Try Again Friday

I live in Warrenton and work in Reston.  Jacqui** lives in Fairfax and works in Rosslyn.  We are always trying to meet up and catch up after work.  When the stars align, we usually sit outside 'Bucks (as she lovingly calls it) and talk for hours, literally - her with a fancy coffee drink and me with my extra whip hot chocolate.  It's wonderful! 

Most evenings we play the try again game... I'll shoot her a text when I'm close to leaving work or she'll send me on when she's on the metro, but the usual responses are 'Already home, will try again', 'Still at work, will try again' or 'Have plans, will try again'.  So we've dubbed it the try again game and get a slight kick out of the numerous weeks where we try to meet up but it just doesn't work.  One of the best parts is that neither of us gets upset if it just doesn't work one evening because we understand busy and know it will work out eventually.

Alas, we have a solution - better than we've been doing at least.  It's called, you guessed it, Try Again Friday.  Every couple of Fridays, we meet in Gainesville after Jacqui has taken the train home and at times after I've been home to feed and take care of the zoo.  I love Jacqui for meeting me half way in Gainesville after she's been at work, on the train and in traffic.  It makes me feel not so far away!  Depending on timing, we'll grab a quick bite or just 'Bucks then it depends...tonight we walked around Target for well over an hour - didn't buy one thing (yay us!) - and I had a great time!  We toured the store basically - starting out in home goods, venturing to the pjs and sweatpants, the candle section (I think we sniffed every candle they have - Home Goods brand is nasty and Yankee still wins every time), clearance Halloween, Christmas (can't believe it's around the corner!!), scarves, hats and finally socks :)

I can't wait for our next Try Again Friday!

**Jacqui and I met once while at Mason - she lived in the same building as Megs and Sallie.  I'd see her occasionally at the Pourhouse, but not often.  Fast forward five years, Sallie is getting married in St. Thomas (gorgeous!) with Jacqui as a bridesmaid and myself as a guest; we happened to be on the same flight.  I stayed at her place and Stephanie took us to the metro which led into Reagan Airport at o'dark hours.  We were sitting on the plane, excited to start the trip and over the intercom comes '...everyone traveling to the Islands needed to leave the plane due to a delay on the runway...' and we wouldn't make our connection.  Our luggage stays and off it goes - no delay, pretty much took off immediately!  We catch a later flight that leaves us in Miami with a six hour layover - that is where our friendship blossomed...sitting outside the Miami airport, smoking cigarettes and eating pizza and bananas, missing all the fun, wishing we were in St. Thomas! We finally made it later that evening and had a fabulous time.  But that trip solidified our friendship - I wouldn't be the person I am today without her.  Over the years she's sat and listened to my crying over broken hearts, broken families, the excitement of buying my first home, new jobs, Halloweens and Valentine's Days, road trips, finding love and being a bridesmaid at my wedding.  I can't imagine my life without her in it... Love you girl!