Archives for August 2009

Soon, my best friend and her husband are gonna get in the car and drive several states away and start looking to start new lives approximately seven hours driving from here. At least, I think she said seven. To be honest, I kind of stopped listening when she said she was going because I really don’t want to think about it. If I ignore it, that means it’s not happening, right?

{My avoidance techniques – they are not to be rivaled}

When I moved to Michigan, she was one of the first people I met. I remember calling her house for the first time. Her mother answered and said, “Sarah? I have a daughter named Sarah.” And in the years that followed, my family became her family, her family became my family – and the two of us? Like sisters.

And all these years later (I’m not doing the math for y’all, but it’s been a LONG LONG TIME), we’re still tight, we’re still close friends, and if she were to be somewhere else – if she weren’t here? There will be a hole here. Something will be missing for sure.

You know, that’s not to say that it’s been perfect over the years. We’ve both done stuff that has caused the other person to roll their eyes, or shake their head in befuddled confusion (And I’m not just talking about our hair and wardrobe throughout the 90’s – I’m talking real stuff, too). But… always, always, we manage to come out beyond that. There are things I could say that would mean nothing in the world to anyone – except her. And vice versa.

I was there within hours of her first daughter’s birth. Her kids call me Aunt Sarah. The thought of not being around to see Nutty Bar go on her first date, or to prom? It’s sad. But it’s not just the big things I know I’ll miss. I’ll miss our day trips to Ikea, I’ll miss how anytime we go anywhere in a car, she NEVER gets lost (unless I’m talking about something gross that distracts her – in which case, yeah, she might miss her exit – but that’s totally excusable, because HELLO? Distraction DOESN’T COUNT).  I’ll miss lunches over baskets of chips and salsa. I will miss the two of us getting nasty when the stupid waitress doesn’t card us (surely she needs laser eye surgery because WE LOOK TOTALLY UNDER 21. Heh). I’ll miss walks around the lake (she won’t miss how halfway through I start talking about sandwiches). I miss having someone who knows my history – who feels joy when something awesome happens in my family, and sadness when things are amiss. She’s been my FAMILY for so long, even my grandparents have a pet name for her.

The economy in Michigan sucks.

It does. It sucks so hard.

I can’t fault the need to find a better way of life for herself, for her husband, for her family.

But it doesn’t mean I have to like it.

A piece of my heart may be moving away. And I am not happy about it at all.

*Really. I counted.

Though I felt like I was scrambling around, I have to say the bridal shower? It was pretty awesome. I prefer a more behind-the-scenes role, so being up front and center? It was a bit outside of my comfort zone, but the shower was well-attended, the food was eaten, the cake was perfection, and the bride’s smile lit up the room.

What more could I ask for, right?

So, imagine my surprise to find out that at one particular table, two of my aunts and two of my cousins were criticizing basically every facet of the event – from A to Z, apparently in their eyes NOTHING was right. BAH.

I’ve been annoyed since hearing about it. Not that I have never left an event thinking of what could have been done differently.  But I have never sat at a table, still eating the food provided for me by my hostesses, disparaged the event from top to bottom within ear shot of close friends of the key players.

Not the nicest move.

But you know what? When all is said and done, what matters is my sister had fun. And I’m completely happy with the result.

My sister’s bridal shower tomorrow and as the official hostess, I am now entering into a slightly panicked zone because methinks perhaps I should have been more organized in the weeks leading up to this, instead of just kind of kicking around thoughts and saying to myself, “I’ll get to it later.”

Cuz later? It’s HERE.

I hate bridal shower games so I’m doing a quiz – who knows my sister best — only… I haven’t made up the questions yet and I don’t have her answers yet. I have to get paper and pens together. And OMG – what if I forget to pick up the cake? I still have appetizers to make and a TON of food to transport. One of the other bridesmaids never did get back to me to confirm that she indeed had everything she needed to make the punch (fortunately, if this one falls through the cracks, we’ll be able to do beverages at the facility. Thank goodness).

I have to get there and make it look okay-ish. And I’m kind of worried about that, but then again, I don’t want to be. I want this to be a celebration for my sister for an exciting time in her life and I hate that I’m freaking out about stupid stuff. Her future inlaws threw her a very nice shower a few weeks ago (the exception to the “very nice” part being that they served carrot cake – BLEEEECH). And so I wanted to make sure that her family represented her well and had a nice little shindig in her honor.

But I think my brain wants to explode.

Wish me luck tomorrow – and if you see me on Twitter – REMIND ME TO PICK UP THE CAKE.