Who knows? Maybe I should have started over in '06

Yesterday my oldest friend stopped into town for dinner. She was doing business all day in Grand Rapids and then had to get back to the D so she made a pitstop here. It was awesome to see her. I don't even know when the last time was -- Jack's baptism? Her wedding? Well, considering he's 18 months now, you get the drift.

We went to a nearby Italian restaurant that is quite good but one of those places we always forget about when we can't decide on dinner. She worked there when we were at MSU. Anywho, Jack fell asleep in the car. It's always a toss up whether that's a good thing.

Last night it wasn't.

He was so bad. And there's my friend talking about how she and her husband can't wait to have a baby. She's going on and on about how they are trying and they're ready and I am losing my mind. He screamed when we put him in the highchair. He punched his Daddy when he got there. He tipped over two glasses of water and an entire pop on her jacket. Then he decided he would run around the restaurant, through the kitchen, near the bathroom and then bump tables. Oh, then Jack thought it would be a good idea to drag a chair away from its table. Then he threw stuff. Then he screamed again. Then he lost his shoes. He was walking birth control.

Dinner was great -- after Husband and the kid left. We ended up sitting in the place until it was way too late considering her drive. Selfishly, it was just so nice to have an adult conversation that wasn't about bills, job-related work or Jack with someone who has known me since I was 3. I didn't have to background anything and even though we rarely see each other these days, we fell right back into place. We were those two little girls yelling across the street to each other because we were too little to cross.

I sat there in the booth and studied her face. I finally realized sitting there that we were adults, no longer playing Pacman and dancing to her Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang record and begging her sister to tell us who she loved more. But just the same, she still looks like that kid I went to Disney on Ice with and fell in a huge puddle and had to wear her clothes. (The story is that her dad, along with us, were skipping through the parking lot holding hands. Just as her mother warned us, we all fell. I think I may have been 5 and it was hilarious.) Who knows the next time we'll have the time to sit down to dinner like that. But it really doesn't matter.

I can only hope Jack will find someone like her. Together we've gone through some stuff over these last 25+ ... the tough times -- divorce, death, job situations -- and the good times, girlfriends, marriage, babies -- and the times in between.

She and I are pretty damn lucky.