My Girlies

This is one of my favorite pictures. It is my screensaver at work.  I have pictures of my kids wallpapering my entire cubicle, but these girlies get the honored spot of screensaver.  I like to remember that I can always count on them.  I can count on them to make me smile, laugh and to let me cry, if needed.

Everyone needs girlies like Tanya, Heather, Angela and Gracie.  They each bring something different to my life.

Tanya:  We can sit and talk about our kids for hours.  We both have kids that have additional needs.  Those needs tend to consume us.  It is nice to talk to someone who really understands.  We also talk religion.  Tanya is one of the smartest people I know.  She asks very insightful questions about the Latter-day Saint religion.  I love that she asks the questions, because she is curious and that she is interested in learning about the differences in other religions.   Never once has she turned the questions into a debate.  So many times, I feel that people want to know more about my religion, so that they can judge me.  Not Tanya.  She is simply interested in learning more. 

Heather:  I am probably the most uptight person in the group.  You just can't be uptight when you are around Heather.  She is funny and silly, and I find myself laughing so hard when I'm around her.  The kind of laughing where you feel like you've done about 150 stomach crunches.  I definitely let my hair down when I'm around Heather.   I should definitely try to be more like her!

Angela:  I consider her family.  She has been including us in her family celebrations for years.  It is a long story that I won't belabor you with, but we've been one big happy family for a while now.  I once thanked her Dad for always letting us hang out with his family.  He kissed me on the cheek, and said "Oh no, you ARE a part of our family."   It never hurts to have an extra family!  Angela is the mastermind behind our group.  She comes up with the great ideas like Ziplining.  And, the not-so-great ideas like Bootie Charades.  We love her!

Gracie:  I think that Gracie has the sweetest heart.  She is just so kind and thoughtful.  We should all strive to be more like her.  She and I have been sharing diet and exercise tips for years now.  Emailing back and forth our Weight Watchers tips.  We even shared a Weight Watchers log in, since I was already paying for it.  That is friendship right there.  When you let your friends see your weight history!  I don't know why, but that always seems to be what we're working on.  Why us?   I think we are also the ones that seem to be the most concerned about juggling personal and professional life. 

Each of these sweet ladies complete me in some way.   I couldn't imagine life without them.  Thank you for your influence in my life.  I love each of you!