"Mommy has Friends!

And that's why we'll never leave Colorado."

It sounds pathetic, but this is what my husband proclaimed today as my friend Andrea so graciously went to the store and then dropped off a can of pineapple chunks at my doorstep on this Christmas day after our mutual friend Lauryn told her I was in search of a can of pineapple chunks for my Christmas ham.

I did spend most of my twenties alone. I had my husband at age 23 and had a few children shortly after, but I was still alone. Family was 500 miles away and truth be told, I had no friends. I had "virtual friends" and friends I had from high school, but I had no friends to spend my every day with. No friends to call, or email. I had no friends to invite over for drinks, or to go shopping with on a whim. I had no friends to share stories with, confide in, or goof off with. I didn't have friends.

It was no fault of my own. If it was something I could take responsibility for, I would. My husband and I lived in a depressed area of Pennsylvania where the hot spot in town of about 800 people (mostly older) was Saturday night karaoke with Roger at the "Corner Bar". The other thing to do was church. I met good people at church. Two of them are still whole-heartedly in my life, but they too, were and are much older than myself; my parent's age. I had my husband and my children and I was a stay at home Mom.

Shortly after our fourth child was born and after having lived in Pennsylvania for seven years, my husband mentioned a transfer out to Denver. Needless to say, I jumped at the chance. What did I have to lose? My family was already far away, my friends from high school were neither here, nor there, and the only thing I truly cared for in Pennsylvania was the Beams, the Neeners, and well...The Old Library Restaurant in Olean, NY where my husband proposed to me. That was all I had there. I hated the lake effect snow, the six months a year of gray skies, the men walking down the streets with rifles and deer carcasses in tow, and the isolation. Something is wrong when you have to travel 30 minutes to the nearest fast food place, an hour and a half to the nearest nice shopping mall, and two hours to the nearest international airport. Something is horribly wrong. Sure, it's great of you are retired, but when you are in your twenties, it isn't the best place to be.

It was lonely.

When someone leaves a container of homemade cookies on my doorstep on Christmas Eve, it's a huge deal to me. And when someone brings a can of pineapple to my door on Christmas day, it is a HUGE deal to me.

I didn't have this until now.

I didn't have friends to call when I was having a bad day. I didn't have friends to go to Target with when I needed only a few things. I didn't have childless Starbucks dates, or someone to chat with on the playground. I didn't have inside jokes, anyone to text, or go to the movies with. I didn't have people to go to the mall with, drink with, or lunch with. I had no New Year's parties, no dinner parties, no surprise birthday parties. I had no friends to run with, bike with and I sure as heck didn't have anyone to do marathons with. Truth be told, I would have never done a lot of these things without many of these people.

I would have never gone to the police academy without their encouragement and support. I would have never continued on with karate without their support. I would have never. I would have never...

This Christmas, I am grateful. I am grateful that we moved here three years ago. I am afraid of where I'd be now if we hadn't. My life is so full of blessings and those blessings are among many more:

Lauryn
Chasity
Stacey
Michelle
Andrea
Amy B.
Kristin
Domenico (in my life since age 12)
Amy C.
Kimberly
Willy

Thank you, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.