Slice of Life Story Challenge #8 - Celebrate International Women's Day

 

It's time for the 14th Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge!  

My theme for the Challenge is CELEBRATE.

  Since it is International Women's Day and this memory came up on my Facebook from exactly a year ago, I thought I'd write about these women.  I mentioned in an earlier post that my friends and I got one last weekend away with each other before the pandemic hit us full force.  We met in Pittsburgh in a cute little house we like to rent once (or twice) a year.  It's a halfway point between the Cincinnati crew and Annie, our friend who lives in State College, PA. We took this picture before going out for the night.  Like I mentioned in my first Slice of Life this year, we had mixed opinions about how bad this pandemic was going to be.  Were we even using the word "pandemic" yet?  Probably not.  Jill (center) was the most serious about it since she had a daughter living in New York City.  She was ready to go get her and bring her home.  The rest of us hadn't heard the alarm bells yet.  It was only a week later that we ALL heard them loud and clear.  We still had NO IDEA.

I celebrate each of these women today. It's been HARD not getting together in person for a full year.  Zoom is great, and the Cincinnati crew has gotten together, socially distanced and mostly outside, several times. But it certainly hasn't been the same as hanging out for a whole weekend.  We usually made time to spend weekends together at least 3 times a year. These are strong, creative, smart, funny, and beautiful women. I've known 2 of them since grade school and the other 2 since college. I miss them.  I miss our time together.  I miss US.

The new CDC guidelines that came out today are extremely hopeful.  Three of us are K-12 educators, so we will be fully vaccinated (why does that sound like my dog?!) by the end of the month.  The other two will hopefully get access soon.  Then we can laugh, talk, walk, eat, drink, debate, laugh (and drink) some more, and hang out for an entire weekend again.  I.Can't.Wait.