A toast to my friend

It is my opinion that everyone should have that friend. You know the one. The friend that you always call, with everything. The one you could talk to for hours, every day. The one you share your deepest sorrows and greatest joys with.

I am fortunate enough to have that friend. Her name is Anna. She has been my friend since we were 13 years old. I won’t tell you how many years that’s been; but I will tell you, it’s been more than half my life. After that long, we’re family.

Since we’ve been friends, we have both experienced our first heartbreak, and second and third. We have both gotten married; she will celebrate her 10th anniversary this year and I my first. We have both moved into our first homes. We were pregnant at the same time and delivered beautiful babies within 5 days of each other. We graduated from high school together and I graduated from college, while she went on to start a very successful photography business.

We have seen the ups and downs of life together. We have grieved together. We have celebrated together. We have pondered the big questions of life and laughed at the things that don’t really matter. There is no better support system than a friend who has known you so completely for so long.

She is my biggest cheerleader and the first one to give me a kick in the pants if I need it. She is completely honest with me, but in a way that protects the parts of me that need protecting. She has been witness to some of the most embarrassing moments in my life and my proudest.

When I got my heart broken, she was the first one I called. When I bought my first house, she was the first one I called. When I discovered I was pregnant, she was the first one I called. When my husband proposed to me, she was the first one I called. (Actually, she knew before I did.) When I wasn’t sure what the next step was supposed to be, she was the first one I called. When I was ready to take the next step, she was the first one I called. When that step was a huge mistake, she was the first one I called. When that step was one of the best decisions I could have made, she was the first one I called.

She has been the one to leave Christmas presents under my tree and in my stocking when I was going to be waking up alone Christmas morning. She has been the one to sit in the hospital with me when I was in labor for 40 hours, even though she was 9 months pregnant herself. She has been the one to cry with me, because there were no words, when my baby’s future was so unsure. She has been the one to stand beside me while I was vowing my life to my husband, and the one to call me out when I wasn’t keeping up with my end of the deal. She has been the one to call my family when my little guy had to go to the emergency room. She has been the one… so many times and through so many circumstances.

We laugh about what life will look like when we’re old. I am determined to be one of those old ladies who says and does the craziest things; just because I’m old and I can. And there is no question in my mind that she will be there too. So, in 50 years, if you see two old ladies, laughing so hard they are peeing themselves, telling dirty jokes, flirting with younger men, putting false teeth in glasses of water, and reliving the memories of the past, it might be us. And if it is, you can know without doubt, that it has been one hell of a ride!