Do you ever have those days where in the moment you realize, "I will remember this day"? It's not a momentous occasion, but there is something about the day that makes it special and memorable. A few days ago, I had one of those days.
A friend of mine was in from Florida, visiting family and taking her adorable girls to see where mommy and daddy grew up. We joined them at the National Aviary, along with another friend of ours, who lives in the same area I do and shamefully we never see one another. These two women are women I worked for a few years as I started teaching. I saw the good people they were then, but as I have grown as a teacher and a mother and a women, now I see the amazing women they truly are.
Getting together with friends after a few years can sometimes be awkward, especially when you add your children to the mix. Not so with this group. While Builder Boy was a bit annoyed with all these girls (it was him and 4 girls...his comment? "Mom, two girls is really enough!"), he ran around with them watching the penguins, scouring trees for colorful birds, and and waiting patiently for those bald eagles to come out of hiding (they never did).
(This is a Victoria Crowned something or other)
(stupid bird was posed very prettily...until I shot the picture)
And while the kids checked out all the birds, the adults talked...and talked...and talked. We really could have done without the birds (especially because two of us have a slight fear of them), but it occupied the kids while we got to catch up. Our conversations were easy, flowing from subject to subject, as if we still saw one another every day. The kindness of these two friends is unparalleled, but it's not the suffocating kindness that comes from a foul-weathered friend (you know the type...they really just want to be in your business so they can gossip about you to others). It's an honest kindness and affection. They are the type of people who will listen and affirm you. They don't judge, even when they think differently. We're able to joke together about the perils of parenting, even when the issues are serious and emotional. And they are both the kind of friend you can go to even if you haven't talked with them for awhile.
After the Aviary, we weren't quite ready to head home, so we headed to Pittsburgh's South Side and to a place called the Milk Shake Factory. OH MY!!! I have never had a milkshake this phenomenal before! Dark Chocolate Blueberry. Can you imagine! We sat in this modern ice cream parlor surrounded by amazing chocolate treats while I Love Lucy played on the flat-screen television. We all ate our ice cream treats and talked some more.
We still weren't ready to leave one another, so we strolled down the main drag on the South Side to The Pretzel Shop. These are truly the best pretzels in Pittsburgh, cooked in a giant wood-fired oven. As a child, my dad would take us down there to watch them cook the pretzels. This time, we grabbed some pretzels and feasted on them on the front stoop of the shop. As I sat there, I marvelled at how relaxed I was. The hum of the talking, the kids teasing one another, the unique foot traffic you see on Carson Street in Pittsburgh...at times, I realized I had totally zoned out of the conversation (sorry, ladies!!) because I felt so at peace.
It was a memorable day...a perfect summer day...a day of contentment spent with friends...and a few birds.
Definitely a memorable day! Loved seeing all our kids together. It was so hard to say goodbye!
Posted by: Alexis | July 09, 2011 at 11:02 PM
Aw. You made me cry, Renovation Girl! I had a great day, & was also happy about how easily our conversation flowed. I will make an effort to get together more frequently!
Posted by: Real Housewife of Allegheny Cahnty | July 10, 2011 at 10:09 PM