Do you have a second home?

I visited my mom this weekend and had a great time. Got some birthday presents (yay me!). While home, I got a chance to visit with one of my best friends, Sarah. We have been friends since 1992 (16 years - crazy). I spent so much time with Sarah in my high school years, and each of us adopted the other's family. We had a chance to visit her parents for a couple moments during my visit, and I was so amazed when we stopped by. As soon as we walked through the door, everything familiar hit me. The smell of the house (a good one Denise - no worries!), the stools I spent hours sitting on, the dining room where I shared meals, the living room where we watched so many movies and just remembering all the times Sarah and I did absolutely nothing - just hung around the house.

Everyone has places that you love to go that make you just stop everything in your life and take a deep breath and STOP. Sarah's parent's house is my house, just like my mom's house is Sarah's house. I guess it just struck me this weekend how lucky I am that I have two houses where I can go and reconnect with the ME that I like to be. So, in honor of my joy this weekend to come home to my second home, I have to share with you some of my favorite memories shared with Sarah and her family when we were in high school. Thank you guys for always allowing me to come to my second home.

My memories:

• Sarah and I taking our socks off and whipping each other with them (what was that about anyway?)
• Denise making us put magazines under the pull out couch in the living room so we didn't scrape the floors up
• Walking into the bathroom to find Kenny's pant leg in the toilet (I still remember laughing so hard I thought I may have an accident)
• Staying at the house while preparing for my wedding and Sarah's niece calling me "The Bride" Too Cute
• Spending a whole Thanksgiving break with Sarah in our college days
• Spending Easter at the Grandparents in Arkansas (remember climbing the trees and me hanging on for dear life while you took pics - crazy!)
• Denise walking through the house in her high heels early in the morning
• Kenny being covered with animals as soon as he sat down. (That still amazes me)
• Kenny scratching on the window screen when we watched the scary movie, almost making me die on the spot.
• Hours spent outside hanging out on the back porch

I know I am forgetting many more and I could probably go on for hours. I just wanted to share my joy at having two homes that give me joy and love. Kenny and Denise - thank you so much for putting up with Sarah and I all those times we were loud and crazy. You are my second set of parents and I love you both dearly. Sarah - what do you say to a sock rematch? Remember how they stretched out each time we whipped them? Hilarious!! I am so thankful for your friendship and I cannot wait until we have been friends for 32 years.

My wish for those of you reading this is that all of you have a second home and if you do, reach out to those people and tell them how much they mean to you. A trip down memory lane is always the best way to spend your day!