The weekend of all the fun

I’m sitting here just a little bit teary as I think back over this past weekend. Which is pretty remarkable when you consider that P is currently watching some show about people being stranded at sea for five days debating drinking their own urine while sharks circle below their raft. But my heart is full because I had the best weekend with friends and then came home to flowers waiting for me and a great Mother’s Day spent hanging out with my people.

There have been so many great memories that have come over the last month since Nobody’s Cuter Than You released out into the world that my heart has just been on overload. It’s like the internal version of my whole being right now is like the old Coca-Cola commercial and I want to teach the world to sing.

I think it was right after Spring Break when Gulley and I were texting with Jen one day and she said she would love to go to an Aggie baseball game before the season was over. And that started a whole lot of figuring out schedules, looking for tickets, making plans and general excitement as we marked the weekend of May 8th on our respective calendars to meet in College Station to watch the Aggies play their last regular season home series against South Carolina.

Honey and Big secured tickets for us because they were hard to come by once the Aggies became the #2 team in the nation and then I decided to add a book signing into the mix. Then our friends Jamie and Trevor decided to come too and bring their boys, plus Tiff already lives in College Station and a party was born.

Of course the problem with making plans for the month of May is that they never go quite as smoothly as you think because May is an INSANE MONTH THAT IS TRYING TO MAKE US ALL CRAZY with all its events and occasions and sporting events. So Gulley and her family ended up needing to wait until Saturday morning to leave due to the boys have Friday night baseball games. Meanwhile, I’d planned to pick Caroline up right after school on Friday and hit the road, but that was the day of a field trip and she didn’t get home until almost 5:30. Then by the time she showered and we got packed it was close to 7:00 p.m. We stopped for a quick Icee and a photo op along the way. I love this picture because it pretty much sums us up in that we had two different ideas about the kind of picture this was going to be.

Anyway, we eventually made our way to Honey and Big’s house and Jen met us there after she’d gone to dinner with Jamie, Trevor and some other friends. We all caught up for a few minutes but headed to bed pretty quickly since we were all exhausted.

But Saturday morning Jen’s little boy, Lincoln, woke us up all bright and early. He was immediately initiated into Honey’s brownies for breakfast program and then spent a lot of time lining up his trucks just right and fell in love with Honey’s beta fish who happens to be named “Kevin Sumlin” although Linc kept calling him “Heaven”. I also had the opportunity to wipe his behind after he pooped which was a real treat because it’s been many years since someone yelled at me to come “WIPE ME!”

Gulley got into town and then we all headed to LifeWay in College Station for the book signing. Tiff and Jamie met us there and the kids all ran up and down the sidewalk and, honestly, I don’t know what else because I was too busy meeting so many nice people and signing books. I do know that Caroline found several things she wanted to purchase because she kept stacking them by my feet as I signed books.

I just need you to know I may write an annual book on friendship from here on out just so I have a reason to keep getting together with all my girls over and over again. It’s so weird because I thought I knew what they meant to me when I was writing it, but I think seeing how they have shown up and cheered me on and just how much we all love being together has made me cherish each of these girls all the more. They are such a part of my heart.

And just when you thought I wasn’t going to get any sappier, there’s this.

If you’ve read the book, you may remember that I mention Nena’s best friends, Jo and Dorothy Kay, in the last chapter. They showed up at LifeWay to get their books signed which was enough to do me in but, not only that, they each were carrying one of Nena’s old purses so that a little part of Nena could be there too. It took everything in me not to fall on the floor in tears. That’s Jo, me, Dorothy Kay, Gulley and Honey all together. I have to believe Nena was smiling down on us because she loved nothing more than a party.

And if that’s not enough to make your heart grow ten sizes today, Dorothy Kay managed to sell more books for me because she told a lady at the cash register that she needed to buy it and then Jo told that lady, “When you read about Jo, that’s me. I’m Jo.” They are just the best and it meant so much to me that they came.

After we left the store we all went to eat burgers at Koppe Bridge before we headed out to Olson Field to watch the Aggies play. The kids ran around and we all laughed and told stories and soaked it all up.

We finally made it to the game and Olson was about as packed as I’ve ever seen it and it was about as humid as I can remember. As we were all trying our best not to sweat, Jamie asked, “Is this what they refer to as ‘sultry’?” It was beyond that. But we fed the kids snow cones and drank lots of water and watched the Aggies get down by five runs and then come back. And then get down again and come back.

Eventually most of our crew ended up standing under the breezeway because we all desperately wanted some shade and a breeze while we watched the game. But the kids stayed on the grass because they’re kids and don’t know about the sun spots you get when you turn forty.

Going into the bottom of the ninth, the Aggies were down by two but they came back and won it in a thrilling finish and we were all beside ourselves. We got to see the Olson magic and it was the perfect ending to a great day. And the dads texted to tell us to bring all the kids over to the grass and we took this picture to commemorate it.

Yes. We have a kid who has gone rogue with his Longhorn jersey. It’s something we’re all working through. But friends love even in the toughest of circumstances.

After the game, Jamie and Trevor were heading back to Dallas with their kids (Jen needed to leave a little earlier so she and her people had already gone) but they decided to swing by Honey and Big’s to grab a bite before hitting the road since Honey had a huge sandwich tray, more dips than I could count, cookies, and brownies waiting on us.

And somehow all the kids ended up piling in the car with Trevor so Jamie hopped in the car with Jon, Gulley and me. Then Trevor sent us this selfie.

I’m sure this is just what we imagined when we all first met in college.

Actually, it’s better than what we could have imagined back then.