Happy Birthday to Two of My Favorites

Today's blog challenge: go without something for a day and write about it.

I'm going to go with something else because I'm not sure what I would give up that would create an interesting story. I watch too much TV, but a couple days ago, I didn't watch any... and didn't realize it until the next day. It could be Diet Coke, but, while I can wax poetic about it's sweet, effervescent, calorie-free comfort, when I don't have it, I don't crave it. Sugar is another possibility, but we recently decided to give up sugary snacks 3 days a week, and it's not a struggle. My phone - I do this at camp every year, and it's always a nice break. It could be my dog or my husband, but when I'm away from them, it's quiet and peaceful, but also lonely, no fun, and just feels wrong.

So, instead, I want to honor two great women in my life who both celebrated their birthday today.

First, one of my two "bestest" friends. We say we've known each other since we were four, but we lived across the street from each other when we were born, so it could predate that. Maybe because of this, she understands me better than anyone else in the world. And she knows all my secrets. Our husbands are very similar, and, curiously, share many traits with our other "bestest" friend. Being with her is to be completely comfortable - understood and never judged. 

Not to mention that she is living out our childhood dreams. We were totally horse crazy. The culvert at the end of our street was always a horse. It was long enough that we could even make it bounce out at the end like a trotting horse. And then camp came along, with real horses for us to moon over. I had a horse of my own for awhile. She was beautiful, but the wrong horse for me, and, sadly, soured me on the concept. But my friend, she not only has a couple horses, but she managed to infect both of her boys with the horse-loving bug, so now it's a family affair. 

During her sixth birthday party, my sister was born. 

My sister is an amazing woman. And complex. She easily carries off leading a global team at a large corporation AND being enthusiastic about having a "Puppy Weather" app loaded on her phone, showing an adorable puppy every day along with the weather report. She's politically savvy and will worry somewhat obsessively about a baby bird out of its nest. Her heart is as big as they come. But my favorite thing about her is her unique ability to stand her ground and speak her mind. Somehow, she can frankly tell us we're completely off base without letting us doubt her love or feel offended. I still can't figure out how she does that!

S & B, this is one of my favorite days of the year! I love that you share a birthday on this day, and I love celebrating both of you on the same day. xoxo

DebB, This One's For You!

I love that my hair came back with some curl in it! I tried making it "fluffier" here... and it occurred to me that, with the right product, I could have a Flock of Seagulls 'do before this is all over.

I have this crazy idea to blog more - as in, participate in a DAILY challenge for October. I love to write, but I hate to sit at the computer - especially while these warm Indian Summer days roll through my rainy town. But I'm also taking a series of writing workshops this month, so this is the month to be more prolific.

I looked up blog challenges - it appears that writing more is fueled by the desire to get more hits on your blog. Pursue fame and all. Not my goal. I just want to have fun, and hopefully encourage and entertain a few people.

So if my daily posts are too much for you, feel free not to read them all. I'll try to keep them shorter. TRY. :)

Today's topic: Share a high school memory you'll never forget.

Ah, high school. After much analysis, I've decided I was the Invisible Girl in high school. I had my handful of friends, but mostly I made it through without being noticed - for better or worse. At church and at camp I was more of a leader, but in my big high school (there were about 650 in my graduating class), I was nobody special.

Since all my teens are buzzing about homecoming now, I'll share my prom memory. 

As the Invisible Girl, I lacked proper fashion sense and any flirting skills. My romantic prospects were limited... OK, non-existent. And I had no budget for a dress. So, lacking invitation and funds, I decided to ditch the dance - somewhat defiant, somewhat wise, considering this white girl can't dance.

Instead, my best friend (from another school) and I went out to dinner. No dressing up. Just a run-of-the-mill restaurant. We brought silly little props like mini gold champagne glasses and red carnations. Our waiter was handsome and gracious enough to flirt with us. :) We didn't have stars in our eyes or corsages on our wrists, but, as always, we laughed all night and decided we had WAY more fun than most people at the dance. There wasn't any pressure to make this "The Time of Our Lives" or whatever cheesy theme they had that night.

(Why do high school dances always have the cheesiest themes? Isn't "Under the Sea" a little overused? Teens are supposed to be innovative and exploratory! One of our local schools used The Great Gatsby as their homecoming theme this year - that's more like it! It's educated, sophisticated, and inspires great outfits.)

Now, several unattended class reunions later, I have lost all contact with my high school friends. I can't even find them on Facebook - NONE of them. Makes me wonder if Invisible Girl had invisible friends! However, I still see my best friend at least once a year even though we live far apart, so ditching prom to hang out with her was the best decision. <3