Get to know your friends.

I just filled out one of those "Get to know your friends" chain emails. Questions range from "favorite flower" to "what did you have for breakfast" to "beavers or ducks." That last one is aching to have a dirty joke attached; oddly enough I can't seem to squeeze one out.

I have the best group of girlfriends of all time. Growing up I had some pretty crappy friendships. I was always The Third Girl. You know the group: two girls are best friends who dress and talk alike. One is the bad egg, the other follows since she can't think for herself. Then there's The Third Girl who is either tall or fat or both, connects The Two with The Others, and inevitably has to sit next to a stranger or by herself on roller coaster rides.

Of all the friends I've had over the years, I never met anyone that I connected with on all levels. It wasn't until my first job out of school that I met the Petes, seven lovely ladies who absolutely mean the world to me.

When we first started hanging out we were all about drinking, dancing and getting laid (at least I was!). Over time we started blacking out less, remembering conversations more, and eventually becoming really close. There have been plenty of good times and thankfully only some bad. Regardless, somehow everything we've been through has made our connection stronger.

It's exciting to be a part of my friends' lives right now. We are all growing into ourselves, finding our path, figuring out what the next step is. One of the girls is now married, another just got engaged, two more will probably get engaged soon. Us singles have been pretty focused on our careers lately and thankfully we are all successful, kickass power-women.

I love my ladies and am forever grateful to have them in my lives. Thank you Shizza for sending me the Petes!