The Best Friends a Girl Could Ask For

The life of the party.  My maids of honor and best friends.

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that my family is a pretty close one.  We just love spending time together.  We have mutual interests (our ever-increasing dog population, kayaking, camping, wakeboarding, even wine-tasting) and always have a good time.

It wasn't always like this.  As kids, although we loved each other, we had some serious fights, and they were fairly frequent.  I can't count the number of times Matt's told me that he and his brother were never punch-throwing/scratching/hair-pulling brothers after I recount yet another tussle we three sisters had as kids.  (And yes, we did all of those things, and much worse, at home, in public, even once or twice in the church pew).  My mom used to ask us, "Why can't you be more like David and Jonathan (Adams)?  They never hit each other."

Not only did we resort to physical violence on occasion, but probably the most hurtful means of fighting was our use of words.  We knew just what to say to cut the other deeply - which choice words would cause the most damage, and we did it without thinking or regret (at least initially).  We were all three calculating and mean to one another.  We hurt each other on purpose.

We all followed somewhat of the same path as we grew up.  Softball in elementary/middle school, soccer in high school, life guarding during the summers, and then on to college at Auburn.  We met the loves of our lives there and went on to marry them after graduation.  However, we've never been in the same demographic or life stage at the same time before.  Now, we're all married, with full-time jobs, and live near enough to one another to get together fairly often (something I never thought would happen, and I just love that we live so close together).

Lately, I'd been feeling a little sorry for myself over the fact that the number of girlfriends I have in town that are in our "life stage" is rapidly decreasing.  It's not that I'm not excited for a friend when she tells me "the news", but it does make it a lot harder to hang out when you've got to coordinate naps, feedings, and diaper changes. There's also something about having a set of peers that is going through the same challenges as you are that is very valuable and comforting.

Dinner with my sisters (and their husbands) last Friday was just what I needed.  Grabbing beer and pizza was never so much fun as kids (maybe it was the lack of beer when we were younger, maybe it's that we're adults and get along much better now).  All 6 of us can just sit on the back patio, talk, and laugh together for hours.  It's the best group of close friends that I've ever had.

Amanda and Amy really are my best friends.  I can talk to them about almost anything.  They, together with my mother, fill in the parts of my life that Matt prefers to be exempt from (like outlet shopping, "girl restaurant" lunching, and chick-flick watching).  They hold me accountable.  They encourage and support me when I need it, rejoice with me, and cry with me.  It's not perfect - we still occasionally hurt one another's feelings, but the difference is that now we don't do it on purpose, and we always try to say we're sorry. 

I don't know exactly what it is that's made our relationship(s) change.  We all married kind, loving, wonderful, strong Christian men who have been able to calm us down a little.  I also think that as we grow and mature as adults and Christians, our relationships with one another grow and mature.  I may not be able to pinpoint exactly what has caused the change, but I can say that I'm ever so grateful for it.  I have always loved my sisters, now I also enjoy them.