Friends

While I enjoyed our time at the Fish Camp, I was really missing Tampa and friends here.

I have admired the numerous people in my life who have kept in touch with friends from 'way back when'. I guess you could say, "life happened" and for whatever reason, I drifted away from those to whom I was extremely close.

One of my new year's resolutions this year was to reconnect with people I'd lost touch with over the years. The one person I really wanted to seek out was Debbie, who I'd known since elementary school days and we were really good friends in high school. I had been thinking a lot about her, wondering where she was, what she was doing and how she was doing. I was even working on a (old-fashioned) letter to send to her parent's house.

Thank goodness for Facebook and email! I tried to find Debbie on Facebook, but no luck. However, I did find her daughter and sent her a message. I explained who I was and who I thought her mom was, asking if she would pass along my information. Fortunately, Debbie's daughter didn't think I was a kook, because a few days later, I got an email from Debbie! I was so excited!

We exchanged numerous emails over the next few months. But because of various schedules, it wasn't until April before we could actually get together for lunch. I think we were both a little nervous, anxious, and excited all at the same time. It had been 18 years since we'd seen each other! As soon as we saw each other, the butterflies went away (at least for me). We had a wonderful lunch, did as much catching up as you can in 2 hours and made a promise we would get together again as soon as we could!

We continued to keep in touch by email and had dinner with Debbie and Bobby a few weeks later. We even planned to attend the Plant Happy Hour together as well as booked a date for them to come to our neck of the woods for dinner and to meet our friends Ken & Victoria.

Frank, Leann, Debbie and Bobby at Grillsmith

Plant Happy Hour

Debbie, me and Victoria.

Frank & Bobby checking out the canal.

I look forward to when we can get together next.

I do get teased about the time I spend on Facebook, but it has been wonderful to reconnect with so many people from the past!

In fact, while in NYC, we got to see my other friend named Debbie (from UT) and her husband Neal.

And while the circumstances were sad (funeral for a former co-worker), it was great to see Kelly (go way back to church) and Joellyn (from Raymond James). We then went to lunch and saw another Kelly (from high school).

Kelly, Kelly and Leann

And not to be left out, we were invited across the canal to Ray & Lily's for dinner the other night. It's been since our return from Panama that we've been able to spend any time together. We had a yummy meal and it was so nice catch up on each other's lives!

I'm going to continue to work on my resolution. Life is too short!