I've got your back....

After I left The Boy for his dinner out, I drove about an hour East to visit Pam. Pam and I have 'known' one another for 13-14 years. We met on AOL's momsonline when we posted on a cooking board together. After The Man and I got rid of AOL, I was invited to post at another message board by an online acquaintance at the time, so I went and met some lovely people. Pam posted a recipe called Dixie Chicken, which I recognized, and I got very excited. I asked if she used to post on AOL and told her my 'name' on that site. It turns out, she was one and the same! YAY!

Over the years, we chatted and shared recipes and stories about our children (she also is raising an only child.) We both talked in length about the misconceptions people have about 'only' kids. Both of us are raising kids who are generous, loving, caring individuals. We're fortunate.

We finally met in person twice last year. The first time in Indianapolis for lunch (yes, I drove 3 hours one way to meet friends for lunch.) The second time was in the suburbs of Chicago for a weekend in the city. Four of us stayed at Jackie's (another good friend I met online) apartment, one drove over to take the train to the city with us and another met us in the city. Good times!

So, fast forward to two weeks ago....I arrived at Pam's house and she greeted me with a glass of wine and started making some yummy appetizers. We sat in her kitchen and chatted. Her husband came home from work and chatted with us for awhile, then went off to his garage. I'm thinking I made 'the cut' because he called the house from the garage and asked us to come on down to talk. We headed down to this fantastic garage that they just built. It's every man's dream, I'm sure (of course, I'm not a man, but I was drooling myself over the cars in there.) Her Man is a collector and he had many classics in pristine condition. Cool! He has a bar on one end of the garage, so Pam and I sat at the bar stools and he stood on the other side and we talked for a couple of hours. I felt like I had known him forever. They are the type of people who make a person feel right at home.

We went back up to the house and ordered a pizza. After we had pizza, Pam and I were waiting up for her daughter to come home from being out with friends. Her husband was going to bed, but before he went, he opened another bottle of wine for us.

We talked and laughed and had catty moments. Morning came too quickly. I awakened to find Pam in the kitchen making coffee. We spent a couple hours talking over coffee and then I decided I should be on my way. So, after saying goodbye, I took off for my mom's.

Thank you so much for a wonderful visit, Pam! You are a true friend and if our current message board breaks up, then it IS all about us! ;) I've got your back, sista!