Dear Friends,

The Pink Ladies. The Circle. My Peeps. PB’s & CB’s. The Moms.

“There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family”

I can’t think of a better way to describe the amazing group of women that have been my closest friends for the past 18 years. Even though this quote hits home, it really pales in comparison to what these women have meant to me and the impact they have had on my life. I probably should back up and give you some history. To do that, I’m going to channel ‘Sophia’ from the “The Golden Girls”. Are you thinking about her? Ok …

Picture this … Sidney. 2003. It was early July. It was hot. There I was at the local video store … you know, VHS rentals. Before DVD’s were popular and most of us had to “Be Kind and Rewind”. If you don’t know what that means, then we probably aren’t friends. If we are then see me later.

Anyway, there I was looking for something to rent for my daughter, when I started chatting with a young woman who was also looking for a movie for her young daughter. She was very friendly, and you know I never shy away from a conversation, so before we knew it we had been talking for a while. We quickly discovered that our kids were about the same age (my daughter had just turned three and hers would be four in the fall), we worked down the street from each other, that we were both newly single and both had moved recently to a new apartment. I left thinking that she was really great and hoping I would run into her again soon. Later that weekend we ended up at the same local watering hole and ended up talking and laughing most of the night. Friendship formed.

You know that saying that the right people come into your life when you need it most? Well, I truly believe that. Soon my new friend, Stephanie, introduced me to her best friend (and cousin), Tracy. I then introduced them to my best friend, Sheri. By the end of July our friendship “lines” formed ‘The Circle’, and our little group was forged in the eternal flame for ever and ever. Our origin story isn’t a big secret, but I did make sure they were ok with me sharing it. It’s as simple as that. Two young mothers looking for a way to distract their young children for a couple of hours. The rest is ‘Friendaversary’ history.

I have a bone to pick with Facebook. Long before they were promoting “Friendaversaries” our crew was celebrating this annually. In fact, our friendship pre-dates the existence of Facebook, so I am not claiming that they stole our idea, but they stole our idea.

Anyway, years before FB made it big, we annually celebrate our version of ‘Friendaversary’. It kicks off on July 1st and ends on July 31st. Since we don’t recall the exact date that we all became friends, we just know it was in July, we celebrate all month long. We usually plan some special outings, wine on someone’s porch, dinner, even a little getaway if we can manage. Just the four of us and someone usually gets a token or gift to commemorate. A necklace, a bracelet, a wine glass – just something to make it a little more special.

This year we made a promise that we would get together at least once a week during Friendaversay. I don’t want you to think that we never see each other, or that we live far away from each other. We all get together quite a bit, but it’s not always just the four of us (we have some other friends that we are close to that are often part of our posse), and it’s not always all of us. Between our work schedules, kids, and travel it’s sometimes hard to get all of us to coordinate, so we needed to be intentional about it this year! I am proud to say that we did it and even snuck in a couple of days away. (Score for The Pink Ladies!)

For the past eighteen years these three women have been my rock, my support group, my cheerleaders, my reality check, and my family. Our lives are woven together and are better because we have each other. Our children are friends and have grown up together. Our husbands are friends. We have travelled thousands of miles together on countless vacations and trips. We have spent hours and hours playing (and arguing) over Pitch. Years of ‘Wine 30’ get togethers, game nights, held hands during scary moments, a shoulder to cry on during sad ones, and laughed so hard that our stomachs hurt the next day. We celebrate successes and share in defeats. We provide a judgement-free zone, and this think tank has come up with many ideas for each of our respective professions. I know I have pitched more than one idea to them before finalizing my thoughts.

Do we ever disagree or argue? Sometimes. We are a slightly competitive group so when we play Pitch things get dicey. More than one game has ended in a fight! We pick on each other, we remember all the stupid things others have said or done (and laugh about them often). But at the end of the day, I would do anything for these women, and I know that they would do the same for me. “Real friends don’t get offended when you insult them. They smile and call you something even worse”.

I know how incredibly lucky I am to have the friends that I do and how special our relationship is. Cheers to friendship, love, laughter, and loyalty. To my dearest friends Stephanie, Tracy, and Sheri. Happy Friendaversary to the best friends a girl could ask for. I thank the heavens every day that I found my way into that video store on that hot July day, eighteen years ago!

Be well, Chenango.

~ Kerri