#chasepartyof7

In the middle of exchanging our most recent string of hilarious messages-which were actually making me laugh out loud-my friend Tracy said…Abby, why are we like this?

And honestly, I have no idea.

But.

We. Are. Awesome.

The chain of texts that day revolved around me falling off my bike. Because, man, I was sore. And someone needed to hear about it. The minute it happened I knew I had to tell Tracy. Of course, I had to paint the picture for her and describe every detail as best I possibly could because NOTHING is funnier than watching someone fall. Amiright?!

Tracy is my go-to friend that gets it. Whatever “it” might be on any given day. She’s not always the voice of reason but more of the hype man we all need. She supports me (and our entire friend group) fiercely and I don’t think she’s ever heard a bad idea. At least in terms of suggested group activities. Which speaks volumes because we’ve had some pretty bad ideas over the years.

Our stories and memories are priceless but…let me be clear…it’s a real good thing we are so well balanced.

Every friend in a friend group has a role; as anyone in a friend group can tell you. Tracy is for sure the heart of our group. She’s the go-to person for several of us, not just me. Having a bad day? Text Tracy. Got a funny story that others might not appreciate? Text Tracy. Need to say the most inappropriate things without fear of judgement? Text Tracy. Have no idea how to parent your kid that day? Text Tracy. She might not know either but dang it if the conversation won’t make you realize that your stressful situation isn’t as bad as what you thought. She’s my friend that has been there and done that and will do it all again with you if you just ask her to.

Erin is the glue. She plans the events, thinks of everything, packs appropriately (for all of us) and always has an extra cooler just in case. She’s just plain good. BUT the city girl we all know and love shows her face every now and then. And personally, I live for those times.

Jen is our collective set of much-needed eyes. She’s quick and smart and thinks clearly when the rest of us can’t. I thank God for her often. She loves to cut loose and is way too much fun. She also keeps us out of trouble…or gets us out of trouble…or ultimately allows us to cause said trouble because it probably won’t end that badly.

Nicole is the care-taker. Depending on the situation; care taker might mean care giver, protector, decision maker, smack talker, or shoulder to cry on…or with. Because if one of us cries, we usually all end up crying. I can count on her for any of it. She wears her huge heart on her sleeve and its a good thing because it’s how we all recognize her.

Jess is the wildcard. In the best way possible. I’ve known her longer than I’ve known any of them. We never know what we will get with Jessica and she always keeps us on our toes. Things are never dull with her and I love every second of it. One minute she is calling out the cheating spouse sitting in front of us and the next minute she’s making conversation or having drinks with the cute old couple at the bar. Every minute, though, she’s checking on each of us and making sure that individually, we are ok. She cares deeply, and that’s obvious.

Oddly, I have no idea what role I play in our friend group. Maybe I don’t want to know? With such amazing friends I’m a little afraid of what role is left to fill. When texting with Tracy about my bike wreck and the hilariousness that ensued I said, “you can’t take me anywhere.” She responded with ‘one of the many reasons I love you.’ So maybe I’m that friend. Who knows.

I’ve never understood people when they say that they don’t have time for friends or keeping up with friends is too much work. I think we can all relate to that on some level but good friends are like walls. We don’t have to talk to them to know they are supporting us. Wait. Maybe its…they are always there when we need them. It’s something like that, anyway. You know what I mean.

The point is…we don’t talk everyday. Sometimes our group message isn’t active for weeks. Often our conversations consist of forwarded TikTok videos and no words at all. And that is enough.

So, cheers to them. My Wolfpack. My mom-group. My hide-the-body friends. My walls. They are everything.