One of the biggest thing I miss about the South is my best friend, Stacey. I have always missed having that connection to another woman, and I don’t think this is something that is easily replaced.

I met Jeremy in 1996. A few months after we started officially dating, he introduced me to his best friend, Justin. Justin is a light hearted and fun loving guy. He is silly and loves to make you laugh. He was dating Stacey, and she and I instantly hit it off. It was perfect– I was dating Jeremy, and my best friend was his best friends girlfriend.

We spent almost every weekend together. They introduced me to things I’de never really gotten in to– camping, rafting, and clubbing. We would spend the night at their house, play cards until the wee morning hours, and wake the next morning to hangovers and Justin’s awesome breakfasts. They adored Austin, and he was always so excited to spend the night at their house because they always involved him and played with him. It was like family.

Justin and Stacey bought a boxer puppy, Zeke, and we immediately went and adopted Zeke’s sister. We named her Sierra. Even the dogs participated in our close connection!

Stacey and Justin got married a few years after we did. They immediately started trying to have a baby. While I was having one miscarriage after another, Stacey wasn’t getting pregnant at all. This went on for years. When I found out I was pregnant with Bella, I didn’t immediately tell Stacey because I didn’t have the best history with keeping a pregnancy. I waited until I was about 12 weeks along, and passed the miscarriage scare period, and I called to tell her. She immediately got super excited and then said, “Stephanie! Guess what! I’m 12 weeks pregnant toooooo!”

We shared our pregnancies together over e-mails and hour long phone talks. I wished I were closer so that we could go waddling through Babies-R-Us together, crave food together, and gripe at our husbands together. She gave birth to her beautiful girl, Nickson, a few weeks after Bella came. It’s made me a bit sad that our girls couldn’t grow up together. I cant help but think they were probably meant to…

Anyways, GUESS WHAT!?

Stacey, Justin, and Nickson are coming to visit us next Spring! I can’t wait! I’m so super psyched! We talked about just meeting in Las Vegas since there’s so much more to do there and not so much here in Littletown, CO. We’ll check out the Grand Canyon, take the kids to the Water Park, cruise the LV strip, have a girl’s night out where we can go shake our (saggier)stuff on the dance floor like old times! I’m sooooo super stoked!

It’s awesome that we’ve been able to keep our connection, despite the distance. But’s its so nice to be able to see them again. My heart is smiling!