Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares

I remember reading The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in my early twenties. I really enjoyed the series. I liked the idea of these four lifelong friends and their connection. And when book 4 came to an end, I was ok with that. I was even ok with how the movie version put books 2-4 into one movie.

And then I saw this. Sisterhood Everlasting takes place ten years later. The girls are almost thirty. I guess that means they are no longer girls. Lena lives a solitude life. She teaches. She paints. She pines over her lost love. Bree is still the fun loving girl who needs to move. A lot. Carmen is a famous actress living in New York engaged to, well... let's be honest, he's an arse. And Tibby. Well two years ago Tibby and Brian moved to Australia. She hasn't been in touch much. And this brings sadness to everyone. Even the reader.

But then, our three friends receive a letter from Tibby. She has arranged a trip for them all to Greece. Just like they had done ten years ago. Each girl is excited for the same, but different reasons. And our friends' lives are utterly changed by what happens in Greece.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens in Greece alters the lives of our four friends.

I'll admit, I was a little weary of reading this book, no matter how excited I was. Reunion books can sometimes let you down. But I devoured this one. I loved it. Maybe it's because of the week I've had. But this book seemed perfect to me.

Girlie Weekend

Back in November,

my mate, Louise,

and I 

planned a girlie trip to Jo'burg.

We planned to go before Christmas

and get some Christmas shopping done.

But then things with my dad happened

and we had to cancel our trip.

Louise decided instead of cancelling

she'd simply move our girlie trip.

Last weekend was a long weekend here.

And Louise and I set off.

We got up early,

wayyyy toooo early,

Saturday morning

and headed on our adventure.

Saturday was spent in the mall

and then the cinema.

Sunday was another day in the mall,

followed by a show.

We saw The Rocky Horror Show.

It was fabulous.

I had seen the film

once,

a long, long time ago.

Seeing it live

is so much better.

While the film has always been interactive

the live performance takes it one step further.

Not only do you get to purchase

a box of props,

but the actors also interact with the audience.

I laughed so hard

my cheeks hurt.

And I got to see the silly side

of Louise.

Sometimes you just need to be silly. 

High Five for Friday

It has been 

AGES

since I last participated.

It's high time I return.

I always loved this meme.

I wonder why I stopped?

Well it's Friday

and that means

High Five for Friday!

Here are some of this last week's highlights.

1) Salted Caramel Ice Cream

I love ice cream.

And salted caramel.

Woohoo!

2) School mates

I grew up in Ottawa

and had some great mates.

This trip home,

we were invited to dinner

with a bunch of them.

Was fantastic!

3) Mates from Dar

I met Cam in Dar.

Her oldest and Ethan are the same age.

They've moved back to Ottawa,

so this trip,

we got to hang out!

4) Girl's Night

Every summer,

I'm with Ethan,

it makes it difficult to enjoy a movie.

But, 

every year,

a few of my cousins'

arrange a girl's night.

We hit a movie, 

and Ethan gets a boys' night.

4) The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Ethan and I read the book this summer.

I promised him

when we finished the book

we'd do a movie night.

Complete with pizza, popcorn 

and ice cream!

How has your week been?

The Friends I've Never Met

When I was pregnant with Ethan,

a friend of mine introduced me to 

Babycenter.com.

She told me how they had these birth groups

according to when you were due.

Ethan was due in July 2006,

so I joined that board.

For the longest time,

I lurked.

Most of the women here lived in the US

or Canada.

I did not.

But it was great to read 

what they had to say.

Many had concerns and questions 

like me.

I then noticed a separate tread,

for women due the 1st week of July.

Ethan was due on the 8th. 

That counted,

right?

As the months went by,

I grew to really like this group of women.

But were they my friends?

On July 2nd, 

my water broke at 9am.

Most women would call

the hospital 

or their best friend.

I went online. 

Within 5 minutes

I had 10 responses

all telling me to get my behind off the computer

and call the hospital.

Only a friend would be so blunt!

Even after Ethan was born,

I would go to Babycenter

to read every one's birth stories.

We would share baby woes.

Milestones.

Scares.

Achievements.

Then Facebook came along.

And we moved there.

We sent Christmas presents

and birthday gifts.

I use to call them 

the girl from Babycenter.

Then they became 

a "July mama"

or "Seed mama".

Then they earned a name

with their city behind it

(Sarah from Chicago).

But now..

I just refer to them by their names.

This must mean we're friends

right?

Granted,

I'll probably never meet them

in real life.

But no one can tell me

my internet friends

aren't real friends.

They have been there

for the good,

the bad

and the ugly.

Each time I move

they are still there.

They never promise to keep in touch,

but then we loose touch with each other

(and I'm not knocking those friends

I've lost touch with).

Somewhere along the way,

it was decided by who-knows-who

that online friends aren't real.

But these mamas

disprove this.

Even with my Masters,

I've had great online chats with some cohorts.

I'm giddy with excitement

to be able to meet at least one of them

this summer.

She went from being a cohort

to a friend.

A friendship I'm confident

will continue 

even after graduation.

So to the friends I've never met.

Thank you for being such great mates.

I love you all.

MWA