Snow & Hot Chocolate

I'm on the NY-MA border at Love's house. We're celebrating Christmas here. There's snow. Multiple feet of snow. And it's cold. LA has spoiled me with it's sunny skies and warmth. I have a love-hate relationship with the cold-snow climate.

This home slowly becomes a home away from home for me. And his family, a second family. Especially his mother, whom I feel, in many ways, fills a void for me. My mother was amazing, in her own right. A role model beyond any fantasy role model I could have created for myself. A perfect example of woman's rights and work-life balance. But she can't remember many of my friend's names from Junior high or High School. She' can't tell you what my favorite food is or when I first got my period. I've only ever had flighty conversations with Mrs. Love about these things and she could still probably tell you. So yes, she fills a void. And she sets a wonderful model... a very opposite model than what I grew up with.

Love's father just had his prosthetic hip replaced... it was infected. May God bless us all that we never have to have a hip-replacement (or any major bone replacements) if we haven't had one already.

I'm not going to talk about "my next steps" here as I've done so frequently in the last several entries. I will only say this: it's happening.

There is friendship conflict happening these days. I have a very very astute observation about friendships and the late twenties.... in our late twenties and early thirties we have to become selfish in a way that we never have before. We have to follow our loves (romantic relationships) and our careers and take care of our families. Because of all this, friendships often fall to the wayside... it is only the friendships that are the strongest and most important to us that will last. They will last 40% on faith and trust, 40% on the history of the friendship and what we remember, and only 20% on the the time and effort we are able to give it in our present state. It is a true test. My two best friends in the world are currently going through this test and I hope they both pass... It's hard for me to imagine a world without the three of us being able to get together, go to see a girly movie, throw popcorn at the screen and end up making and eating chocolate chip cookie dough together crying over the state of our lives. Hugs all around- Girly-Girls.