It's A Good Day To Be Me

Why is it a good day to be me, you ask? It is not because we overslept by one hour this morning. It is not because my children were actually smacking each other around in a store this afternoon. It is not because I still haven't made a dress that's quite right.
It's because we had a picnic with our old friends today. Mary and Kris came to town. Kris has been my friend since 7th grade (no, I didn't have many friends that were girls - I can count them on one hand). I found myself wondering at this: my circle of girls is composed, in part, of the wives of the men who used to be the boys that were my circle of friends when I was a kid. Isn't that really amazing? It probably helps that I never dated any of them, I guess. It's a great thing to sit with people that you haven't seen in years and just hang out. There doesn't have to be deep, earth-moving conversation. There doesn't have to be re-telling of old stories. We can just "be." I like that. Their boys were beautiful and I got to snuggle that new one a bit. That sweet little guy almost made me wish I could have just one more. Alas, I cannot. But that makes it infinitely more fun for me to hug other peoples' little ones. Mary would kill me if I posted the photo I took of her, so I will resort posting one that contains Kris:

Mary started this whole pay-it-forward thing, where you give and get handmade goodies to people. She brought me my goodie today and I could not be more thrilled (insert squeal of delight)! It is the most delicious, shabby chic, wonderful little apron I have ever tried on. Girls, don't ya sometimes wish you could get away with wearing a few ruffles like you did when you were little? Well, getta load-a this:

Could you just die? I know. I know. I'm actually still wearing it. Confession: I might sleep in it. I'd bet that my rhubarb crisp will taste even better if I make it while I wear this apron. It's a rhubarb crisp kind of an apron, don't you think? Of course, it will make all other sorts of baking even better than before, too. You need to know that the black and white part is the dress I'm wearing, not some oddly mismatched bit of apron - blame the photographer for that visual confusion, but just don't tell him.
So, old friends + easy conversation + tons of cute kids + amazing apron-y goodness + brie cheese and blackberries = good day to be me.
The end.

DAILY BLISS: I'm gonna have to share this, because it's sooooo funny and made me laugh really hard, and it's particularly something that Alli will like. Emma was having some imaginary game going on in the back seat today and I tuned in just in time to hear this line, spoken in a scandalous, catty tone:
"Oh. So, I see you brought your dead wife."