three days away

The best part of it was ... it didn't feel like 14 months apart at all.

Finally ... after lots of planning and waiting far too long ... the first week of May had finally arrived. A long weekend in Calgary to meet some of my besties from back in Swift Current. We hadn't seen each other since March of last year and more often than not we simply got by with lots of FB chats and comments, a few texts and even fewer phone calls. Getting a group of people, a group of women, together is always challenging and Carol and I talked often of keeping our expectations low for the weekend. My 3:20 am wake up ... 7:00 am flight ... and 9:30 am arrival was an early morning that I purposely picked and I was prepared to hunker down at the Calgary airport for a few hours with my iPad waiting for the first group to get through their own 5 hour drive there. My early texts to Carol told me they were behind schedule in getting out of Swift and so I shouldn't expect them til after lunch at least. And truthfully I felt frustrated but knew as well how it was in trying to get various friends organized together. Still ... sigh ... I felt hurt, obviously not a priority to them at all. I was prepared to have this reunion be a good way to let them go, so to speak, to stop idealizing our amazing friendships and come to terms with the fact that it would realistically be catching up online now and then and yearly Christmas cards and family photos. 9:30 am in Calgary ... I arrived and made my way downstairs to get my bag. Down the escalator, the Arrivals door opens and there they were. Carol, Erynn, Amy and Ruth had arrived the night before and got themselves out of bed and out the door early so they could be there to surprise me! It was perfect and it was funny and it was surreal and it meant so much to me. And just like that, hugs and laughs and everyone talking and more hugs ... it didn't feel like 14 months apart at all.

10 minutes later we were in the car, heading up to a new mega-mall and what ended up being a full day of power shopping. Which is actually totally exhausting, ha! (Ok, the 3:20 am internal clock wake up that day didn't help either!) We'd follow each other, then split up, then text around to find each other again ... it was wonderful and relaxing and normal. No schedule, no children, no responsibilities ... it.was.amazing. An absolutely delicious dinner that night at The Keg along with Erynn's Mom and Amy's sister and then back to the hotel to wait for the stragglers. Melissa, Autumn and Tanya arrived about 9:00 pm and then we had a whole new round of talking til well past midnight! Tricia, Tanis, Colleen and Jenelle weren't able to get away for the weekend and we definitely missed having them there. Saturday was ... you may have guessed ... lots more eating, shopping and talking! We were easy to please and happy as can be. Dinner at Moxie's that night was memorable and hysterical and the most fun I've had in a long time. Good grief, we were definitely the loud table in the restaurant that everyone was looking or glaring at! We carried the fun into later that night at our hotel's comedy club where we had tickets to comedian Paul Reiser, from TV's Mad About You. Compared to his opening act it was a slow build up but man, what a brilliant finale in the end. It felt so good to just laugh in a big way and I'm so glad we decided to do that. Sunday was saying goodbye to Ruth, Autumn and Tanya after breakfast and then the rest of us carrying on to IKEA ... and more shopping, eating, shopping, talking ... before getting back to the airport at 4:00 pm.

I was prepared to have this weekend be a healthy way to really say goodbye and to move on. But after a few emotional, honest conversations this weekend proved to me the opposite. It solidified our relationships so that I knew we would continue to be real friends, despite the distance. I know there will possibly be lots of FB chats and comments, a few texts and even fewer phone calls but when we see each other again we'll just pick up where we left off. I know it will never be same and never be what it could be if I were still living in Swift but I do know how incredibly comfortable and familiar and safe and real I feel with them. And I know how rare that is too. Having these women in my life during our five years in Swift was such a gift and it was the hardest decision for me to leave. But now I know ... I'll see them again. I'm not sure how often but I'll see them again. It isn't over. I'm thankful that this reunion has helped me heal, to relieve the anger and the regret I've felt in our leaving. And in that way, it seems, I've have been able to let them go.

Girls, that was so much fun.