After all, seasons change, so do cities; people come into your life and people  go. But it’s comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart.  And if you’re very lucky, a plane ride away.

This past weekend, my girlfriends and I headed up to Vermont to surprise our friend who moved up there after college. We had been planning this trip for a couple of months behind her back, with her thinking that only one of us was coming up.

For anyone who knows me, I spent two months like this:

Holding surprises is overwhelming for me…

The drive up was lengthy, to put it politely. It took my friend and I five hours to get there. I’m pretty sure we breezed through 10 mix-cds I made in 2003. By the time we arrived at my friend’s apartment to meet up with the other two vehicles, my voice was completely shot. Five of us packed ourselves into a tiny car while another called our friend and told her to help her bring her stuff in.

The look on her face was priceless. I probably would have had the same reaction if my six best friends showed up to my apartment at midnight.

It was the first time we have all been together in over a year. We are all on such different schedules, several of us have moved away, and it just gets more and more difficult as you get older to find a time when everyone is free. I feel like all I ever do lately is hang out with boys.

I love my boyfriend, don’t get me wrong, but I miss my girlfriends! We have all been friends for 10+ years. So it was great to sit up late at night (my boyfriend’s bedtime is typically 10pm), drink champagne and wine, eat cookies, and talk about life. I cannot tell you the last time I have been able to do that!

Panoramic shot of the evening

Each of us is finally starting to come into our own. It makes me teary-eyed to think of how well all my friends are doing! With so many ups and downs, it’s great to see everyone having more ups than downs lately.

This past weekend was just what I needed. =)