October 8, 2008 - What fun we had! On Sunday, September 14th, the day had finally arrived for my Mississippi friends to join me in Baltimore for a few days of fun, fellowship and shopping. Wouldn't you know that the first day my guest arrived, Baltimore's temperatures shot up to 85 degrees! It was "the hottest day on record in past 10 years" according to our local forecasters. I, of course, blamed those southern women for bringing all that hot weather from Mississippi with them here to Maryland. What else could it have been, right? ha ha However, most of the following days were much cooler and quite pleasant and the nights were just wonderful.
First of all, when I arrived at the terminal to pick up my guests, I noticed Jan and Connie had 2 pieces of rather large luggage and 2 smaller carry-ons, and then Trey had the typical, one piece guy luggage. I was in our largest vehicle, though the trunk isn't that big. I knew that getting all that luggage in the car AND our bodies too would be a challenge, but if needed, we would just leave Trey and/or his luggage, and come back for him later. (That would be OK, wouldn't it?) We all just laughed and laughed as Trey manuvered the individual pieces of luggage back and forth, in and out of the trunk and the back seat of the car until he finally got it all figured out. We packed ourselves into the car like sardines and away we went toward the downtown Inner Harbor of Baltimore to sitesee and grab a bite to eat. After a couple of hours, we made our way back home so that everyone could meet Ms. Maggie Mae (my d-o-g). Needless to say, she was thrilled with all the company and even moreso at the thought of more attention for her! hhhmmm, like she needed that!
The greatest thing about this trip is that we had no set schedule whatsoever. We got up each morning and visited without being in any hurry to get dressed. However once we got dressed, we headed out shopping and just let ourselves go wherever we wanted. We casually wandered in and out of stores as we wished and even spent about an hour-and-a-half in one particular shoe store just trying on shoes and looking around. Of course we all found a pair or two of shoes or an assessory of some kind to pacify our needs in that store, so the time was well spent, don't you think? The shopping was great, but mostly we enjoyed sharing in each other's company. With everyone so caught up in their own lives, it is hard to find that quality time to spend with a dear friend, but if you do, it is time that you will cherish forever and never forget. We found that time here in Baltimore on this trip and I'm so thankful that Trey had his company meeting here in Baltimore so that us girls could have an excuse to get together! THANKS AGAIN, TREY!
Perhaps the best part of our days were the evenings spent sitting around sipping our cocktails and chatting until late into the evening. We all piled into my queen-sized bed, like kids at a sleep-over party, and some nights talked ourselves to sleep. Even Maggie was right there in the middle of us all, like sardines again, just as happy as we could be! All these years later, nothing has changed when it comes down to the normal, everyday "stuff" of life. This is when you know the difference between a real friend and a not-so-real friend. I have been very blessed with several real friends in my life and these two girls are definitely in that group. To Connie and Jan, thank you for your continued friendship all these years and your never ending care and concern for me through all my ups and downs in life. I love you both and can't wait for us to share another get-together whenever or wherever it may be!
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