An Award, and, The Reward of A Friend

Kristen, fellow writer-mommy and ruling mamacita of We Are THAT Family, gave me my very first blog award.

Thank you seems inadequate; let me spread the love by jumping in on the meme from The Apron Lady and write about friends that inspire me.

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If you're lucky in life, you find a few true friends. Friends with whom you can let down your defenses and cry without worrying about becoming fodder for the next day's gossip train.

These are the friends with whom you laugh about the maddening things your kids do, things like eating sand, or temporarily going piranha and biting other toddlers, or holding their poop in for three days straight because dammit, it's mine and there's no way you're gonna make me use that potty.

My go-to girl in desperate mommy moments is my dear friend Debbie, aka Gator Girl. I'd love to point you to her blog, but she's not on board to this hip, new-fangled fun yet.

*A-HEM!* Hint-Hint!

Not only does she keep me updated on the latest You Gotta Be Kidding Me news from Florida (like the story about the mom pulled over because her two year old was walking around the back seat of the car, unbuckled; the mom did, however, remember to buckle the case of beer she was working through in the front seat - priorities, baby, priorities), Debbie's that rare type of friend whom I can call and just talk. There's no five minutes of polite small talk; no, I can just dive in and moan about what's driving me around the bend that particular day.

She would give you the shirt off her back - or a fondue pot, just because.

She and her GatorDude husband bought a house for her parents.

And, despite a lifelong, fear-filled feud with the spider population in Florida, she's an animal lover who cried when my dog Bailey passed on to the big green fields of Heaven last summer.

She cried for my dog, a dog she hadn't seen in over nine years.

You read that right - it's been over nine years since I saw my dear friend Debbie. In those years, I've moved four times. Between us, we've had six children. Life has been on super-hyper-drive for both of us.

Which means it's time for a vacation.

A vacation that could also technically be described as a Blogging Conference.

At Sannibel Island...or other beachy, fishing-worthy, sunny spots.

Debbie, I hope you have a moment to read this; know that I'm always inspired by you and how much you care about the people around you, about how devoted you are to Family.

And I hope you click over here and get started already!

WM