Friends are the best

I know I say it all the time, but it really is true - friends are the best. A few months ago, my good friends Caroline Batchelor (heretoforth referred to as "Caroline the Elder") and Anna Brown called me up and said they wanted to come visit me in California, and that right after New Years worked the best for both of them. Because I'm staying in AZ until my business school orientation starts, I suggested they come out to Wickenburg instead. I was so excited, because I haven't seen Caroline the Elder since this summer, at my baby shower, and haven't seen Anna since early June, when I ate dinner with her and my other friend Sara in DC.

We had a blast. It was a quick visit, but we made every moment of it worthwhile and really explored the area. The first day we went for walks with Rocky and Caroline, went to the spa at the Ranch, and enjoyed the 70 degree, sunny weather (quite a contrast to the East Coast right now, I hear). As we were settling in for a dinner of quesadillas, Anna - who had been feeling a bit under the weather all day - told us she thought she might have appendicitis. We called my mom, who listened to her symptoms and suggested we go to the ER just to be safe, and thus, that's how Caroline the Elder and I took turns spending the next 6 hours with Anna at the ER. Thank goodness she didn't have appendicitis, but it was yet another lovely exercise in the incredible inefficiency of hospitals, despite being completely empty and overstaffed.

The next day Anna was feeling much better, so the three of us embarked on a 4 mile hike. It was another perfect day, and Caroline the Younger was a champ. We saw lots of "desert flora and fauna" (as promised by our guidebook, and managed not to get lost, though it truly took all three of us to achieve this. After the hike we got margaritas to go from the Ranch, and enjoyed the jacuzzi at my parents' house while watching the sunset. It was a lovely day.

My hiking buddies

Caroline and I, enjoying our margaritas

Caroline the Elder left on day three, so we went to Scottsdale and had lunch at the Camelback Inn. It was a beautiful resort, and we were able to eat outside. I had gazpacho and a salad, and both were terrific. After dropping Caroline the Elder off at the airport, Anna, Baby C and I went to Borders, where we had coffee, indulged in magazines, and chatted some more.

At the Camelback Inn - the point of this pic was literally so Anna and Caroline could "make the blog"

Anna's last day here was Roll Tide day. The entire day was planned around the BCS Championship, which Anna had informed me we would watch in entirety about a month ago. We took it easy most of the day, save for a trip to the western store and the grocery store. When the game came on, we had an awesome dinner of chicken fingers, cornbread, and green beans while Anna rooted for Alabama. The game was a pretty good game, considering Colt McCoy couldn't play, and it was refreshing watching sports again (I've been completely out of it this fall, with Greg gone and Caroline keeping me busy).

This morning I dropped Anna off at the airport, and couldn't stop thinking about how much those two lifted my spirits. I have not hung out with friends from college for more than a quick meal or catch up in almost three years, and it was great to see that we can still talk for hours, but at the same time do our own thing and not feel pressure to constantly entertain. They know how to make me laugh, keep me from being bogged down in the sluggish mid-deployment funk, and always have great stories to tell. I've had so many times this deployment where I've felt that God has spent my life preparing me and giving me the tools to survive this time, and my awesome friends have definitely proven to be a huge part of helping me get through this!