My Best Friends - National Best Friends Day!

Today is National Best Friend Day and it didn't seem right to let the day pass without mentioning my two best friends - Amy & Nat. Friendship has been on my mind a lot recently, as Megan my oldest daughter has struggled with a best friendship at school these last few months and as conversations have made us discuss my past friendships, it makes you think a little.

I don't have a single friendship left from when I was at Primary School. I don't really have any left from Secondary or Grammar School either. I certainly don't have any from University but that was largely because I didn't really make any - what with traveling backwards and forwards each day for the boyfriend I had at the time. As I look down my Facebook friend list, a very narrowed down 63 people, I realise that majority of my friends are from the last 10 years, a huge amount of them being friends I made online. My two Best Friends, who have been my best friends for a lot of that time, are both people I met online.

Amy and I (Amy can be found at www.cocktailsinteacups.com)

Our oldest photo together on Facebook, is this one:

That's me sat on the floor with a phone in my hand, Megan sitting on the bench and Amy sat on the floor - with blonde hair! According to the timestamp this was 2007 (though that could just be when it was uploaded). Amy and I actually met in 2004 when I was pregnant with Megan. Though obviously our friendship took some time to get going, she quickly became my best friend once it did.

I know she'll hate me for adding this photo but its the oldest I could find online. August 2006.
We were already best friends at this point - bonded more by peeing together in a field!

Since that time, we've been through a lot together - on both sides. Amy chose to attend Lincoln University, partly because I lived over in that direction. She was there when I ran my own business, a restaurant called Cristobels, and I even gave her her first waitressing job. She was there when my ex husband and I first took a break from each other - helping me pack up all of my stuff and move to my mum's. Amy was there for both my kids growing up, for the actual end of my marriage and helping me move house, for various ups and down ever since. In the same token I was there when she split up with various boyfriends, especially her first long time relationship that resulted in her moving in with me and my family. This was to be only the first time she lived with me though, as two years ago she ended up back at my house - something Amy discusses in a post here. While we've definitely had some lows and even some time of not being friends - for the last 10 years she has been my best friend.

One year for Halloween, Amy and I dressed up as Elphaba and Glinda from Wicked. We both love to dress up and even though this was just a small party at my house, we both put everything we had into it. Now almost 5 years on, Amy is one of the main reasons that every month we have a murder mystery party - something the two of us started two years ago tomorrow for my brother's birthday.

We have been on numerous trips to London together, seeing musicals such as Wicked and Grease, or just sight-seeing. Two years ago we went on a caravan holiday together and several times we've been camping for the weekend - all in the name of a Muggle Meet. We share lots of similar fandoms, especially Disney and Harry Potter. Just recently we visited the Harry Potter Studio Tour together and next year we'll be visiting Florida at the same time which means both Walt Disney World and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Some of my nicest pictures exist with Amy in them, while actually some of my worst do too! I think Amy is the only person that I know who has their camera out more than me - and that was well before either of us blogged.

Despite our age difference, which has at times caused problems, we have lots in common. Amy is one of the only people who I tell absolutely everything to. Though we live at a distance now, which definitely makes things harder, we manage to meet up at least once a month on the whole. During that time its never hard to find something to talk about - gossip or even bitch about. At times it definitely feels a bit more like we're sisters than friends, but I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. I'm not 100% sure at what time of year we met (though I'm sure Amy could tell you) but I know that this year celebrates our 10 years of knowing each other and becoming friends. I hope that in another 10 years time I'll still be writing a post about Best Friends that includes her.

Nat and I (Nat can be found on our joint blog at www.twicethemum.com)

Our oldest photo together on Facebook, is this one:

Technically when we had this picture taken, Nat and I weren't really friends. The timestamp on the photo is March 2007 but I know it must have actually been taken in August 2006. While we had known each other for a while at this point, we were friendly without being friends. It wasn't really until Nat was pregnant with Josh and I was pregnant with Lily, that we first started to really talk. In fact, there are still conversation on Facebook that we had, asking each other about our pregnancies.

Since then, our friendship has developed slowly over time. For the majority of time we've known each other, we were just friends - good friends, but just friends nonetheless. It has really only been in the last three years or so, that the status changed. Having similar aged children has definitely been a main factor for our friendship, as well as a shared friendship group. When my marriage broke down almost four years ago, Nat and I got closer, often organising sleepovers and drinking sessions with her other friend Hollie. Though I wouldn't say we've been through the same highs and lows together as Amy and I have, we've been there for the every day stuff. A bad day at work, a child that won't stop crying, a partner acting like an ass or an insensitive friend - we've always known the other was there, that same day, for a cup of tea and moan.

Nat and I have spent days out in a theme park together - not just for Muggle Meets but at other times too. In fact, we have tickets to Alton Towers just next month, as she's the only person I know who'll ride the rollercoasters with me! She's usually my first goto as someone to go to the cinema with too. We first watched Hunger Games (both so far), Avengers Assemble, Divergent, and several kids movies together. We've also been to London to Wicked, and take the Harry Potter Studio Tour. For the last two years, she's been the person responsible for making my birthday cake too. We've often talked about taking a family holiday together but sadly its not something we've got around to yet. I'm sure we will do one day though as her partner Tom and my partner Chris, both get along well too.

Just like with Amy, Nat and I also have quite a big age difference, though its never really seemed that big because of having two children of a similar age to one another. In the whole time we've been friends, Nat and I have never fallen out or spoken a cross word. I'm sure there are times that we've even felt upset or annoyed at each other, but we've always just voiced it and moved past it. Because Nat lives so close, we definitely have a regular best friend friendship. We see each other almost every week without fail, sometimes even more than that. We're both incredibly unhappy with our weight right now and in association with the blog we write together, we're both trying to lose weight together. Nat is one of those people that I feel sure I'll be friends with for the rest of my life as there is absolutely no reason why we wouldn't be.

Both my Best Friends

The thing I love the most about my two best friends, is that they are also friends with each other. Not Best Friends, but just friends. This means that for the majority of the time I socialise, I get to spend that time with both my best friends. We're always going to have things that we do separately too, but its great to know that so many of our good times together, are all our good times together.

Other Friends

While this post is obviously in honour of my Best Friends, I feel like it wouldn't be right to let the post pass without at least a nod to some of my other friends too. Namu and Jaime who both live over in the US, who I have considered both as very close friends for some time. Sadly due to distance (and even lack of msn these days) we don't keep in touch as much as we used to.

Also, while there isn't a picture of just Adam and I, I have to add a mention to my GBF. We're definitely not as close as we used to be, especially when I was a single mum, but he's still a good friend that I can talk to about most things.

Finally, as a last mention, it wouldn't be right now to mention my partner, Chris. While he is my boyfriend, rather than my best friend, I don't think any relationship truly works if you can't have a best friend in your boyfriend. He has his faults of course - who doesn't? - but Chris is my every day rock, the person who's shoulder I cry on the most and one of the best hug givers I know.

To all my friends, best friends and even family.
I love you all and I wouldn't be the person I am today without each and every one of you.
I hope I can look back on this post in years to come and have even more pictures and stories to share!

xxx