So I did the next best thing. I told the woman in charge of placing girls in troops that I was already a leader and couldn't do another one but I wanted my daughter placed in a troop that would be active, with a leader that was organized and fun. Bribery may have been involved - something about buying her a snow cone at the Fun Run on Friday.
She placed our daughter in Mrs. M's troop. Her daughter was in the same grade as ours and they quickly became friends. Mrs. M and I became friends over time.
At first I offered to help Mrs. M at the meetings so I could see how she ran things, what they did and if she was fun. I admit it... I was checking her out. She came to meetings with a plan, she encouraged the kids as they were learning to read, she was consistent in the behavior she expected - and, I learned, she was a primary teacher by profession. Boy oh boy, was she fun! She made picking up trash on the playground so fun, no one wanted to quit. Kids hung around after the meeting was over, sometimes asking their mom to be late picking them up.
As time went on, I offered to help because Mrs. M was fun to be with and I wanted to get to know her better. We'd meet for lunch to discuss the next meeting - and then the latest movie we had seen or book we had read. Pretty soon we were sharing stories about our lives and families.
Fast forward a couple of decades. Our daughters have grown up, are married and have professional jobs. Though one lives in California and the other in Arizona, they get together as couples when they can and maintain their friendship long distance.
Mrs. M and I, along with our husbands, are still good friends, as well. They live in California (to be near their daughter and her husband - and because the weather is great!) and we live in Arizona but we get together as often as we can.
We spent a long weekend with them in California a few weeks ago. As usual, Mr. and Mrs. M had planned fun, adventurous things for us to do as well as some time to just relax and "hang out!" Having balance in life is something I learned from them.
Several weeks before we went, Mrs. M asked if we might be interested in going to a concert at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California. The performer, Bian Liunian, is one of the world's leading performers on an ancient Chinese instrument, the erhu. It is like a two-stringed fiddle that is usually played with a bow but can also be plucked. This sounded like a fun adventure!
The erhu is on the left and has an amplifying device attached to the bottom. Bian plays over 200 instruments, including the Chinese zither on the right (although another performer played this one at the concert.
The concert was extraordinary! Some pieces were distinctly Chinese with hauntingly beautiful melodies. Others were classical - the Bach piece he played was exquisite. And still others were as American as apple pie. His rendition of the Eagles' Hotel California was explosive! It was hard to believe he could get that much diversity in sound from just two strings. It wasn't just a fun adventure - it was a wild one!
The next day we went to Legoland right before they closed. That's right, we went right before they closed. Knowing how much I like Lego minifigures, they suggested going then because we could get into the park without paying admission. We saw a small portion of the park and visited the largest Lego Store I've ever seen. It was huge... gigantic... gargantuan... humongous... super-sized! What a fun adventure we had looking for the new Big Bang Theory set - I think I may have whooped with delight when we found it!
We also strolled through the Legoland Hotel. I know some sweethearts who would love to stay there!
Richard, Alex (the M's nephew) and Mr. & Mrs. M
Everything is made of Lego-like pieces. It's awesome!
Behind the front desk of the hotel hangs the largest display of Lego minifigures I've ever seen. The surfer dude on the bike "rides" back and forth across the board. The wheels magnify the minifigs behind them. Everything is awesome at Legoland!
One of my favorite things to do/see in California is the beach. It is relaxing and rejuvenating. Mrs. M packed up some breakfast and we headed to the beach to watch the surfers, listen to the waves and squish our toes in the sand.
We greatly enjoyed nature - the tracks in the sand, the treasures the ocean washed up, the birds and the sand. The M's are doing an unofficial study of pelicans and have determined they most often fly in formations with an uneven number of birds. We corroborated their research.
We had a wonderful time with our adventurous friends - eating, laughing, drinking wine, talking, eating, talking, laughing,... I love that we can maintain our friendship despite the distance and that when we see each other, we pick right up where we left off.
I am thankful for friends that love adventure and laughing. And I am thankful that God orchestrated our friendship long ago when our daughter was put in Mrs. M's Brownie troop and then He wove our experiences as friends together into a beautiful tapestry. I don't believe friendships are the result of chance meetings; they are ordained appointments.
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