BFF's are hard to make

One of my best friend's (since high school, we went to college together too) dad passed away overnight.  Thankfully for me, this friend knows I am rarely on Facebook and sent me a message.  She was too choked up to call but wanted me to know.  I immediately started crying and was grateful that I was alone in the office.

Her dad had remarried and lived in Georgia.  Eventually she and her mom moved up there as well, to a different city.  I remember when her parents were married.  I would go to their house to eat or hang out.  When Paul had a beard, he eerily looked like my dad looks like with a beard.  It was crazy.

We had several messages back and forth today (she'll call me tonight, she can't sleep, etc.) and then she told me how much she loved me, and misses me.  She told me that even though I have tons of sisters, I was her sister (she's an only child) and she missed me.

And I was crying again.  In her time of pain, she made me feel so loved.  It's so very hard making true  friends when you're older.  Usually you end up making friends at work (I work with 6 men), or at a gym (don't go), at church (sadly, don't have a church) or at kids' school events (never really happened for me.)  The only close friends that I made after high school and college were when I first moved back to Florida when Jacob was under two.  I made some fantastic gal pals who then moved to Alabama and Minnesota.  Go figure.

I have wonderful work friends who came to my wedding 10 years ago and with whom I still talk to every day.  Their locales?  Boston, DC and Seattle.  All over the place.

Locally?  Nobody. I live in a rural community where no one else I know lives.  My sisters who I love are in S. Florida (2.5 hours away) or Tampa (2.5 hours away).

Jacob's aunt is still a good friend and wonderfully keeps in touch with me, but she has her own close-knit group from when she was in school, and we usually see each other 3 or 4 times a year.

Neighbors?  I has some cool ones 6 years ago who moved 6 months after we moved here.  The rest hide in their homes and the ones I do talk to are really more of a "wave hello" kind-of thing.

An old co-worker and his wife moved back a few months ago from Miami.  I was ecstatic.  She and I used to hang out a lot, but I'm so very afraid to scare her off by latching on to her.  She has tons of family and friends.  We talk about hanging out, but because I live in a rural part of northern central Florida & she lives in southern central Florida, it's about an hour one way to each other's homes, so this has not happened yet.

It's easy to say "It's easy to make friends" when you've never left the hometown area you went to high school in.  As an adult, making real friends is so hard.  (Maybe that's why I adore the Yada Yada book series, not classic fantastic literature,  with these women who make these amazing bonds as adults; because I really want that too.)

I have amazing friends.  They're just so far away.

I love you Kelli-Kelli-Elliot (not her real name; college joke) and I am so sorry about your daddy.

Sangivi

I hope your Thanksgiving was as good as ours.  We enjoyed our time with two of the 4 sisters, our dad, one brother-in-law and one niece.

There was a good amount of food and an INSANE amount of desserts.  I made a carrot cake, pumpkin pie, potato chip cookies and cake pops.

(Pie not shown.  Was cooling still.)

My brother-in-law was craving pecan pie.  My sister was texting me as they drove up and I told her I had everything I needed for the pie except for the pecans.  They stopped and purchased some and while the turkey finished cooking, I made a pecan pie.

Dad arrived with three tres leche cakes.  Tres Tres Leche.  We were sweeted out!

These are potato chip cookies.  There are potato chips in the batter.
They are AWESOME.  I made that JOY cookie too. 

The chef carves the turkey

Brenda brought roasted pork and "arroz con gandules,"
a Puerto Rican rice dish.

We enjoyed our turkey, roast pork, stuffing, rice, green bean casserole, candied yams and rolls.

*EYE ROLL*

Little Miss Ava was napping and pulled her hair ties out.  Check it out.

We then sat down to watch Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring.  If you know Vicky, you know this is a miracle.  

Meanwhile, Brenda and Isabel did each other's hair. 

We had a Happy Sangivi!

Digital Arts Project

This was a fun thing I helped Jacob with for his digital arts class last night.

VERY short video that had to be done with pictures; it had to be a minimum of 120 pictures.  He took over 140 pictures and it took over an hour to do.  I was sweating like a pig with all the lights on and no ceiling fan.  The part with the blanket was TORTURE.  I was suffocating.  Too bad I moved too much. My bad for his project.  Focus on the characters, not me.  :)

Sad Clothes Monster

This is what my husband stumbled upon at 2 a.m. after coming home from work.  This is what happens to clean clothes that get dumped on the bedroom floor and left for folding "later."  It turns into the Sad Clothes Monster!!

 I heard a chortle around 2:05 a.m.  Sad Clothes Monster was gone by the time I got up.

Halloween 2012: The Pumpkins

Back to "normality" after the elections.

And let's get back to my Halloween Posts.

Here are our 2012 pumpkins!  Jacob and I created matching pumpkins.  He chose Mario.

Itsa Me, Mario!

I chose Mario's Gal Pal, Princess Peach.  She looks like this.

Finally, Isabel did a girl skull & crossbones wearing a bow.  She only needed help with the "eye lashes" area.  

Our 2011 Pumpkins

Our 2010 Pumpkins

Our 2009 Pumpkins

I Voted

That's all.  Don't want to hear who you voted for; no offense please.   (I'm so very tired and want it all over with.)   So, I voted and am proud to be able to do so.

Halloween 2012: Fionna Meets Elliot and E.T.

Just wanted to post this picture real quick because it is AWESOME!