Cue the Golden Girls Music

I have some wonderful friends on these interwebs.  Their daily emails are often what push me forward when I feel like I am running on empty.  In the past six months, we have had some real life events.  I mean, big heavy stuff.  The stuff that can really make you wonder. 

The funny thing?  It is those girls.  They are the ones who keep my life light.  Who have made me laugh, cry and so damn grateful for their presence in my life.  Let me introduce them to you -

Barb - She is my BFF.  Barb is smart, funny and creative.  She puts up with a lot of grand ideas and has the ability to boil them down into manageable pieces.  She loves starbucks drinks that I can never successfully remember to order correctly.  She loves books.  LOTS AND LOTS OF BOOKS.  She has an infuriating habit of reading books and skipping to the ending and then going back to finish the guts of the book.  She has been with me through it all.  Seen me at my very worst and chooses to ignore all that baggage and sees me as my funny and most of the time kind self.  She has given me the - you better shut up and make things right talk. She has brought me diet cokes when the world was falling apart.   She is the best auntie to my children and they adore their Bahb.  (I do too). 

Stephanie -  Stephanie is one of those people who is so positive and sweet and just, well, good.  Momma to two sweet boys, she is a full fledged member of the moms with husbands who travel club.  She is the queen of one liners. She is our resident expert on Disney, and the inner workings of tv news.   She loves Florida Gators (but we forgive her that, not everyone can be a big ten girl).  She shares my love of shrimp.  She is a fantastic photographer.  She is a mom who understands that speech delays are tough on moms as well as kids.  She is fierce and fun and I love her. 


Em - My fellow Badger.  Lover of all things grilled cheese. Momma to two littles, music teacher by day, scrapbooker by night.  Her swearing off dr pepper gives me hope that she does have at least one vice.  She is the author of my favorite rap, ever, Lice Lice Baby.  I hear she is known for ranting voicemails in more than one language (although her voicemails to me have never been ranting).  She is a little overwhelmed these days with the working mom blues but let me reassure her that everyone has a messy house, overflowing laundry and nights where cereal for breakfast looks like a gourmet option.  She is funny and kind and I love her. 

Katrina - Katrina is the mom who reminds us that we will survive these preschool years.  Her Austin and Hope are beautiful and kind and smart and funny young adults that give me hope that my children will also be such great additions to the world.  She is FUN - NY although she wants to believe that she is only dark and twisty.  She might be twisty but in my life, but she light not dark.  Lover of green smoothies, kale, swiss chard and other hippy foods - she is our resident meditator and reminder to be zen.  She is too damn far away (VT) but such an important part of my daily routine that I miss her and when I don't get emails from her I am sad.  She is embracing the eyeshadow and teaching me many things about cosmetics.  She is good and honest and hilarious and I love her.

These girls are the backbone of my support.  They are my Ventage girls and I hope you all have friends like these that lift you up.  Little reminders that you are more than a daughter, wife, mother, employee, whatever lable life sometimes slaps on you. 

Ventage girls - you may not change the world, but you have changed my life.  Love you forever.