The Girls

Each week I go to lunch with three of my friends. They are affectionately known as "the girls". These are friends that I have had for several years now. It's actually kind of funny how we all became friends.



My friend Lora and I went to school together. She was a couple of years ahead of me though and when she graduated she went off to college. We didn't keep in close contact although we did attend each other's weddings, see each other occasionally and keep up with each other through other friends. However when I came to work at Averitt, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Lora had come to work at Averitt just a few short months before I did.



At this point in the story, my next friend enters - Chasity. Chasity was in my training class when I began working at Averitt. I remember her from Orientation Day. She already seemed to know so many people and if she didn't know them then it wasn't long before she would. One of the friendliest people I have ever met. And she is the first person to introduce me to Salads and More as well as City Square Cafe in Cookeville. When our time in training was complete, we were actually separated to other teams. I would occasionally see her in the breakroom, going to/from work, or via email. But that was about all.



At this point in the story, my next friend enters - April. When I came out of training, April was my neighbor. Working in a call center, there is no way to get trained on all the possible calls you might receive. There were many times that I put a customer on hold to pop out of my chair and ask April a question. April had been working at Averitt just a few months herself but she was very kind and helpful. After about nine months, I was transferred to another group in the customer service department. It wasn't but a couple of months later that we had an opening in our group. The leader was asking if we knew someone in customer service who would be a good addition to our team. My first thought was April so I made the suggestion. And in a couple of weeks April was a member of our team. We've worked together now for nine years.



About seven years ago our team was integrated into another department. This was towards the end of my pregnancy with Jonah. I went on maternity leave in September and returned in December. When I returned, there had been two people leave our department. And you can guess who filled their places - yes, Lora and Chasity. For the next few years all four of us worked together. We made it a weekly habit of going to lunch each Tuesday at City Square Cafe until it closed. A short time later, Lora's husband Jody who was in the National Guard was called up to serve in the war in Iraq. During this time she left Averitt and was working part-time at a store as well as giving private piano lessons. She was also very involved in the family group for the National Guard that her husband was deployed with. However we continued with our weekly lunch dates.



Then about two years ago my friend Chasity left Averitt to pursue a new opportunity in the world of insurance. However, the weekly lunch dates continued. And to supplement the lunch dates we instituted a girls night. Our birthdays are almost exactly and very conveniently three months apart. So every three months we enjoy a girls night to honor a friend's birthday. We've been on boat rides on the lake, four wheeler rides in the woods, a lovely dinner and a movie in Knoxville, walked around downtown Nashville.



We've also enjoyed some girl weekends. Our first trip was obviously very exciting - New York City. Wow....what a way to start. We enjoyed Times Square, the Today show, the Lion King on Broadway, food, laughter and tons of memories. We also took a weekend trip to the Smoky Mountains last year. We visited Dollywood, ate, talked, laughed, and made lots more memories.

Our friendships have seen births and deaths, laughter and tears, highs and lows, wins and losses, fear and hope. The most important thing is that we have had friends to share it with.

The very first time

Well, we had our very first.....our first friend to sleep over and our first trip taking friends with us. I was SO excited. Really....I know that some people might not be excited about such but I was. Growing up in my house, I can remember having friends spend the night often. I remember friends wanting to spend the night at our house. It was fun there. My mom would often cook brownies or cookies at night as a special treat and then cook breakfast the next morning. And I can remember many trips with friends. Now usually this was a church activity and there was quite a group but my parents being the pastors were always chaperones as well. So, I think that kind of counts as a family trip.
One great memory is my Senior Trip. I know that typical senior trips don't include the parents going. However, I attended a Christian school and in order for us to have fundraisers during the school year for our trip we had to follow certain guidelines. That included having a chaperone. My parents weren't the first choice. Actually during our entire junior and senior years as we raised money, planned our trip, etc. we had a couple of teachers who were going to go with us. But on the day before graduation and one week before we were to leave on our trip, both teachers backed out. Can you say traumatic???? What were we going to do? Well....the senior class looked at me and said "Will your parents go?"
I asked and they said yes. So that's how my parents and brother ended up going on my senior trip to Virginia Beach to a house known as Sand Pearl. Wow.....I was so proud that they were my parents at that moment. They came through and didn't just drive and "chaperone" but they sacrificed and helped us to have an awesome senior trip. All the seniors and mom piled into a 15 passenger van for the long trip to VA beach. My dad drove our personal mini-van loaded down with all of the luggage. We made it there to the house and spread out into rooms. Mom and dad got a room on the bottom floor with their own balcony - they would need a break from all of us at some point! We went to the grocery store with mom who helped not only figure out the budget for food but shopped getting good deals so we would have snacks, breakfast, and a dinner or two at the house. We played on the beach, enjoyed the sun, mom got together a trip to Busch Gardens (great budget work again). We had some dinners out but then cooked at the house as well. Mom again being head chef. And we do what teenagers do best...we "hung out". And everyone was comfortable because they'd all been around my parents from the times hanging out at my house or spending the night.
And that is just one of the awesome memories that I have. I hope that I can recreate that same thing for my boys.