attached to another by feelings of affection

Author's Note: The Icemegeddon of 2011 konked out the internet for the day...hence my delay in posting on Tuesday as promised. So, without further delay...



These might be pictures of you...well, maybe if you're reading my blog and you happen to be one of the people pictured here. Then, yes, these are pictures of you. Otherwise, these are pictures of my friends. A rather ambiguous group. This "Pictures of Your Friends" challenge was a hard one for me. It was not specific as in "people who influenced you" or "friends who've seen you naked". There was no direction really...just pictures of your friends. There are so many people I want to include. I am very blessed in that I have always surrounded myself with people who have helped make me who I am. That doesn't always mean everyone I meet is a friend but it does mean I have learned to dicipher those who are keepers from those who are not.

I used to say I was a quality over quantity type person. But the truth is I have a great quantity of really great quality people in my life. Some I see more often than others and some have the privilege of being family as well as friends but in the end, they all have one thing in common. They are worth knowing. They are worth investing my time and energy into. They are sometimes nearby, sometimes far...but always close to my heart.


As She-Bug likes to say...this is my BFF #1. It cracks me up that she grades her BFF's by number. But I remember the mind of a second grader...and are we so far removed from all that? This is my sister, Stephanie. She's 4 years younger but we have been mistaken for twins at times. She is the first person I call in times of crisis and in times of bliss. She spoils my children rotten and she keeps me grounded...often protecting me from my worst enemy: myself.





This my beloved, Mr. Bug. We have known each other since the day he hand delivered a letter to me in response to my letter answering his personal ad. That was 1993. Wow...that seems like a loooooonnnggg time ago! I am very blessed to have this man in my life. He and I are NOT like peas and carrots...we are more like liverwurst and rutabegas. We're unconventional and almost always polar opposites. He tends to be the sensitive, caring big picture person. I am the cut-to-the-chase mired in the details person. God must have known we would need each other to exist in this world. We drive each other crazy and we would do anything for one another. Isn't that what successful marriage is all about?







This is me and my girls. Together with my sister (whose lovely manicured hands you see in the lower right) we are THE foursome. This is Kara and Lori. They are like family. Kara has been friends with my sister since they were sneaking around and lying about going to basketball games in high school. Kara is my sisters bestie. Lori has been friends with my sister since meeting her through a friend she worked with many moons ago. My sister is Godmother to Lori's son. It is no accident that both these women came into my life via my best friend. I love them like sisters.



This is my work family...err, uh friends. These are the people I spend most of my waking hours with. There are others not pictured...Ryan, Bud, Deedee, Sharon, Kymm...too many others to name. They really are like family. We all know each other's business which (for the most part) is a good thing. We encourge each other and bring out the best in each other. It was a pleasure to be part of the Graphics Team at DG for the last 6 years. And I owe a lot to these folks for giving me grace as I have made the transition to the sales department. They make my job easy. And they love Chipotle just as much as I do!



This is Kristy and Todd. We don't see each other much but they are two of my oldest and dearest friends. We have been friends since junior high/high school. We are like old socks...soft and comfortable...we just fit. We can pick up where we left off even if it's been six months or a year since we've physically seen each other. The advent of Facebook has made staying in touch easier but we still don't *see* each other much. And FB has put me in touch with folks I never thought I would talk to again. But still these two remain the people I look forward to seeing (with my eyes) and talking to (in person). They are pieces of my past that make occasional visits to my present. And they love sushi just as much as I do!


Is that all? No, I'm sure there are others I have forgotten to mention. I love that I can keep in touch with other high shool friends: Jeff W., Dawn V., Tom H., and old college friends: Chris T., Sara H., and Sandi F. Sometimes when I talk with these folks on FB it's like I'm right back there. I am 16 or 18 or 20 again. They keep me young these friends. No matter how often we chat nor how in depth we get I still get to call them friends...because after all, I am attached to them by feelings of affection.