Girls Nights

We as women are social creatures. I do not speak for every woman in the world, but I find that the majority of us need someone to talk to. We can't just merely exist. We have to have someone to talk to, things to talk about, people to be with. We need people who understand us. And there is nothing better that meets that need than spending a few hours with a bunch of your girl friends and just, well, talking.
The other night I had my girls Jenni, Chelsea and Sierra over. We've been friends through thick and thin. With Jenni it started in 4th grade when she asked me to stand in line with her after recess. From then on we were pretty much best friends. Even when she moved across the country we wrote letters consistently to each other, promising each other we would be best friends forever ( and I mean BEST friends FOR EVER. We were planning on living right next to each other when we graduated college and being buried next to each other when we died and then continuing our friendship in heaven.)  Luckily, she moved back and we were able to continue being best friends in person rather than through letters. Chelsea came along in 5th grade, she wanted to join our "group" and after some harassment from certain group members ( not to mention judgment for getting her ears pierced) she was finally accepted in and seen as part of "the group". In high school she and I became besties, reaping havoc in Mr. Gee's science class, and being loud and obnoxious during band while daydreaming about running away, across the fields that were next to the school. (We never did that by the way, what the heck!) We also had some fun times sluffing lunch and running to her house to eat waffles, apples and nutella. I won't mention the time there was a lake in the parking lot and we basically went swimming... in more ways than one :)
Sierra joined us later in high school. I didn't really get to know her super well until she went with us to California for Jenni's senior trip. She been one of us ever since.
Thinking back on our first girls nights and the ones now, I find that they have evolved. They started out with chick flicks, eating buckets upon buckets of ice cream while spilling our guts out to each other about boys we were infatuated with ( in my case it was usually a different one each time) or being depressed because a "certain someone" didn't feel the same way about us as we felt toward them. In that situation we would find comfort in each other talking about how they don't deserve us and how "stupid" boys were.
 As time went on, circumstances changed and so did our girls nights. Conversation and updates have replaced our chick-flicks and the conversation is aimed more toward what we have been doing, our babies ( or babies on the way! Yay!) , going on missions, our families, our plans for the future...endless conversation topics. My little Emma joined our girls night last weekend. I'm sure there will be many additions as time goes on.
 We don't see each other as often but I find that when we do get together we are able to pick up where we left off, like it's been just yesterday since we've seen each other. I am grateful for that because change happens. As this year ends we will all be in different parts of the country. Chelsea in Oklahoma, me in Texas, Jenni is some tribal community deep in the jungles of Africa ( haha jk;) ) Sierra, where the heck will you be? Probably somewhere getting rich and famous. :)

Even so, I know that we will be able to pick up our girls nights once we all come back. And it'll be like nothing changed because we're friends and, really, things like that just don't change.

Lovely :)

Too crazy %)

Love her!

                                         

Change

Today our baby girl is a month and 2 days old. A month of endless snuggling, changing diapers, being covered in spit up, feeding, bathing, and loving on my baby. I love being a mom! I feel like it might be my purpose in life...Just a wild guess. :)

Emma is getting to the point that she can look at our faces when we talk to her. Her wobbly neck muscles are becoming stronger and her little skin folds have filled out and turned into cute little rolls. She even smiles at us.. under strict conditions (clean diaper, full tummy, right temperature ect.) We have come to the realization that her hair is just like her sweet Daddy's. It sticks straight up in every direction. There is one tuft in particular on the top of her head that won't be tamed no matter what we do. Adorable. She has such a sweet spirit, it is such a blessing to have her in our home. 

My life has been so different. It's been a huge adjustment, going from being a always on the go, super busy, uncomfortably pregnant nursing student to a stay at home mom. I feel...exhausted. The kind of exhausted sleep can't cure. School, graduation, having a baby, taking my boards right after...my energy has been depleted from it all. So really, the truth is I don't mind spending my days at home with nothing more to do than take care of a sweet baby. Now don't get me wrong. It's not the easiest thing in the world. But it's more fufilling than spending hours doing homework and studying for tests.

It's nice actually having time to do things I want to do. Like spend time with my family, be outside, have naps, watch movies, plant a garden. I can keep the house tidy and spend time with my amazing husband.
I wrote out a huge to-do list for this summer while I was in school (probably during class while I was listening very intently to one of the teachers talk on and on about aortic aneurysms or atrial fibrillation or something...) It consists only of fun things I want to do. SO I'm excited to get started on that.

We got our garden planted this weekend. And DANG it's gonna be GOOD!