You Are My Sunshine, My Only Sunshine

" Sometimes our hearts get tangled
And our souls a little off-kilter
Friends and family can set us right
And help guide us back to the light."
~Sera Christann

The weather is turning warm again. We are enjoying riding with the windows down, not running the heat at home and wearing lighter clothes. Summer will be here before we know it. In Florida, summer means sunshine and afternoon rains, trips to the beach and Saturdays spent in the pool. It's this time of year that reminds me of the 5th friend on my Limp Along List, Ashley Shave.

Ashley goes by many nicknames, but to me she is my Sunshine. She has reddish hair (which one day she will learn to love) and a bright personality to go with it. Like the first friend on my list, Jenni, Ash and I have pretty much always been in each other's lives. Our dads have been close friends since high school and our families stayed in touch over the years. We would see them when we came to Florida on vacation and go visit them after they moved to Tennessee. We all eventually ended up back in Orlando and quickly became a close knit group. Oh yeah, and I married her brother. :)

Ashley is the 3rd of 4 kids and the first girl. The night our families hung out after they moved back to Orlando, Ash and I formed an unspoken bond. We were the only girls at a table with all the brothers-her 2 and my 2. Now, if you have ever met our brothers, you will understand when I say that 1 Josh can easily become a force all its own, but 2 Josh's...well, that goes without saying. Then there was my youngest brother, Sage, who at that time would mimick whatever he saw his older brother doing. And last, but certainly not least, was Ash's oldest brother and my future husband, Jason. He was the silent type who only spoke when spoken to. My thoughts after that first night went something like this: "I can't believe there is another Josh just like my brother, Josh!" and "The older one is cute, but a serious jerk." and "That's cool that they have a girl the same age as Baby C." and "I had fun with Ashley...we need to hang out again."

Oh my, oh my...little did I know that unspoken bond would get us through so much.

Ashley soon became one of my BFF's. She loved to have fun, shop at American Eagle and get 7-11 cappuccinos. We shared a love for cheesecake and discovered a new love for Almost Famous.
"It's all happening!"
"One day!"
"We're hot! We have to be!"

Ah, those were the days :)

If you know Ashley, you will not be surprised to learn that our friendship is a little complicated. "Complicated" is a term that Ash uses often to describe her life, therefore, our relationship is not exempt. 

The history of our friendship can be broken down like this;

Before The Dark Ages

The Dark Ages

and After The Dark Ages.

Before The Dark Ages: Saturday night cheesecake, late night laughing, family time, movies, rides in the Pickle, family outings, long talks about boys, family gatherings, ball games, trips to the mall, and more family time.

The Dark Ages: night, split-second decision, every emotion under the sun, silence.

After The Dark Ages (my favorite): letters, text messages, real forgiveness, cookies, Friday night Chick-Fil-A, babies, more long talks about boys, more late night laughing and more family gatherings.

There are so many stories I could share with you, so many memories flashing through my mind's eye. It would take me hours and many paragraphs to fill you in on all of our adventures. Ash lives in Tennessee now with the rest of my in-laws. I miss her everyday. We have walked through many fires together. We've held the umbrella for each other and splashed in the puddles after the storm had moved on. For all of our "complications" we have never forgotten how much our friendship is worth. We know what each other is thinking just by a look. We are family by marriage, but we are friends by choice and for that, I am eternally grateful. So, to my Sunshine, I say thank you.

Thank you for being my sister and my friend. Thank you for the hard lessons, the hugs, the sweet tea, and the text messages. Thank you for listening to me rage and complain and worry and doubt. Thank you for loving me and for trusting me. We've seen alot, but we've got alot more to see. You are a wonderful daughter, sister, mother and friend...don't ever believe otherwise. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you."

P.S. LET'S DO THIS!