My friend Mollie turned 40 last week and over the weekend, her husband Will threw her a party. Saturday afternoon, after Edie’s soccer game, we headed over to Urbanna to help her celebrate. I’m not sure if the party was a surprise, but our showing up, along with Mollie’s friend Ro, definitely was.
Over the summer, Mollie had asked me to knit her a scarf, which I managed to finish in time for her birthday. Immediately upon opening, she put it on, so I guess she liked it.
Mollie’s dad Woodpop bought champagne for a toast. After he, Will and Mollie’s mom Mimi gave toasts, Will put me on the spot to give one.
I came up with “I’m so glad you married Will”, which is true. We are stuck with Will, so getting Mollie as part of the deal was just sweet. She’s even got her own category in this spot – “The Sisterhood of the Bromance”. (Okay, so she shares with a few other special sisters, but the original phrase sprung out of a conversation with Mollie.) We have a lot of adventures together – it would appear our two families spend all summer together and most holidays not otherwise spent with family (Father’s Day, Fourth of July, New Year’s, Oysterfest), none of which would be nearly as enjoyable if we didn’t get along so well. We definitely have developed a groove over the years – we used to email back and forth with a meal plan before our get togethers, but because we both improvise when we cook, we’ve gotten to where we just grab whatever in the fridge needs to go and wing it from there. After a visit with Mollie, especially an extended one, I go through a withdrawal period where not only I am struck with the realization I have no one to help me figure out what’s for dinner, I have to prep and cook it all by myself! (There may be occasional text messages back and forth on the subject after these visits as we step back into real life.) We both have small kitchens and therefore are at home in each other’s kitchens – maybe because we’ve spent so much time there over the years, but more likely because we tend to have them organized very similarly. (With the exception of her tupperware cabinet, which is impeccably organized and somehow stays that way, with nothing falling out when you open the door.) We swap recipes and share garden bounty, have an afternoon wine varietal preference (vino verde) and she’s known to shoot tequila with me, which makes her a keeper right there. We’ve long called each other ‘cousins’ – Will and Mollie were among the first to meet Edie, coming to the hospital to meet her when she was not quite 24 hours old – but watching our kids grow up together with the bond that started with their fathers, spread to their mothers and now among each other leaves me without words. For various reasons, Edie sees her blood cousins rarely, so seeing her get to have that sort of relationship with Abigail, Owen and Walker, just leaves me incredibly grateful for both Will and Mollie and this whole wonderful friendship that is more than just friendship. They are kindred spirits and they are family. But saying all of that in a toast is a bit much, so I kept it simple and to the point – I really am just so happy Mollie married Will so we could have all this.
Happy Birthday Mollie.
Chicken Wire & Paper Flowers 
Looks like a fun celebration. Those special friends always make the best memories in our lives, don’t they?
We do have the best times with them.