark and have dealt with some really hard things in the last couple of years.  It is so hard to be brave through death of loved ones, relationship struggles, health issues, and child rearing.  I am so blessed and grateful to have such wonderful women on my journey.

If you have been pondering this kind of weekend with friends, I highly recommend it.  There have been times that I have skipped things I really wanted to do because it just seemed like so much work to leave my family for a few days.  This time, it took a patchwork of friends, babysitters, and grandparents to pull it off but it was so worth the effort!  Make it happen!

On the plane to the weekend getaway, I read a book by another brave and inspiring woman.  My childhood and high school friend Johnna Schuck Johnson.  Her book Just Jump! How to Build the Confidence & Courage You Need to Just Jump! out of Your Comfort Zone and Into Your True Potential.

Here we are with our Brownie troop circa 1981.
Johnna is in the center front row, and I am 3rd from the right in the back row.

Johnna is a great example of bravery.  As she discusses in her book, she left a lucrative job where she had worked her way to the top to start her own company.  She is succeeding and teaching other people how to achieve their goals and dreams.