Monday, July 25, 2011

A Sad Impending Farewell & Other Random Thoughts

Today one of my best friends, Annemarie, officially announced at work that she'll be moving to Washington in early September.

I've known about it for a while now, but not being able to openly talk about it has been pretty tough. 


It's one of the 'things' I've been telling you about recently that has been bothering me that I couldn't talk about. I didn't even share it with Tracie or Monica, although I could have since we all run in different circles, because I was in denial.

You know, just in case they changed their minds or got whacked on their noggins.


Today it became official.

I want to be supportive and encouraging to her, so I try really hard not to openly share all those bittersweet feelings too much with her. It's an exciting time for her & hubby Brandon, as God is clearly and so evidently opening doors for them there and leading them to live near Brandon's family. But it's also really quite a bummer for Tim & I as we have really enjoyed hanging out with them as couples, we understand each other & are in similar stages of life without kids.

Annemarie quickly became a very close friend, and gets my sense of humor and laughs crazy hard at my jokes. I have to say, I love her for that!!! :)

She & I have lunch together at least once or twice a week, with the occasional outings, spontaneous stuff, random shopping excursions, and evenings of me taking her home after work where we'd sit in the car talking for the better part of an hour. It's kind of like a part of my heart is moving to the other side of the country.


The night these pics were taken a couple of weeks ago was a very sweet evening after work. We had ice cream, cried together in the parking lot, laughed a lot together, and hugged each other til we thought we might die. We are going to miss each other so very, very much!

Annemarie even admits she doesn't do long distance well. Really, she stinks at it. So I'm trying to bite my tongue, but I do worry what this means for our dear, sweet, wonderful friendship.

After all, she can say "yo yo yo whass up whass up" and "you're the bomb diggity" like no one else on this planet.


We already had to say farewell to the other 2 in our group - Katie & Leif who moved to Florida - in December. Now, it's Annemarie & Brandon's turn and I'm still in shock that it is actually coming true.

The 3 shopping amigos are no more. And shortly they will be divided clear across the country.


We joke about a reunion in Colorado.

And I question whether or not I'll really see either of them again this side of heaven.

For the record, I love you girls {and your hubbies}, and hope this is just the beginning of something even better for all of us.


Oh. this. is. so. tough.

*sob*

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Change is really, really hard. There's been a lot of change happening in the lives of the people around me while my life stays put. It's hard. It's hard to let go. I've been reading Beth Moore's So Long, Insecurity book which has really been helping me - see the quote of the week in the sidebar for the quote that's impacted me the most in recent weeks.

*sigh* I'm just really ready for some good news!!!

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My Fibro flare-up seems to have subsided, finally. A 4-day battle that thankfully lifted, for now. Only God knows! But I'm glad it wasn't longer!! I wasn't sure this morning if I was going to make it, but while I dearly {dearly!} miss my friends Brian & Monica & buddy Parker, their home became a haven for me today as I desperately needed a quiet place to retreat and think away from the chaos of my life. I hope that doesn't mean they don't hand over their spare key to me during their next trip away. :)

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The heat wave of last week with real feels of over 100/110 changed my perspective on the heat a bit. Today I walked outside in the midst of 87 degrees and went "ahhhh!!!" And if you know me at all, you know that's amazing. Usually anything over 80 is really bad!

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We have taken a hiatus on traveling and having guests for a couple of months {my brother gets the only exception to the rule} and we are loving it!!! We needed a serious break. Now it's time for projects around the house, which have admittedly gotten pretty overwhelming. I was so sad this weekend meant only one minor desk project, but I'm still happy I got something done despite the nasty flare-up! Hopefully the coming weekends will mean lots and lots of stuff getting done around the house.

4 comments:

Just Be Real said...

Thank you for sharing. Farewells are hard. Hugs to you.

Katie G said...

Who knows what God's got planned for you. Maybe the next Customer Service Rep will be even better :).

Long distance isn't ideal, but atleast facebook and blogging keep us aware of each other :).

Love from FL --

Katie

Liz Mays said...

Getting a good project done is such a great feeling! So is not traveling. I enjoy being home!

I'm so sorry your close friend is moving, but the friendship is not over!

Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect said...

Ohhh, I hate knowing something that I can't talk about! It usually doubles my stress about the situation. And losing work friends is a HUGE deal. I miss my work friends so much now that I'm home.

On the plus side, I'm thankful your flare-up has subsided and the temps have lowered. This heat is ridiculous and makes me angry. And that's without fibro. :)