The Other Gals May 8, 2008

Last night I had dinner with Gretty, Cubby, Court and Ali. It was really great to see them, and I am proud to report that I held it together. No tears, though I was close to turning on the waterworks a few times (not sure if anyone noticed or not - I am not usually as smooth as I might think that I am).

I think I have a kinda uncertain, worried, stressed out vibe going on right now, and I don’t like it. I hope the gals didn’t pick up on it too much. I tried to push it down and be just regular Tingaling, like I prefer to be.

It does make me happy that I will be seeing most of them in the next few months (like Gretty said “The Summer of Us!” )- San Diego trip for Gretty and Cubby, and then Court is coming down for the Red Sox - Astros series. And I’ll def be back up to get the house packed up and Kandy A and Stevie’s weddings this fall, so hopefully I’ll be able to catch up with them all in person then. And I am promoting January and February for H-town visits, as it is so nice during the winter.

Gretty and Ali - so cute!

Court, Cubby & I - cute cute cute!

When I think about it, I met all these great gals through Gretty. Boy, am I glad I was in push up position next to her at Seals that morning! And I am glad that I basically forced her to be friends with me - I really don’t think she was all that fond of me in the beginning. But my perseverance paid off - she is great as are all the others.

Oddly enough, Cubs and I became closer when Gretty was on her 2 month adventure last summer between jobs. I guess we were both missing her, so hung out together. Which was great - as Cubby is so awesome. Sometimes (most times) I can’t believe that she is younger than me (4 years! born in 1980!!!!) as I usually feel like she is more mature than I (guess that isn’t too hard). I also think that since she is a big sis and I am a little sis, that somehow plays into the dynamic (perhaps subconsciously).

Court is the founder of wine club and a rabid Red Sox / Patriots fan, like Boom. So it is great because she and Boom have a real connection as do she and I - I love it when that happens! (and yes, Boom has a connection with the others as well: Cubs - their shared love of music / same sense of humor and wittiness, Gretty - they are great buddies - always have something to talk about, and he - as well as I - loves all the members of her family!) and she’s always up for having a good time, which is great.

{BTW - Ruby is tooting! Audibly! That dog…}

And last but not least, Ali (and Chuck). She is so great b/c she is always smiling and laughing, and just a great, genuine person. She and Chuck are one of my fav couples I have met in RIC. So nice, too, ’cause Boom likes them both - which sometimes can be tricky if spouses don’t get along. I wish I had had more time to get to know Ali, but I am hopeful that we can stay in touch.

I am really gonna miss everyone. But I guess we have to leave to move onto the next adventure…