Throw Back Thursday

Throw Back Thursday


Ok.

Here's one of the best things about this blog.

It has gotten me out of my comfort zone and made me more determined to see friends old and new. My Fortieth HS reunion was great fun and I loved reconnecting with people I hadn't seen or talked to in ages.  After being overwhelmed at the Thirtieth, I really had not planned to go to the Fortieth, but I'm so glad I did.

One of the people I chatted with was Caren, a friend from elementary school. Somehow we grew apart in Junior High (that's what it was called back in the day, none of this "middle school" nonsense).  She was cooler than I.
And I'm crushed because there is a wonderful photo of the two of us on her horses at her farm from elementary days...except it is safely tucked away on my desk in Texas.

Anyhoo......

Liddy, Susan, Me

When I posted last week about my going to breakfast with Liddy and Susan, Caren sent me some pics of us from elementary school.

Yay for Girl Scouts.
Sadly I still have basically the same haircut now as I did in Girl Scouts. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Don't have all the names but I know that's 

Caren, Maria,  ?, Me, Liddy, and Sandy

(And O! The smirk on Liddy's face. I know it well. Love.)

And then this one is not quite so clear...but here I am with Susan and friends.

Caren, Lida, Kathy,?, Susan in the red, Ann, ?, Me in the hat, Sandy,?, and ?

I am absolutely so fortunate that fifty plus years later I am still friends with, in touch with, connected to these fun people. 

And my how we have grown!!

So here's the take-away.

Relationships have seasons and sometimes they wax and wane. Some will end.
But I think that the connections you make with people that you grow up with are strong.  It's a great backbone. There's a shared history. Doesn't mean you have to chat daily or even yearly. And time smooths over a lot of things. Differences that may have seemed huge when you were younger seem less as time goes on.

That's a good thing.

So, if you  have ever thought of getting in touch with an old friend, do it. The internet is wonderful for that.
Ok, you may realize there's a reason you don't speak.
But maybe, just maybe, you'll expand your circles.

And that also is a good thing.

(Thanks a billion Caren for these photos!)

No.60: Hit Five Restaurants in Houston That I Have Never Been To

No. 60: Hit five restaurants in Houston that I have never been to...
done for real now.

I realize that I have already counted No. 60 as being done. Since I had not been in Houston much, I counted a Denver restaurant that was new to me as the fifth restaurant.

But while I was in Texas last week I managed to sneak away for breakfast with two long time friends.

Liddy had come to stay with me when she heard that my mom was having surgery. Liddy and I have been friends forever, a friendship cemented in San Miguel de Allende, as so many of my friendships have been.  Sure, we knew each other before, but it wasn't until we traveled to Mexico together when we were 13 (14?) that we became truly close. She introduced me to some of the local boys. I've been indebted to her ever since.

Anyway, Liddy lost both of her parents this last year so she knows how important a little extra support can be when it comes to those aging parents.

I was very grateful to have her company and appreciative that she drove down from her home near Dallas to stay. It's not like she lives right around the corner.

Another friend, Susan, has been living in Wyoming. But now she's got a new grand baby in Houston, so she has also gotten herself a little apartment there. I guess after many many years enduring Wyoming winters, any excuse is a good excuse to get a place down south. But a baby girl grand baby is an extra special good excuse.

Anyway, Liddy and Susan have been friends longer than I have known either one of them. But we all go back to elementary school. And while my brother was in charge of the parents, Liddy and I dashed into town to meet Susan for breakfast.

 Liddy, Susan, Me

We met at Tiny Boxwoods. And this place was one of those wonderfully trendy, precious restaurants that is just so perfect you want to gag.
Honestly.

The door to breakfast and perfection.

I could have moved into the place and lived there. The interior is my dream style. Iron casement windows. A sort of French feel. Zinc topped tables.
Beautiful gardens with - duh!- boxwoods surrounding the charming brick building.
The menu in beautiful chalk calligraphy upon the requisite oversized blackboard, described the barest of choices.
"Morning Porridge" "Simple Breakfast" "Morning Cheese and Bread Board"
It was all just too, too.
Pressed linen napkins. Simple white dishes. Perfect.

And the three of us spent a lovely morning chatting and catching up.

No. 60 is truly and positively done. For real. No cheating.