Lob-stah Weekend

Sometimes a change in latitude is all you really need.

Once upon a time, just like in “Sex in the City”, there was a group of young single women who all lived in New York. And like many New York stories, these women were first connected through the usual reasons (work, former home towns, friends of friends) but grew closer through playful evenings spent enjoying queso fundito and potent margaritas at a Mexican restaurant on Second Avenue called Zarellas, followed by after hours merrymaking a few doors down at Jameson’s pub.

My friend Dave used to say that when I’d come to work the morning after “Zarella’s nights”, regaling him with funny and sometimes crazy stories from the evening before, he would get a mental image of the old “She’s Got Legs” ZZ Top video on MTV– hazy smoke everywhere, lovely ladies in high heeled boots kicking down a door and taking over a joint. I won’t lie, some nights it was a bit like that.

Beyond the cheese and tequila and occasional impromptu jukebox karaoke performances, it was the many more hours of laughter, tears, discussions and counsel (and not taking counsel), unconditional support during the unexpected bumps in the road, and celebrations of joy and love that ultimately gave deep roots to our friendship.

Our friend Beth, now living in Atlanta, found her match with Corey who officially became part of our clan last weekend. We all traveled from California, Austin, Atlanta and New York to witness their marriage and watch a new chapter of Beth’s life unfold. In our 3 seater van we toured the countryside with our driver ‘T-bone’, danced to “Thriller”, ate a lot of lob-stah, and plotted our next time to all get together. When we entered the lobby bar at the Bradley Inn, we heard ourselves being referred to as “The New York Mafia” -- our ZZ Top girls presence clearly still intact.

A few months ago when I was in Florida over Easter I watched Mama Mia with my nieces (who know every song), and enjoyed the scene where Meryl Streep and the girlfriends she’s known for 20 plus years are dancing and playing around, “having the time of their lives.” I remembered thinking that that’s how it works with the best of friends. Months and years may pass, addresses may change, new additions may join the fold, but things only get better with time. And you just pick right up where you left off.