Friends. The cream in my coffee.

I've been thinking about friendships here lately.  Real, honest, 'you gotta booger in your nose' type friendships. Let me dig a little deeper.

A good friend is something no gal should take for granted.  She understands how bad you're cramping you when your hubby can't.  If you're both Mommy's, she totally gets how emotional it can be to witness your baby's first tooth, step, haircut, etc.  She lifts you up when you're down.  Encourages you when you feel courage-less. Seriously.  A good friend is priceless.

I saw this recently and had to share.  I had already been thinking about a friendship topic and this just confirmed it for me.

Can I just say how incredibly blessed I feel to have the friendships I have?  New and old.  

I can count on one hand who I consider to be my closest friends right now.  I'm not just talking about women that will listen to me wallow in self pity and tell me I'm prettier than my husbands ex-girlfriends (those types of friends are good to have too!) I'm talking about strong woman that build me up, make me feel like I can conquer the world, help me to believe that I can do anything.  

My sister Brittany is the one I have always turned to and she is always quick to answer a call or text and just let me cry on the other end like a mad woman if I need to.  A sister is a built in best friend.  We talk about things like starting up our own bakery, clothing shop, etc and quitting our real jobs (I've been able to, yay!) to pursue our dreams.  I can tell her anything and not worry that I'm being judged on the other end of the phone.  She's the best secret keeper I know and I can't imagine life without her.  She's the kind of friend & sister every girl needs!

I've known my other friend, Kristen, since I was born. No, really.  She was born on March 27th & me and my sister came right behind her on April 13th.  She has always been there as long as I can remember.  She was the only one that didn't make fun of me when I couldn't get my words out.  She would just stand there patiently waiting for me to finish what was taking me forever to say.  I don't see her as often as I'd like but she's has 3 little boys to my 1 and I keep her on standby to ask ridiculous baby questions.  She helped get me through the first few months of being a new Mom and was always assuring me that I was doing it right and it would be ok.  We all survived. Ha! She's the kind of friend every girl & new Mom needs!

As an adult I look for different things in a friend.  I guess my "criteria" has changed.  I just want someone to give as much as I do. Someone that makes me feel happy, confident, and is as laid back as I try to be.  I love new and even unexpected friendships.  

Lindsay has a baby boy that's 3 weeks older than Carter so we meet as often as possible for playdates (and much needed girl time).  She's recently moved back to Texas from Alabama & has met & exceeded my adult "criteria". She's the one who convinced me to start my applique venture.  I had never owned anything with appliqué and Carter certainly didn't have anything either.  A quick Etsy search let me know that applique was actually quite popular & cute!!  She has the biggest heart and is constantly (without realizing it) challenging me to do things I would have never even attempted.  The sky's the limit with her and it's rubbing off on me!  She's the kind of friend & motivator every girl needs!

I've been blessed with the best.  A good, true friendship is sometimes hard to come by.  When you find it, grab it and don't let it go! Nurture it.  You need it.