No I haven't forgotten about you

Hi friends,

It's been a bit of a hiatus since I last wrote, huh? This past weekend my girlfriends asked, "So... where have the blogs been?" I shrugged: "It's summer...?" Excuse = lame!

Summer so far has been very Dickens: the best of times, the worst of times. For me, it's honestly been the best of times. I love my new apartment and I really love living with Mark. His friends recently asked how I liked my new "roommate." I said that mostly it's been very normal and nice, kinda quiet and peaceful. For example, right now he's in the office designing a resume for our resume company and I'm lying in bed blogging. We have our alone time but it's wonderful knowing he's a wall away. His friends, joking around, said, "So what I'm hearing is that it's not extraordinary!" But nope, it's that, too.

So while I'm in the best of times, over in newly-moved-in honeymoon-ville, my friends are having a rough go of it. Boyfriends are breaking their hearts, family stress is dragging them down, job loss (or fear of it) is prevalent.

Being happy while your friends are sad just seems unfair. I often wish I could spread the wealth, like blowing one of those poofy weeds where all the seeds scatter. Sometimes I think I'm allowed to be happy now because of all the sadness I experienced when Sally died. Not in an "I deserve it" way. It's more a feeling like there are only so many sobs in the universe and I used up a lot of my quota then. I hope my friends are using up their quota now and will be happy soon, too.

Saying some prayer for my girls tonight.

xo,
Maris

Connecticut, Scrabble, Friends, and other things Sally loved

Sally loved lots of things, but here are a few she totally worshipped:

• Connecticut -- she loved New Haven, her hometown.
  
• The beach -- she was a Piesces, 'nuff said.
• Scrabble -- she beat everyone in my family -- unless they were sick or upset, then sometimes she let us win.
• Friends -- she valued her girlfriends and taught me to do the same.
• Birthdays -- she always knew how to make it special.
  

Last weekend, I got to do all 5 things: I visited my friend Katie in Connecticut to surprise her for her birthday and we played Scrabble and took a trip to the beach. Pretty much the formula for happiness, according to Sally! Actually, I'd add one more to my formula: French toast at a diner.


I've always loved going to visit Katie. Now it's even more fun because she and her fiance Raf just bought a house together. Some girls feel shafted when their best girlfriends find a man, but seeing Katie and Raf is like getting double the fun. I love them as a couple, and I love both of them individually. Around them, I feel 100% myself -- which is why I can go visit them and be totally satisfied staying home on a Saturday night playing Scrabble, drinking wine, and ordering pizza at midnight!

Which friends do you feel 100% comfy around? Write their names below to give thanks!

You gotta have girlfriends

I once asked my mom why she needed to talk on the phone for hours to her friend, Rona. After all, I reasoned, she had Daddy to talk to.



"You can't talk to your husband about eeeverything," she said. "That's what girlfriends are for."

Well, looks like I learned from the pro. Friday nights have been unofficially declared as Girls Night for quite some time now. Whether Laura rushes into the city on the LIRR, or Jes and Sarah and Rachel and I meet up for Thai, or my 4 girl cousins and I order in sushi at Deena's Lower East Side apartment, the week ends -- and the weekend begins -- with my favorite ladies by my side.

We chat about the work week, the plane that crashed into the Hudson, why they bothered to bring back Denny from the dead on Grey's Anatomy, and which shoes really go best with a navy dress at a very winter wedding -- where I'll be heading tomorrow night.

Cold weather may make you dream of cuddling with someone special. But don't forget about your girlfriends. They bring a different kind of warmth. And then the chill ain't so bad.

Goodnight, my friends.