They all turned me down and decided to ride out the storm, except for my friend T. T and I have known each other since.....I think 4th grade. (I am getting old, so some details are getting fuzzy. LOL)
She sent me a message and asked if she could really come escape the storm with us....and bring her two fur babies. Yup, I said. Come on! And, she did.
It took her like 15 hours to drive the 500 or so miles to our place. Yuck.
I will admit that I completely meant it when I said our home was open to friends and family. I will also admit that when she said she was actually coming, I freaked out a bit. T and I have known each other since elementary school, but she is not one of the people that I have kept in super close contact with since we graduated. Facebook happy birthday greetings? Clicking "like" on a funny meme about Minnesota winters? Yes. Jamberry and other on-line parties? Yes. But, sharing life and conversations? Nope.
So, I started thinking....what if we don't like each other anymore? What if it is weird and awkward and we are trapped together in my house?
But, you know? It really wasn't weird. It was sort of weirdly normal. We were still essentially those same 4th grade girls - albeit less awkward and much more comfortable with our nerdiness.
We still liked each other. We still understood each other.
My kids loved hearing stories about our time in school....or even just how public school worked back then in rural Minnesota. Like, how the boys could drive their trucks to school, park it in the lot with their gun on their gun rack. Because they had gotten in a little hunting before school and planned to go out right after school, if they had time. No big deal.
My one and only experience with T.P-ing (I don't really know how to spell that...) was at one of T's sleep overs in high school. It was not a good experience for me. I am such a rule follower...aka...nerd, that I was terrified that we were going to get caught and arrested or get a stern talking to by somebodies mom or dad. I don't like to get in trouble. I don't even like the possibility of getting in trouble. So, I just sort of awkwardly crouched behind bushes and kept saying things like, "I think that is enough. That is good. Maybe we should go home now.", while everyone else gleefully chucked the rolls of toilet paper onto the trees.
It was sort of fun to know that I was basically the same person that I was back when I was a kid. You know? I have changed, but also, I haven't.
T stayed with us for about a week. We just went about our normal lives and she just went along with our flow. She even came to church with us and helped pack relief buckets for hurricane victims! Her fur babies never really warmed up to us or the house though. I don't know if it was because there are so many of us, or that we were too loud and moved too quickly. But, they stayed in her bedroom for 99% of the time.
As a thank you gift for me, she ordered me these really cool rubber wine stopper things so I don't have to try to shove my cork back in the bottles now. I can be classy like other people!
She also wanted to thank L-girl who had given up her room for T. So, she surprised her and bought her the dress she wanted for Homecoming. L-girl was thrilled.
It was nice to have someone to talk....Minnesotan with that had also moved down south. It was fun talking about the things we have had to adjust to and things we thought were normal in Minnesota that are weird down here. LOL
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