A Year In the Life

I am so lucky to have great friends.  I have a lot of them, and maybe it's unfair to focus on just one, but today I'm especially appreciative of my girl Denise.

Last week when we found out about Pepper, I emailed Denise to tell her I wouldn't be able to go to our Girls' Night Out on Thursday (Denise is the cruise director of our group here - she is so good to plan these things for us).  Well, she took the news about Pepper and ran with it.  That afternoon, she went to a pizza place, ordered and paid for pizza for my kids at home, and arranged to have it delivered at dinnertime.  Then, she tried to apologize that it wasn't a home-cooked meal (another friend of hers had a child going in for an emergency tonsillectomy, so she was running to go pick up that friend's daughter to babysit while the parents were with their sick child).

Then, on Friday, she showed up in our hospital room with her two little kids in tow.  This was no small feat - she had to find parking and figure out what room we were in and find the correct building in a massive hospital, all without speaking German.  And she did this while dragging along her little kids.  At dinnertime.

Not only did she come, but she came bearing gifts.  Somehow, she had a stash of little games and puzzles that she gave to Pepper to help pass the time.  She also had a stack of People magazines for me to read (People is my guilty pleasure).

And then yesterday, when she knew we would be coming home, she came by my house with this big bouquet of tulips and another issue of People (she knows me so well).

We weren't here when she came by, so she left this in our garage.  She called to tell me to go look in the garage, but I was too scatterbrained to do it until today.  When I found these waiting for me in my pig-sty garage (I'm a little sorry you had to see that, Denise), I let out a squeal of delight because they are just so cheerful and huge and perfect.  Let me also mention that when I saw Denise at  lunch, she had a case of the pink eye and wasn't feeling very well.  Yet, somehow, she was thinking of me.  Every time I pass by this bouquet, I get warm fuzzies.

(Denise, I know you are reading this and probably feeling all embarrassed.  But I hope there is a piece of you that is pleased with some well-deserved recognition.  You're beyond awesome.)

I hate to brag, but I am really good at picking friends.