Friends - they are priceless

I tend to be one of those people who do not have a huge group of friends.  I guess that goes along with being an introvert.  I like quiet pursuits and am able to keep myself occupied and engaged without much outside intervention.  Yet the friends I have mean everything to me.

First of all there is my partner in crime, who I have written about several times in this blog.  She is my husband's youngest sister.  We have known each other for years and have had many wonderful adventures.  She loves to plan fun jaunts and trips and I love to go on them.  So we are a great pair immersing ourselves in our love of cooking, foodie - ing and all things shopping.

Another example is my friend Joyce.  She lives across the street from me and we have been dog walking companions for several years.  Through the blazing heat of summer and the frigid cold of winter we can be seen walking our dogs around the neighborhood.

Recently I was telling Joyce that the person who does some yard work for me was not responding to my requests to trim back my lilac bushes after they bloomed this spring.  She said she loves to do that kind of work and would help me.

So Saturday afternoon she texted me and said she was in the mood to do some trimming of bushes.  I told her to come on over and we would tackle the lilacs.  It was a beautiful day, not too hot or too humid, so it was a perfect time to take care of this task.

She cut and I cleaned up.  It was a dirty task and we both attacked it the zeal.  Within an hour the bushes were cut back and I had cleaned up and bagged all the debris.

That is truly a friend who will take a Saturday afternoon and get down and dirty with a task I had been dreading for a while.  We had a great time and I totally appreciated her taking care of me.

Friends - they are priceless.  I am blessed to have them in my life.

Phone Calls from Nashville - Priceless

One of the highlights of my week is the occasional phone call I get from Nashville, TN.  It usually goes like this,

"Hi Grandma!" says my grandson.

"Hi honey, how are you?"

"Fine Grandma, is Grandpa there?"

So usually when Ronan calls he immediately asks for the other person.  One day he called me while I was driving to work.  So I answered the phone and told him I was so happy to hear from him.  When he asked for Grandpa I told him,

"Grandpa is not with me, honey.  I am on my way to work and Grandpa is at home getting ready for work."

That call ended quickly because Ronan really wanted to talk to his grandpa.  I think he just enjoys directing the conversation and being in charge of who is on the other end.

During one conversation Ronan had talked to me and then asked to talk to his grandpa.  Then when the phone was handed back to me my husband said he thought Ronan as done.  I checked by asking for him and no one answered, so I hung up.

The phone rang immediately after that and I heard Ronan say, "Grandma, you hung up on me!"
Oh boy, was I in trouble.  I tried to explain that when I did not hear him say anything when I checked I thought he was gone.  I have now learned to wait until I am absolutely sure he has moved on before I hang up. 

Most recently we were talking to him and he proudly told us that he had "Green Coke" that day.  My husband and I thought since it was St. Patrick's Day maybe that is how he celebrated at day care.  We later found out that "Green Coke" is Sprite.  Makes sense.

The phone calls are always fun, short and a learning experience.  They are also priceless.