......green eyed girls.....

......my girls have blue eyes just like their Daddy.....big, bright blue eyes......they were not born with the dark blue eyes that most babies have in the beginning and change in their first few months of life.....both Elsie and Callie came out with bright, light blue eyes.......blue eyes that I knew would stay with them and be the outer windows to their sweet souls.......I must admit, that around 4 months old, I took a deep long look into both of my girl's changing eyes and just for a moment wondered, 

will she be a green eyed girl?

......I have green eyes.....my Momma has green eyes.....and as I grew up, I never noticed many people who had green eyes......and then I met her.....fourth grade Sunday school class.....her name was Allison and 1984 was the year that would begin a life long friendship.....and she had green eyes too.....

......years passed and as Allison would come visit me at Florida State, she grew close with my best friends from college.....post graduation, we all made an effort to see each other to mark life's milestones....flying to and fro cities where celebration prevailed.......weddings, showers, birthdays, engagements, new babies or simply because we needed one another in a trying time.....

.....it's now been 14 years since we have kept our yearly traditions......during our times together, there is often not much sleeping, lots of talking, belly aching laughter, sometimes there are tears; but there is always the bond of friendship.....we are growing old together.....gracefully......

.......and did I mention......all five of us have green eyes......

......after 12 months of deliberation, we decided for the 2010 get together, we would see some live music and bring our husbands......it has been a while since a wedding occurred or any sort of get together that required spouses......and it's not that we didn't want the husbands around, only that we are allotted a mere 48 hours in a 52 week year and that's not a lot of time for catching up with your best friends.....

.....but the boys made their own fun....giving the girls space and time to maximize our conversations, perspectives and thoughts.....

......and we only had to remind them that they were invited for the girls weekend once or twice.....

.....but overall, they gave us some great laughs.....

......and we love them dearly.....

......but better yet, they had the chance to witness five women; all in different places in their lives, some of us many miles away from one another; all in their own unique situations at work and at home, who make an effort to cultivate, nurture and foster the friends they love dearly........

.....and after all of the talking, laughing and primping for a night out together......we danced....we sang.....we toasted......we spun around barefoot in the grass.....

......there is something so liberating about loud, live music; from a musician that became well known while we were in college.....all of us drawing attention from the crowds, especially when the oldie, but goodies were played as we relished in the memories of what some of those songs bring each and every one of us.....

.....and all while doing so, God gave us a sky that looked down on our liveliness that was majestic.....the beauty of the sky mirrored the love and warmth that occurs at every reunion.....

.....and I know that as we continue to have our get togethers, whether they are for concerts, weekends in one of our hometowns, extended stays at the beach, with or without husbands.....or with or without our babes, our children are observing our traditions.....and I am excited to explain to my girls the importance of friendship....

......the gift of friendship is one in which is special in it's own....sometimes there isn't anyone else that can relate except your girlfriends.....they are there for all the hills and valleys in life's journey, never care about what you look like, always seek to understand.....they remember birthdays, remind you of details in which you may have forgotten in long lost stories.....they laugh with you, cry with you, love on your babies like they are their own.....they uplift, give pep talks, tell you that you are doing the best you can.....they hold you accountable, speak their differences, but respect them as well.....and over the years, friends change.....but the best of friends adapt and grow together......they make an effort to foster and strengthen friendship as the years pass.....

......and my wish is that Elsie and Callie have the same privileged experience with their girlfriends that I have had with mine.....maybe their friends will not all be green eyed girls, but blue or brown eyed; I hope they learn the importance of cherishing the bonds that will carry them through all the phases of their lives.....it makes the journey so much sweeter....

.....Laura, Jenny, Catherine and Ali, I love you.....xxooxo.....and Angel, you were missed.....