Birthday of a Friend

setting table for birthday lunch

Today is one of my dearest friend’s birthday.  In previous years, we would go out for breakfast or coffee.  This year, since Kelly is preparing for the Tough Mudder (because she’s a tough mutha—hahaha!) and I’m getting back to working out, I decide to take her to my gym—for a quick workout class and a hot tub soak, while my Baby Boy is in the childcare facility.  Finally I’m able to get back to my gym and workout because Baby Boy is at the age when I don’t have to reserve him a spot.  The quick workout is a 30-minute class called, Cardio Crunch.  It’s basically a running class.  We run what’s called “suicides” – (I looked it up and it is part of agility training workout…in my case, also an intense cardio workout) up and down the basketball court.  We did some running forward and backwards.  I really can’t remember what other activities we did because my heart was almost beating out of my chest and I wanted to barf!  We did do a fun activity along the track…  our class of 20+ people were in a single line on the inside of the track, we had 4 basketballs throughout the line.  We would run and throw the basketball over-head to the person behind us.  Once the ball got to the end of the line, that person would have to sprint to the head of the line with the ball in hand – let me remind you that the line of people are running and we need to be in a tight formation because the person in front is throwing the ball behind them!  My heart is racing in addition to the cardio workout because I’m thinking of catching-throwing the basketball and then having to sprint to the head of the line—fear that I won’t ever catch up to the head of the line.  There was a penalty if the ball dropped, which we later found out was more running up and down the basketball court.  I did have to “sit-out” of some of the track running.  I did also manage to keep down what was in my stomach.

Card and Bumpy Cupcake

We stayed a little bit for the Abs Crunch class, but I wanted us to get a hot tub soak and I still need to pick up Baby Boy (he would be hungry and in need of a nap).

We came back to my house for a wonderful homemade Indian lunch of butter chicken, basmati rice and naan.  It is a box kit – there are 3 different packets—2 spice packets and tomato sauce mixture.  I had to add fresh protein (I opted for chicken breasts) to butter/oil and half & half.  

I said it was coconut themed lunch because we drank coconut water, coconut flavored sparkling water and coconut de-caf green tea.

I was finally able to use my cupcake stands and cloches!  I got eight of them for those luncheons I occasionally host.  I’m not kidding, I do host luncheons!

It felt like it was a birthday celebration for me—having my delightful friend spend the morning and good part of the afternoon with me.  Time is a premium and getting your friend’s time is precious.

Halloween party a few years ago

I met Kelly years ago, when I was attending Le Leche League meetings while she was pregnant with her daughter (that was almost 8-years ago).  Her son would love to play (I would call him a ring-leader) and I would always encourage Chase to go and play – so I could talk and listen to the other moms at the meetings.  For a few years, I would see Kelly and her children around town, at the downtown library, YMCA, etc.  and we would chat.  We just hit it off.  Then finally… 3-years after our initial meeting, in the summer, I invited her and her kids for a playdate at my house.  Lottie was an infant.   It became a weekly thing—one week she would host and the next week I would host.  That’s how we spent our time together.  The playdate would be in the morning, the hostess would make lunch, everyone would eat and then we would go our separate ways – my baby girl was ready for naptime.   It was the best summer.

Even now—5-years later, I always try to figure out what makes our friendship work.  Is it because we are both Army-brats?  We grew up in the South?  We don’t have family near us?    We have commonalities, but they aren’t obvious—like same career or same age kids.  There are more differences than there are things in common.

None of our kids are the same age

Kids don’t go to the same school

She’s a scientist (geologist to be exact)

She isn’t much of a planner; I obsessively plan

I read the fine print and details; she does not.

I feel like we could talk for hours on end.  Things we talk about -- fostering friendship/relationships is more important than a clean house; quarks that our husband have—which aren’t the same ones; fashion; exercise; skincare; makeup all the things friends do and talk about.  She’ll listen to me analyze everything—my arm-chair psycho-analysis, especially about my children.

Often times we say the reason we get along is because we are similar to each others spouses.  Kelly is a scientist and mine is also.  I can be a bit tightly wound and so is her husband.  Kelly and my husband are not planners or worriers; whereas Kelly’s husband and I are.  It helps that our kids get along and our husbands do also.  That allows us to spend our holidays together and other momentious events together.

I can’t imagine my days in Ann Arbor without her.  When she is out of town and even if we don’t have any plans to get together, it feels like something is amiss.

I hope her day was a wonderful as mine was, Happy Birthday Kelly!