Loveable Labels BlogHer'11 Getaway Contest

They annoy you, they make you laugh and cry, and they're always there for you when you need them. What are they? They are best friends! Everybody has one, and some people have a couple. For me, there's one person that has been in my life through thick and thin, and I call her Egg, she gave me my MarciMallow name.

Most people have a heartfelt story of how they met their best friends. Me, well...it's kinda funny. I was Assistant Manager of Diamond Shamrock in San Antonio, she lived in the neighborhood, and worked at IHOP. My manager had me working the closing shift because he knew I could handle just about anything that came in the store.

 

One night as I was cleaning the parking lot of the store, there was this station wagon that came careening around the corner, and literally almost HIT ME! I recognized the driver as a customer that came in every night and got a cup of Surge (man I really miss that drink.) The poor driver was shaking, and in a hurry. I checked her out, and she left the store in a hurry. I could tell she wasn't in any mood for even a "Hello". Afterward, I went about my business.

The next day, she came in again. Just like always, for her cup of Surge. I asked her if things were better that day, than the day before and she was so surprised that I remembered her, AND that I would care enough to ask how she was doing. She said yes, and that her boyfriend gave her a ring. She showed me the ring, and had to go to work. Thus, began our friendship.

 

This was way back in 1997. Egg and I have been friends ever since that day. There's some friends that you know you have a deeper connection with, and that's how it is with Egg and I. She has been there for me when I needed to talk, even at 2AM. The same goes for her calling me.

We've come to the conclusion that we are Soul Mates. Yes, my husband is also my Soul Mate, but with Egg, there's a different kind of Soul Mate. I've been there for her when she has had really down times, and she has been there for me when I've had fights with my husband. Last year, when my husband almost died and I had to stay at the Fisher House in Houston, Egg was there for me. She gave me a shoulder to cry on, and came up with me to the hospital most days.

 

If there is ever anything that can be said for us, it's that we are there to lean on each other and I don't think we could survive alone. We have leaned on each other for too long, that it's inconceivable for one of us to be alone.

When I had a miscarriage, Egg was the first one I called. When Egg is having a hard day, she calls me. We've both had our health problems, and we've both been there for each other. When I found a lump in my breast, she was the first person I called...AFTER the doctor. Yesterday, she found a lump in her breast. Her first call was not to the doctor, it was to me. Then I made her hang up and call the doctor.

 

Whatever happens, whenever it happens, Egg and I are there for each other. My husband knows that if anything ever happens to us, Monster goes to Egg. And if anything ever happens to Egg, her daughter (and her dog) comes to me.

 

So, it is with a lot of humor that I always say, "My best friend tried to kill me." There's not many people that can say that and mean it. And there's not that many people that have a history like Egg and I. She has the best sense of humor and is an excellent writer. She understands me when I start my "nerd talk" and will actually listen and have a true conversation with me. Egg is a one of a kind, truly wonderful person, and my best friend EVER.

Disclaimer: I wrote this blog as a contest entry for Loveable Labels BlogHer'11 Getaway Contest, but every word is very true as I love my Egg very much!



Wordless Wednesday

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What is Luck?

What do you consider luck? According to the dictionary, luck is a force that brings good fortune OR adversity. It can be good or bad, but it's always luck. There are those that will say "I don't believe in Luck" or "I don't believe in fate", but it is there. Is it luck that a friend of mine, who usually curses road construction, was saved by it because it prevented a horrible crash? Is it luck that led me to meet my husband over 20 years ago, when I was just a teenager?

And what about the lucky "signs" or "charms" or even rituals that people have? They say that some people are luckier than others...I say it's how you personally view life.

The day that Monster was born, everyone was telling me how lucky I was that I had gone to the doctor that day, because if not, he probably would have been stillborn. I had an ultrasound with the high risk doctor that came up from Houston, and I had my normal ultrasound the next day. The pregnancy was mostly uneventful, though I had to be monitored closely because of the seizures I had and also because of the severe asthma I had. I almost didn't go to the ultrasound that morning. I figured "everything has been normal and the doctors are making a fuss out of nothing."

So, very reluctantly I went to the ultrasound even though I was horribly tired. As "luck" would have it, the doctor was running late because of traffic. The ultrasound tech didn't want to keep me waiting too long, and (in my guess) she was fairly new, because she was just "messing around" and looking at different measurements. I was joking with her almost the whole time. There was another tech that was with her, and they were talking about the way you could identify a baby with club foot (I freaked out at that one!) and other abnormalities. Since I am medically trained also, I knew that if she didn't learn about it on the job, it would be hard for her to know what she was looking at, so I was joking with them, and talking with them the whole time.

Then, when the doctor did finally get there, an hour later, the technician met her in the hallway. Nothing new to me, it's called "report". So, the doctor came in, and started the ultrasound, and then she was saying she agreed with the technician, and turned to me and said, "it's baby time, you need to go to the hospital now and they will either fly you to Houston or take you by ambulance." I FREAKED OUT AND STARTED CRYING...it was two months early!!! I asked her if I had time to go home and tell my husband and get some things, and she said "yes, but don't take too long, they will be expecting you at the hospital soon."

Needless to say, I got to the hospital and was there for thirty minutes, and was transferred to a hospital in Houston by LifeFlight. Monster was born later that day, at 5:36PM, by emergency c-section. Because, I was "lucky" and went to the ultrasound that morning, he was only in the NICU for two weeks. Had I skipped that appointment, things would have turned out differently.

Was it "luck" that the doctor and the technician saw the problems? Was it luck that I went to this appointment that I wanted to skip? Was it luck that the weather was good enough for the LifeFlight? Was it luck that my husband made it to the hospital, with literally 30 seconds to spare before Monster was born? Was it luck that Monster was relatively healthy at birth?

My answer to all those questions is YES! I'm an incredibly lucky woman! Many, many years ago, I had a miscarriage on May 5, but on May 5 Monster was born. I believe it was "luck" on both occasions. Even if some people see something as "bad" luck, it's still "luck" and it happens every day, right in front of our eyes. You don't even need to look that hard...Luck is all around you! Embrace it!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the Bookieboo and "Earthies Wants You to Feel Lucky" blogging program, making me eligible to win a pair of Earthies shoes and American Express Gift Cards. For more information on how you can participate, click here.