Gust Gab: Lean on Me ~

Once upon a time, there was a girl who had big dreams...

She chased those dreams to Texas and then to Chicago, but the whole time, her heart wasn't in them.

Shortly thereafter, she landed right back where she started.

Fargo, ND.

It was Spring of 1997 and for this 22 year old girl looking for something, not quite sure what....

there was no better gig than waiting tables...

A brand new restaurant was to be opening soon...

So the girl with the big dreams applied and soon began working there.

Those mornings and days and nights and nights that turned into mornings,

turned out to be some of the best days of this girl's life.

True Story.

15 years later ~ and some of the friends I made back then are some of my best friends still to this day.

Case in Point???

4 friends + 4 spouses.

9 Children (ages 6 and under) and counting...

Spending a weekend under one cute & cozy roof ~

We spent the entire weekend with smiles on our faces and promises to do it again soon.

We don't see each other as often as we wish we did...but when we get together, whether it's been 2 weeks or 2 months or yes, sometimes, 2 years (hey, that happens sometimes!!) we pick up right where we left off...

Like no time has passed since we were trading Expo Shifts for Section #9 and playing poker and........

I cannot tell you how much joy the picture above gives me. Never mind the fact that we set the automatic timer and it only took one take!

(We took a 2nd for good measure - but hey!! Great Job Mike!)

This pic was posted on Facebook and some comments were made that a few years ago, the significant others and children would've been replaced by drunken co-workers and beer cans!

(By those former drunken coworkers with beer cans!! HAHA!)

Isn't that the truth?

That's the thought I had when I had taken this photograph below -

Once upon a time all of the water and sand toys, life jackets, inner tubes,

sunscreen cans and water bottles,

would have been much different 'weekend remnants' ~

I love my life and how full circle it has come.

I love that I have some of the best girlfriends in the entire world.

While we aren't close enough geographically to do Happy Hour every week - I know that I could call any one of these women if I needed them and there would be no hesitation.

That, my friends, is what true friendship are all about.