For 3 + 1/2 years (I checked my gmail for our first email exchange), I have been a fan and friend of Busy Bee Suz. When I was blogging at The Women's Colony, I had her write a piece about her father. I love her writing because she has such a strong voice--you know who she is from her writing. I dig that.
Suz has always been high on my list of bloggers to meet (and I'm lucky to have met several phenomenal women bloggers in real life. I'm hoping to make my list less gender-specific and meet The Jason Show soon). When I found out she was taking her mother to Las Vegas for here 70th birthday, I knew I had to try and make it out there to see her. I couldn't really commit 100% until the beginning of the week, but on Monday I knew it was a go and I Hotwired a room. I scheduled some business a little north for Friday morning and took 1/2 a vacation day, so when I was done with my work at 11:30, I hit the road. I was all checked into my hotel room at 4:30.
Suz and I did our planning by text and after getting approval from her to wear my cute shoes rather than my okay-but-much-more-walkable shoes, I took a cab from the Stratosphere to The Mirage.
We met up by the fishtank at the reservations desk at The Mirage. It was love at first sight :)
Suz had been showing her mother such a good time in Las Vegas that Beverly needed to rest up before dinner, so Suz and I went to the bar where we discovered the first of many things we have in common. We don't really like loud, pseudo-hip bars. We do both like alcohol and talking though, so we found the quietest corner and we were off.
Ways that Suz and I are similar:
We both notify our families when we are heading home so all clutter can be removed from our visual fields in order that our heads don't explode. Related: Organizational skillz? We haz them. In spades.
We were both raised by single mothers that were flawed (and who among us is not?), smart, hard-working independent, feisty and funny. I was already missing my mother a lot because of the upcoming festivities, but seeing Suz and Beverly together made me miss her more. They clearly treasure one another.
We both learned from the mistakes of aforementioned mothers in the picking-a-life-partner department and I have no doubt that The Coach and Mr. Fix-it will get along great when they meet sometime (we're plotting it). They are both amazing and generous husbands, fathers and sons. Plus, girls' softball. Plus, big-ticket gift-givers who love to see the looks on their wives and chilren's faces when they give thoughtful, terrific presents.
We both have/had fathers. It was/is complicated.
We will both (Beverly too) start a conversation with absolutely anybody at any time. Dinner would have been fun anyway, but with the company of the young ex-Mormon couple seated next to us, it was truly memorable (I meant it when I invited you to come visit San Diego and stay with me, Shelby and Matt. You have my card--call me!).
We both look way too young to have adult children. The absolutely darling, slightly-inebriated 23-year old at the next table said so (yes, you again, Shelby). Related: This may actually be the line that engendered the invite, because nobody wants to hear they look young like a 49-year old woman having a year-long, low-key panic attack about her next birthday being a half-century milestone. (Full disclosure: That's me, not Suz. She's younger than me. B*tch. JK).
We have both lost a sibling :(
We both like to fill our lives with family and friends and laughter and food and drink (and clean counters).
We both love inside jokes. And now we have a couple of our own. I would share them with you, but inside jokes are never funny to those on the outside. You want to hear one? Okay, you twisted my arm. We had just finished perusing the menu and discussing that Suz and Beverly love pratically all fish. Except salmom. When we asked the waiter what the catch of the day was, he said . . . wait for it . . . salmon. Okay, maybe you had to be there. And maybe it would help if you'd had several cocktails or glasses of wine. But it's funny to us. Very funny. Don't suggest otherwise or Suz will shank you with a shiv.
We can both think on our feet. Like after the server at the bar (who I'm sure was paid by the length of her legs, not the depth of her intellect) splashed water on the table and therefore my phone (just a little, but hello, pouring liquids is your job, one would think you'd be a little better at it. I know I sound bitter, but she also tried to take my Vodka Collins with 1/2 inch of drink still in it), Suz helpfully sang, "watch your phone," as she approached us pitcher in hand. She also asked the taxi driver if he was taking the scenic route. He made a u-turn. I swooned. I love me some smart, funny people.
We both cannot stand heights. Neither can Beverly. Yet we all went to the observation tower at the Strat and watched guys bungee-jump.
It was 11 p.m. when we parted ways--they had to be at the airport early. I slept in until 8, didn't get out of bed until 9 and was home by 3:30.
If you're ever in Vegas, let me know? I will so come meet you.
The wonderful thing about meeting a blog friend in real life is that you can now drop the disclaimer, "My friend, Suz. Well, I've never actually met her in person, but she's my friend. Really. It's a blogging thing. It is NOT weird."
We're both veteran Girl Scout leaders, so this seems especially fitting:
Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. A circle is round, it has no end, that's how long I want to be your friend.