My Squad

It's become sort of a fad recently for everyone to have #goals of any kind - couple, fitness, squad, etc. You name it - everyone's got an ultimate version of something they're seeking, or maybe they're fortunate enough to already have it. I like to march to the beat of my own drum and the few times I follow the crowd, it's more like lagging way behind. I'm never doing what's in style, cool or hip.

But if I had to pick one #goal I'm proud of, it is my squad.  A ton of people are quick to say "I'm here any time," or "you can call me day or night." The number of people who truly mean it though, at least in my life, is a lot less than a ton. Probably so much less that I can count them on one hand.

I have three great women in my life - my sister Debbie, my cousin Becky, my cousin Amanda - who truly are my best friends, and I really can call them any time. Day or night. Crying or laughing. Mourning or celebrating. Offering help or seeking advice. I can guarantee we are not #squadgoals for the rest of the world. I can also guarantee we don't care. We love us and I wouldn't change it a bit.

As kids, I remember us putting on our best dresses with matching hats at Easter and hunting eggs around our Aunt Ellen's yard; playing rock school on the steps in front of our grandparents' house; making music videos in Becky's garage; fighting over who got to butter toast in the morning after a sleepover at our grandparents' house - it's my turn; decorating bikes and strollers for the 4th of July parade; fearing Uncle Bob for no real reason; reserving movies at the video store under the name Billie Jean King and being accused of lying - we weren't; asking Uncle Den to sing "If I Only Had a Brain" one more time; and I could go on and on.

Year after year, we'd gather at our grandparents' house on Christmas Eve. The adults would sit around the living room as we performed the Christmas story. I think Debbie or Amanda always read the book and the rest of us played various roles. After that, we'd put on our Christmas clothes and walk to St. Mary's for midnight mass. My most vivid memory of the church was the huge cross hanging on the wall. I'm not lying. It's enormous! And I think the figure of Jesus might be bigger than he actually was. 😂 Why is it so big? I remember sitting in the pew near the front and just staring at him.

Our times together have transitioned from playing with dolls and tossing rocks in the crick to weddings and having babies. We're all grown up now, according to our birth certificates, and our bond has grown as much as we have. I still get made fun of for not being able to correctly pronounce "meow" when I read the Three Little Kittens aloud. They all still get teased for stuff too, but they don't know I'm writing this so I'll let them share at their discretion!

We have daily text messages full of sarcasm, wit, and F-bombs. We have stories of stupid things we did when we were drunk. We have parenting and relationship questions. We perform Build Me Up Buttercup by the Temptations at karaoke like no one you've ever heard.

I love these women and all the special memories we've made together. I can't wait to see what the next 40 years hold for all of us.