The Buddies

Here are my Buddies. We've called each other that since 1991, I think. I was in high school...my senior year. I'm the oldest one (that's me in the middle w/ the blue top), and when I was a senior, we all started hanging out. We ranged in ages from freshman to senior, and we've stayed close ever since.

There have been times where we don't see each other for a while, and times were 1, 2, or 3 of us are closer to each other than other times...but we're all friends.

One person is missing from the picture because she lives in Indiana and couldn't come out for this event. This picture was taken the night we all went out to dinner right before I left California. There is one person in the picture who is a newer friend than high school. She fits right in with all of us, and I'm so glad we met last summer. Oh yeah! And with her around, I'm not the oldest...she's 4 months older than me!

Every year around Christmas we get together for the Buddy Weekend. We go out of town and spend the weekend acting like we're back in high school. We also started a tradition about 15 years ago (wow! that's a long time) where we do a gift exchange. We don't buy something for one person in particular...we just buy (or make -- some of these girls are WAY creative) something that most of us would like (that's not as easy as it sounds...even though we are close friends, we are all VERY different from each other), and then we draw numbers and the stealing begins. Someone opens a gift and then the next person can either open a new one or steal that one. And on we go until everyone has something.

Last year we went on a cruise for our Buddy Weekend. It was a blast! We chose last year for the big trip because no one had a nursing baby. Maybe that sounds weird, but between all 10 of us, there are 10 hubbies and 16 kids! We had so much fun that we decided every 5 years to do a big trip like that.

This year we're going up to Shaver Lake for a weekend...I'm flying out to CA for it, and I can't wait! I love you, Buddies!