I’m not good at this… the whole dealing with the loss of a friend thing. I’m just not. I tend to avoid life and immerse myself in everything but confronting the fact that a friend has died.

This past week, the blogging community has rallied together to remember a dear friend of ours, Joan Hayes. Joan was the southern voice and tremendous talent behind the blog Chocolate, Chocolate and More. Last Thursday evening, word began to circulate that Joan had been complaining of a stomach ache, laid down on her couch and simply never woke up. It seemed inconceivable to me that my vivacious and full of life friend could just be gone. I had chatted with her just a few days prior and she was her normal, cheerful, joking self.

photo courtesy of Shanna Schad

It turns out that Joan had suffered a heart attack. Friends, if you don’t click on any links in this post but one, make it be this. The signs of a heart attack in women are so much different than they are in men. Please read this to educate yourself so hopefully you’ll be aware of the signs of a heart attack if the situation arises. …

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How many of you have mini-me’s in your children? You know, maybe not a payback child, per se, but one where you seem to know their every move before it happens because you pretty much were the same person as a child.

Kelly is that kid for me. It’s crazy how much my life as a child and her life now are alike. I have always noticed it, but notice it more now that she is entering the age I was when I moved to the town where I met my best and oldest childhood friends. Watching her grow is like getting to replay my own childhood all over again.

One of my best friends from childhood and I had a special language we spoke. Kelly and one of her best friends speak a special language, with an accent and everything. One of my best friends from childhood and I used to dance with the vacuum, and play school or house every chance we could get… Kelly and one of her best friends are the same.

I love re-living these memories through her and her friends. And each time I do, I want nothing more than to reach out to my friends and reminisce. “Remember that time…?” “Hey, do you remember how we used to…” and on and on.

…

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Today, I want to tell you about a few of my friends. You see, I have some pretty incredible people in my life… people I probably don’t express my appreciation for nearly enough. Friends who, when I questioned true friendship, proved to me in many ways I just wasn’t looking hard enough.

So, today, I want to share with you how I am blessed to the moon and back with great friends…and with Hallmark’s help, I’m going to let a few of them know what kind of friend they are to me.

First of all, to my sisters……

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When was the last time you hosted a lunch for your girlfriends?

For me, it’s been a long time… I’ve been a stay at home / work from home mom for 10 years now, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve actually had girlfriends over during the day for lunch. I get so stuck in my routine and always think that entertaining needs to happen in the evening, …

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I don’t have a best friend. I’ve always been one of those girls to have a lot of good friends but as an adult, not a best girl friend. You know, that one friend you can call up and she’ll drop everything and be there in minutes with chocolate ice cream and wine? Or the first friend you call when something happens to a family member, no matter what the time? I crave that friend who understands and will happily participate in an over night slumber party watching Dirty Dancing, Footloose, Say Anything, St Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club? I have no one to call to come indulge my girlhood fantasies of a Gayle / Oprah type friendship.

I love and adore the friends I have. They are some of the best women in the world and I am so lucky to have them for whatever I can get them for. But a best friend is different, right?

I’m thankful my oldest two kids have found “that friend”. Kelly and Kylee have been friends since they were six months old and that friendship has blossomed through the years. Kylee is Kelly’s “I’ve got your back” girl, and Kelly is the same. Kylee lives 6 houses down from us and I bet most outsiders wouldn’t know that Kylee and Kelly don’t belong in the same house. They are rarely seen apart.

Jacob and Daniel are very much the same way. Daniel is our across the street neighbor and was the one I mentioned in my Project 365 post yesterday. They’ve been friends for almost 7 years now and are such a good match. It’s been fascinating to me to see how a boy best friend relationship works. It’s kind of a cool thing… a mutual understanding and respect that I don’t think a lot of girls have with each other. Either way, I am so glad they have each other.

When I was growing up, my mom used to say all the time to me how proud she was because of the friends I chose. I never knew what she meant by that until I had kids. Friends are important, but best friends… who you chose to spend most of your time with… influence you in a way no one else really can. Being associated with the wrong friend can bring you down. Being surrounded by great people can lift you up. I’m thankful my kids have found their bff match because I know from experience how difficult that is to do. A friend is special, but a best friend? A best friend is a rare and wonderful gift.

I’m going to caveat this with… my husband is my best friend and I am so thankful to have him in my life. He’s my lifeline and who I would call first (or nudge) if something happened in the middle of the night. If I was really nice to him, he may even indulge me in a chick flick movie marathon someday. The friendship I’m referring to in this post is a girlfriend bff. Just wanted to make sure I was clear!

Now, tell me about your best friend, will you? How did you meet? How long have you been friends? How have you nurtured your friendship thorough the years? I want to hear all about it!

Disclosure: I am honored to be a 2012 paid brand ambassador for Hallmark Life is a Special Occasion. All opinions expressed are my own. For special discounts, product offerings and news about Hallmark, feel free to sign up for their newsletter.

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After day one, I miss them a lot. I have discovered that much of my social life and reason for getting out of the house has evolved into being because of them.My good friends are the moms of their friends. My excuse to go outside is to take them out to play. I chat on the phone with their friends moms when their friends call for playdates. We go to the pool because they want to go and I hang out with friends from the neighborhood there. My life has really turned into revolving around them, which I am totally fine with. It just makes it seem a lot more lonely around here, in more ways than one, when they are gone.

One thng I don’t miss yet is feeding the little rascals. As much as I love to cook and to eat, I sometimes miss the cereal and canned biscut days of college! So, without the pressure of having to set a good example to my kids, I’ve quickly reverted back to not caring about three square meals a day, the whole eating breakfast thing, and nutrition. In fact, for breakfast/lunch at 1pm today I had a Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake. This is something I would never have been able to get away with when my kids were at home, so I’m taking advantage of not having to be the role model and eating tasty desserts for lunch instead.

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My very best friend is moving out of state on Friday. Ami and I have known each other for 13 years… we met during my Freshman year of college and have been great friends ever since. She has been there for me through a lot and has always been one of the constants in my life.

When Ami called only two weeks ago to tell me that her and her family were moving south, I immediately felt choked up. I was so excited and jealous that they were leaving on such a great adventure, but I also knew I was going to miss Ami, her husband and my goddaughter dearly.  …

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