friends

I have the best friends both near and far. I feel very fortunate when they cross my mind, realizing that good friends are literal blessings. Lately, I miss my faraway friends more than usual. I met many of them when we worked together here in Houston, then they upped and moved away. I'd give anything for this dream scenario: they knock on my front door to spend the night, meander around town with me, or at least sit around our living room for a few hours, drinking coffee and laughing.

But I'm grateful for the next best thing - we keep in touch. Thank God for e-mail & IM, and better yet, snail mail. Two of these friends (and previous fellow employees) recently knocked my socks off with great mail.

Exhibit A - my friend Spivey from Kentucky. Well, her name is Amy, but I took to calling her by her last name and it stuck (sorry, babe). She and her Mom visited Houston in December; Spivey had an appointment with my doctor at the Hotze Health & Wellness Center. Johnny and I picked them up for dinner one night, gave a quick tour of our house, and I handed out goodie bags. It was a blast to see them - Spivey cracks me up - but it was too short of a visit. Lo and behold, a thank you/housewarming package arrived at our doorstep last week. The Spivey women spoiled me rotten:



I love the apron and tea towel - full of white & color, and so summer-y! The seed packets are timely; I've been meaning to purchase terra cotta pots to plant herbs 'n' things on our back porch. I would do so inside, but our cats eat them, and not all herbs are good for feline tummies. However, in addition to basil, dill, thyme, chamomile, and heirloom poppy, Spivey also sent a packet of organic mixed greens for cats! I can totally plant those seeds indoors ~ house cats naturally crave and enjoy eating greens. Such plants are good for their breath, digestion, and prevent hair balls (ick). I don't know how well the Burt's Bees rosemary mint shampoo bar will work on my locks, but I love to try new, natural items, and it smells amazing.

That's not all Spivey sent - I had trouble fitting everything into one photo.... She also shipped tubes of grapefruit + bergamot body butter and body wash (from deep steep), a porcelain red Cardinal dish, a notepad featuring watercolor birds, and an assortment of tea bags ~ Tazo Berryblossom white, Tazo Om, Tazo Zen, Guayakí chai spice mate, Yogi Mexican Sweet Chili, Yogi ginger, and Fortnum & Mason elderflower green tea. Oh, my. My tea tin (from Lauren) is filled to the brim.

AND, this adorable little bird bath was in Spivey's box, too:



Exhibit B - a letter from Kierstin (Tennessee) actually arrived! I never received her first letter, so I hope whoever snatched it is enjoying Kierstin's penmanship. Anyway, her second letter arrived on Monday which was perfect timing. As you know, Johnny left that morning, and though it turned out to be a pretty good day after all, a letter from a friend did wonders for my soul. Kierstin is a really great writer, so there's that, and as I read each page, I laughed out loud. She is really funny, too. I should mention that she also used the best stationery I've ever seen. It looks like old financial ledger pages to me ~ gorgeous:







I'm not about to share what Kierstin wrote - that's personal - but one thing she did ask was, "How are you enjoying the sugar snap peas?" I've had sugar snap peas before, but I never thought to snack on 'em raw until Kierstin confessed her addiction. Needless to say - Hi, my name is Jenni, and I'm a sugar snap pea addict:



FYI: Lars and the Real Girl is a lovely film. Ryan Gosling is one of my favorite actors, as is Patricia Clarkson. You may be thinking, "But a sex doll is a main character in that movie." This is true, yet as Evie Coates said, I'd recommend this movie to my Mom - even my Dad - so just see it for yourself. I'm gonna coerce Johnny into watching it when he gets home.

Now I'm off to pick up a prescription, pay The Bookworm Shop a quick visit, and check the mail. Who knows what might be in our mailbox today.