Outer Banks and my Dream Team

I just returned from a girls weekend at the Outer Banks. Head straight down south past Virginia Beach and settle into the OB. If you can endure the six to seven hour drive you will be thankful. You will praise the uncrowded beaches, the absence of high-rise hotels and the limited commercialism.

I loved having no other entertainment besides my girlfriends at my fingertips. I met Francesca in the third grade, Kateri around the same time and Paula a few years later. Lauren entered in high school. Francesca is funny, conservative, sensitive and grounded. Kateri loves hard-core adventure, is athletic, loves to travel (to cold places)and is selfless. Paula is open-minded, silly as a butterfly, hardworking, smiley and energetic. Lauren lives life for her adorable family, is a great hot young mama, likes to stay local and values security. And well, you all know me.

We all used to be the same: athletic, goofy, cute, intelligent and fun-loving. Through the years we have branched off to acquire different motivations in life. At times when (almost) the entire group can get together are the moments that these changes can be noticed. For example, my friends are more sensitive than I remember (or the correct tag would be I'm more abrasive.) If I rag on myself I find that they tell me that the opposite is true. Yo mates - I have the right to make fun of my gut if I so please. I also quickly realized that I had to tone down my comments about others that were only funny to me. It made me realize how often thekidg and I can tell each other things half-jokingly without sensitivity on the receiving side. Kate gets stir-crazy if the activities aren't adventurous. If Paula has something worrisome on her mind, it can not be joked about. These are all things I noticed on the trip.

Given these differences, we never got frustrated with each other. Childhood friends are loyal to each other, playful, and always satisfying to be around. Even through all our changes, my Dream Team is just as much as a delight as they were when we all were adventurous little brats. Last weekend we "boogied" (meaning utilizing the boogie board) until we were about to drop, we screamed at the mega waves, we exaggerated on our beat-downs by the water, we played football like no other girls you've ever seen, we frisbeed weaving and cavorting on the sand, and we laughed until our bellies hurt. No matter how different we've become, we still do know how to have a genuine good time together.