I had a pretty good day today. I rode my bike about 30 miles. Went to yoga. Hung out with some of my homies... Indeed, the love of my good friends was the best thing that I experienced today. I ate some yummy food, I feel pretty good about myself that I've been taking care of myself physically and trying to to be a healthy happy lady... I need mac and cheese before I can finish this. I'm starving. I was over at Steph and Brit's new place (the inspiration for this post) a moment ago and left thinking, pizza? mac'n'cheese? nothing? omygodimfamished. I didn't get that slice of pizza because the idea of going to another location and waiting even for a second to get food seemed unappealing, even as it was just around the corner and much faster than biking home and preparing this unhealthy late night meal.

Mac'n'cheese, mac'n'cheese... I so desire you my delightful mac'n'cheese. There is this delicious looking chard and gouda/emmental recipe for mac'n'cheese that I saw in Saveur that I want to try... is my water boiling yet?

My instant mac'n'cheese is done and I'm not sure that's so great for the purposes of finishing writing this, because I no longer have such a sense of urgency about anything. Mmmmm so tasty.

So, I was at Steph and Brit's new apartment (which is sweet! actually just part of a house that has been subdivided into four sections. it has high ceilings and a great front porch), and I was saying, "did you hear that Kelly just had her baby?" and I had one of those moments where I was like... holy moly. Here I am, in the second half of my twenties, on Britney's 28th birthday, standing in the living room of two ladies that I've known since elementary and middle school. Two women with whom I spent countless hours of my youth, doing those teenage girl best friend rituals that I feel silly mentioning, because I guess as young women we still talk about boys and I really wouldn't mind a good sleepover, but it seems unnecessary since we have no curfews and our own apartments that we pay rent and utilities on.

And we're talking about Kelly having her baby. Kelly, who lived down the street from me since we moved into the neighborhood when I was nine or ten, who married her best friend's older brother, Risa's brother Bryant, children in the family that happened to live next door to us.

And I'm going to my brother's childhood best friend's wedding this summer. And Eli got married last year...

When I went to college I kind of lost contact with my friends that I grew up with. Not totally, but a little. Well, it may have been sooner than that. Maybe when I started having boyfriends I was a little more m.i.a than I should have been. We were just doing different things, or I made myself unavailable, or I'm not sure exactly what was up. I often try to force change because I want life to be exciting and feel in control of my own destiny, blah blah blah... so, I wasn't hanging out. that's all I can say. maybe I was a flake. maybe they didn't notice.

Anyway...I started this blog when my friend Meg was moving to Germany. I have met many amazing people in the past five years and I am always, always whining that people are constantly moving away, that my friends just cycle and change and I'm tired of doing it. And here I am reminded that that may be true, but that's not the end of the story. People leave, but I don't have to stop loving them. AND! some people stay. and even if I don't see them often, I get to hear about the important moments, and sometimes I even get to be there.

And that's so great. Because that's what this life is all about. The end.

p.s. I need to be better at making sure that these people know how much I care about them.