Truths: Nine is More than a Number

Last night, as is tradition, 6 of my 9 college friends got together for dinner. We go back to sharing a huge house in college at U of I senior year where, even with 9 girls, we all got our own room.

The house was on Busey street and whether be by default or by creative design we coined ourselves the Busey Girls.

A whole year we had together – to talk, laugh, cry, and share practically everything about our lives.

There were so many moments where we would be lounging in our family room watching 90210 and some us would come and go… But, always staying for a spell to chat and to listen.

I didn’t realize then how very special all of it was. How incredible it was to have access to 8 friends nearly 24/7.

I never realized that that was the only time in my life I would be blessed with that scenario. Graduation would come and go and I found myself living alone.

Luckily, even though those days of chatter and laughs are gone, the 9 of us have done a great job of keeping in touch. We have made quite the effort to get together for dinner or a girly sleepover (where we kick everyone else in our household out) or even go on long weekend getaways.

Whether we have children 3 months to 12 years old, or are working full-time, we have made the effort to be there.

5 of us live in the relatively same area, 1 of us lives about 4 hours away and the other two are in different states altogether. But, each of us has kept in touch – thank goodness for email.

So, last night 6 of us were able to get to dinner. There were 25 emails leading up to the event out, but in the end everyone who could – made it.

Granted we couldn’t do it before 8pm – because some had to go to teacher conferences, some had basketball practice, and some had paid jobs…

But at 8pm, like clockwork, everyone started drizzling in. And, within minutes, we were seated ordering cocktails and talking – lots of talking.

Kate filled us in our her unbelievable life as a full-time attorney and the antics of the three boys (TRIPLETS)… Plus one on the way…something none of us could imagine!

There was talk of PTOs (parent teacher organization). Questions like: how much fundraising is enough, what to do with a mom who is driving you nuts on a committee, etc…

What to do with a child who has no interest in reading..

The thesis of a paper for Tina’s PhD…

And the list of conversation goes on and on – for over 4 hours and until we were the very last table at the Cheesecake factory. They must close at midnight!

I guess the topics of our conversation aren’t especially important – it’s the mere fact that we are there having them.

We have been out of college for 16 years and not a month has gone by that we aren’t sharing emails or planning time to get together.

I recently read that if you can maintain a friendship until 40, that friendship will last the rest if your life… One more year to go!

The most amazing thing about our friendship is that we are the most diverse group of friends you can imagine.. from conservative Catholic to free spirit Atheist we are sometimes a millions miles apart in beliefs.

But, regardless, our differences have brought so much color to our friendship.

There are 9 Busey Girls – which means there are 8 women I am grateful to know and to share my life with. There are many days I long for the hours I took for granted back in that family room spread out on the sofas, watching 90210 surrounded by dear fiends.

But, as Tina ended the night with: “When are we going to Florida to stay at Becky’s parents?”

Soon Tina… Soon. ☺