My Susie

I've talked some about my bestie who has blown me away with her support and understanding.

Today I'd like to talk a bit about another one of my best friends, I'm strongly of the opinion that you can have more than one best friend. I don't take the term lightly, I truly love my best friends, each and every one of them, I could never chose between them.

I met my dear Susie 4 years ago, our daughters were born 5 days apart and are the best of friends, even though they don't get to see each other often E is frequently talking about her. Susie is my dependable friend who will drop everything in her life to help me out. I love having such an amazing person in my life that I can count on when the going gets tough. The last month of my pregnancy with Mr N I was lonely, homesick, and miserable. I was whining to Susie on chat one day how I just wanted someone to come be with me until he was born. I didn't really need help with anything, just a friend by my side. Susie booked a flight the next day and was here within days. How am I deserving of such a friendship? How did I get so lucky to have this beautiful person in my life? We didn't do anything too exciting while she visited, just let the girls play while we chatted and she missed her darling husband. I appreciate her sacrifice away from her husband and son while she was here.

Last July, my mom called hours after my husband left for a business trip to Sweden, Grandpa wasn't doing well, they didn't know if he'd make it through the week. I packed my bags, called Susie and begged her to fly into an airport about a days drive from where I was, then drive with me to her house, then I would drive the last leg of the trip. She did. She's amazing, have I mentioned that? She dropped everything, spent a night away from her family, for me. Again, I'm so lucky to have her. It's a 26 hour drive from here to "home", Susie was a much needed breath of fresh air as I traveled with the 2 littles.

When I first started noticing Mr N's delays, I'd talk to my Susie and she'd reassure me everything would be alright. She was the first person I called after telling my husband about the diagnosis from the psychologist. I called her crying on my way home. She cried with me. She again reassured me that everything would be alright, she assured me that Mr N has great parents and we'd get him the best treatment and he would be fine. She loves Mr N, she's so proud of him, like a true friend would. <3

Now for my Susie funny. :) A few weeks ago E wanted to call Aunt Susie (as the kids lovingly refer to her) after they were done talking E matter of factly said "Aunt Susie is Daddy's sister". I said no, and explained that she is just Mommy's friend, like Aunt Bethie. E seemed puzzled so we showed her pictures of Daddy's sister and reminded her about Aunt Wendy. I'm not sure she totally gets it, but she is certain that she has many aunts and uncles that love her.

One of the biggest challenges we face with Mr N are attending meetings, assemblies and conventions. There is so much sensory overload for him that we can only sit for small periods of time without needing a break. The length of time he is able to sit is getting longer. For meetings we can go to the car and listen to the meeting as it is broadcast on the radio. For assemblies & conventions it's a bit harder because Mr N doesn't enjoy being in hotel rooms, so each day gets progressively worse because he never really can unwind. I was discussing this with my dear Susie, and she invited us to attend her convention this summer since it is held just minutes away from her house. This will allow Mr N & E to have somewhere to run and play after the convention each day, also a full house to wander and not just a tiny hotel room. Did I mention how awesome this Susie is? Everyone needs a Susie of their very own. I'm very much looking forward to seeing her next month.