my new friends

i wanted to write about my new friends: liz and amy. actually amy is not a "new" friend. i met her when we were first moved and i was walking with the kids from our home to first pres for sarah circle (bible study). she also attends this group and she had her two girls in tow. they are olivia (3) and maya (nearly 3). the most amazing thing about amy is that she knows my friend bev hall who is better known as jama to our family. we go way back. jama is susan sjolund's mama. susan is my mom's best friend and wife of karl. karl was the admissions counselor at virginia episcopal school (my h.s.) and our first christian connection down in lynchburg back when my family lived in amherst. susan and karl's girls were our flower girls. they are twins and i babysat them when they were just babies (actually from preemies to elementary school) while i was in high school and college. susan grew up in portsmouth. jama leads scrapbooking meetings. amy goes to those meetings - yep six degrees of seperation for amy on aquidneck island. ps - amy is my resident expert for all things island. you need a nice florist, gourmet bakery, doctor, seafood market - amy is the woman to go to. & she reminds me of susan too! which is a huge compliment!

then there is liz. i met her through amy, of course. she and amy and i are all in the mom's club. which i really think is the greatest thing since sliced bread. hello - friends and activities so we aren't going to shrivel up and die in our homes with peanut butter mashed to our foreheads. yes mamas have social circles too. its great. so anyway. liz goes to our church too. and she has two little boys who are awesome and she is from the south - so of course she has incredible hospitality. and did i mentions that she is an incredibly strong woman. she is a single mom who is bravely stepping out into a new life and seeking wholeness in every sense of the word. i am so blessed to know her. she is genuine and supportive.

thursday nights we have decided to all go to a yoga class and then dinner afterwards. this week was our first week. we went to salvation cafe (which got its name for all of their decor originally from the salvation army). its awesome. asian fusion meets california cool. i had a sangria. very yummy. anyone who visits me is going to have to go to this place. we had a blast. the next time, liz is making thai curry for us. yummo!!

so this sat liz and i met for breakfast at my new favorite breakfast joint - the Atlantic Grill right by first beach. it rocks. then we went and go our nails and toes done. clearly we were pampering ourselves. its an investment.

without going into too much detail these two ladies are hilarious. we laugh a lot. they are real. their kids are pleasant to be around - but are oh so normal. they love jesus and being mamas. we are starting a books at the beach club together. i am going to play bunco with a group, which includes them too. this month it was at liz' home but g and i were out on a double date. jesus is meeting my needs. bringing me a healthy community to be around. we are all learning to give, extend and recieve grace as we navigate the waters of beings moms, childrearing and life.