Love It or Hate It, It's Valentine's Day!

There's no escaping it. The signs are everywhere. From boxes of assorted chocolate, red and pink balloons, to roses and even over-sized teddy bears....it's Valentine's Day. For some, this day is a glorious one. But for many, this day is filled with reminders of what should have, could have, would have been if only that special someone was around...

Laughing Out Loud with my BFSF

It's the third day of being "snowed or iced in" in the A-T-L.  The Hubs was upstairs and Buddy Roller was still sleeping which equals an unusually calm house.  Just to get my mind off being stuck in the house, I decided to call my best friend and sister forever (BFSF), Nikki, to gab as us girls usually do. We had been texting each other, but hadn't really talked in a few days.  You see, I was giving her some time to get over something she is currently facing...one of life's hiccups. That was the reason for my call, to get her out of her mood.  Anyways, after chatting and catching up, we started to talk about some random things.

HOLD UP! YOU NEED SOME BACKGROUND INFO.

We go way back...

College days...early 90's

Before I go any further, there are some things you need to know about Nikki. We have known each other since high school, but didn't really get to BFSF status until we were roommates in college and then grad school.  Our relationship spans over two decades, that's over 20 years, and even though we are separated by several hundred miles...she lives in New Jersey and I live in Georgia, we have remained extremely close over the years.  We plan and take family vacations together and we fly to see each other, even drive, if we have to in order to celebrate births, baptisms, birthdays and other milestones .  Even our husbands have bonded because of our relationship and our children play really well together. We have been in each other's wedding, I am godmother to her daughter, we have sent countless text messages to each other, and have spent like a trillion hours on the phone...at least.

Throughout life's ups and downs, laughter and tears, achievements and setbacks, sunny days and gloomy ones...she's always been there. I cannot think of one important moment in my life that I didn't share with her.  She's that girl.  Aside from my husband, she is my best friend.  She's the one who makes me laugh so hard...that kind of sloppy, uncontrollable laugh when you are laughing so hard, you're in fact crying.  Other women tend to naturally gravitate towards her because she is so transparent and unassuming, she makes everyone comfortable. You get the picture.

Anyways...sorry I digressed.  Now back to the matter at hand.

Don't you just love it when you can crack up laughing with a girlfriend and sister who knows you better than anyone? Nikki was telling me of a recent shopping trip to T.J. Maxx and how she felt really good because she took five items into the fitting room and they all surprisingly...fit! Nikki has had shopping trips, as women do, me too, when we get all excited after finding many cute outfits. We inevitably go to try on said outfits only to be extremely disappointed when nothing fits.  Nikki reminded me of this and went even further to suggest I had never had that problem. I very quickly reminded her that I, indeed, have had that happen to me. So I went into this non-stop babble....

...Yes I have been there. I have gone into a store promising to "look" for only 15 minutes. One hour later after browsing and having every blouse, sweater, and dress draped over one arm with hangers digging into my flesh and cutting off my circulation, I finally make it to the dressing room. Then I get all excited and lay out all the clothes and start trying on each piece. One by one, after trying on every thing, all the clothes eventually make it into that one dreaded pile...the "don't fit" pile.  No.  This can't be right. I then proceed to try on some of the pieces I have already tried on, hoping I will change my mind...perhaps I need to try it on just one more time, look at it from a different angle. Nope! After completely wearing myself out and struggling in and out of all the clothes, I get dressed, gather all the clothes and reluctantly take them to the attendant who asks smiling, "Did we have anything for you today?" Ah no, don't you see me handing you this pile of clothes! "Can we get you other sizes?" Ah no, I'm trying to go down a size, not up one! Really!?

Mission accomplished...she started laughing about halfway through my rambling and kept laughing for a good 60 seconds after I was done.  And that's what friends are for. She's certainly been there for me when I needed a laugh.

I hope you have a Nikki in your life to make you laugh when you feel like crying. I do, and I'm grateful.

Where I'm From

I am from cloth diapers, clotheslines, and clothespins.

I am from a loving, caring, and devoted mother. She is, to this day, one of the best people I know.

I am from a father who did the best he could, but fell short in countless ways.

I am from maids and helpers who helped to take care of me and my sister while our parents worked.

I am from prep schools with uniforms, high standards, and hard work.

I am from celebrating birthdays with my sister, Chica, because I was born on her second birthday. I'm still her best gift ever. Ha!

I am from Mama and Papa, a slew of aunts, uncles, and cousins back when it really did take a village to help raise a child.

I am from any fruit tree you can possibly imagine...mango, coconut, avocado, plum, apple, orange, cherry, star-apple, and grapefruit...too many more to list.

I am from palm trees, steep mountains, lush landscapes, breathtaking views and white sandy beaches that stretch for miles.

I am from torrential rains and Mother Nature's devastating hurricanes.

I am from the island of Jamaica where our motto is, "Out of many one people."

I am from a country where people are just people. We are not categorized as Black, White, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Asian, or Other.

I am from a neighborhood where anyone knows almost everyone and, "Ice-cream, ice-cream cake and Nutty Buddy," was an incessant afternoon call from the local ice-cream man as he rode through the streets, on his bicycle, carrying icy treats. This still brings a smile to my face.

I am from going to Hellshire Beach every Saturday, and some Sundays too, when mom would pack enough bully beef sandwiches to feed the entire neighborhood. I miss those days.

 Coconut Drops

Bread Pudding

I am from bread pudding, lemon meringue pies, stew cherries, sweet potato pudding, coconut drops and many other delectable treats, with mouth watering aromas, that made my house a home.

This is where I'm from.