It felt like home…because it was.

Whew. After an absolute whirlwind of a past few weeks, we DID in fact make it to NY to visit my best friend.

We flew there on September 11th, despite the threats of hurricane Lee, and have been fucking BUSY every day since.

I got home from my Funding Love trip at like 4:30pm on September 10th. Saw the kids for all of 30 minutes, took a shower, did laundry, packed, and went to sleep. At 3:00am the next morning, we woke up the baby and hopped on a plane to head to NY!

He did amazing on the plane, and I was impressed. It was like a 3 and a half hour flight, but he was happy and agreeable the entire time…which is what I both hoped for and expected from him. Go Atlas!

We landed, and my friend picked us up and headed to her parents house on Long Island, where we stayed there for the first few nights. I pretty much grew up in that house, and spent as much, if not more, time there than my own house, and with her family. It was just so easy to be back. It honestly felt like literally no time had passed at all…except for the fact that now, our freaking BABIES are playing together. And how adorable is that???!

We got deli sandwiches and iced coffee for lunch, and pizza from a pizza shop I’ve gone to my entire life for dinner. It couldn’t possibly have felt any more homey than that.

Atlas went to sleep surprisingly easily, considering he’s never slept anywhere aside from his own bed before, and I was once again impressed.

Once the babies were asleep after a looooong and chaotic day of traveling, it was finally time to unwind (and drink). We hung out and just chatted until way too late (early?) in the morning. Even though we woke up at 2am, we stayed up until around 12:30. And it was worth it every night.

September 12th

Now, I’m case you’re wondering why the actual fuck we chose these days for a visit, literally hours after my previous one? It was because of this. My absolute FAVORITE band (All Time Low), and one of her favorites too, was playing in NYC that night! We’ve seen them together once before, and that night was truly magical back then. We always swore one day we’d go back…and when the opportunity seemingly presented itself…we jumped. Or, well, rather, she did. She bought the tickets hoping we’d be able to make it, and that was pretty much the push I needed to commit to actually heading up there.

It. Was. Amazing.

Her family watched the babies and put them to bed that night while we headed into the city. It was an easy train ride to Grand Central Station. We walked a few blocks and then grabbed a taxi… and narrowly escaped with our lives, but we made it to the venue at South Street Seaport.

We grabbed dinner right across from the venue at a place called The Tin Building, and it was such a cool experience. I had no idea what or where we were walking into, but it was this awesome 2 story building with like little sections dedicated to different things. It was like a combination of a fresh food market and restaurants with all kinds of different things. I was impressed, and once again, it truly felt like NYC.

The concert was amazing, and one of the highlights of the trip for sure. It was truly just…it was amazing and special and I scream sang every single word of every single song and I was legitimately shocked when I woke up the next morning and still had my voice.

After the concert, we walked way too far, went to a Taco Bell with a broken AC that must’ve at least been 100° inside of there, walked into a pile of trash (I literally smelled like trash for an entire 3 blocks), got in another (extremely) questionable taxi, got on the train, and made it home by 1:30am.

It was a night for the memory books. And it was absolutely worth the chaos of traveling back to back like that.

September 13th

Since we did what we needed to do on Long Island, today was travel day. We’d make the 3 hour drive from LI to Connecticut, where we’d stay for the rest of the trip.

But first…TATTOOS!!!!

When you’re best friends with someone for 22 years, I think you can both agree that neither of you are going anywhere. Ever. She’s my ride or die. I wouldn’t be here without her, and she’s proved time and time again that she isn’t going anywhere.

A few weeks ago, we started planning a tattoo that we’d both get, and settled on song lyrics from the song Kill Ur Vibe by All Time Low. It’s kind of become our song, and the lyric was extremely fitting.

I’m the safest place you could ever think to hide.

She has a matching one on her ribs as well. I can’t tell you how much this tattoo means to me. It’s more meaningful than I can ever put into words.

We finally arrived at her house in CT at like 8:30pm. Her husband and my husband took Atlas with them early, and we kept her son with us that day. So Atlas was already in bed by the time we got there. It was a long drive for us. The boys took the ferry, a first for my husband and the baby. They both absolutely loved it.

September 14th-17th

We spent the next few days not traveling anywhere, letting the babies play together, and just enjoying each others company.

We went out to local farms, ate apple cider donuts, went shopping at grocery stores, cooked dinner, played with babies…and just did absolutely nothing special at all.

Which is why exactly why it was just so damn special.

Seeing our babies play together, genuinely enjoy each others company, and play so nicely together was freaking adorable.

Did I ever think my baby and my best friends baby would end up playing together? Not in a million years. Not in first grade when we first met. Not in college when we were still friends for so long. I just never thought we’d still be here.

I never thought she’d still care. And I certainly never thought she’d still love me, all these years later.

We stayed up till 3am more nights than I care to admit (and have I mentioned that Atlas wakes up around 6:30?) 🤦🏻‍♀️

It just felt so normal. So…easy. It felt like no time had passed at all.

My heart feels more full now, after spending a week with her, than it has in years.

It was worth every single bit of stress and anxiety about getting there. It was worth the paranoia to keep my entire family healthy leading up to going away.

It’s been 5 years since I’ve seen her in person, despite talking every single day. I decided that this was the year it was going to happen, and I am just so happy that it did.

She’s more important to me than just about anyone else in my life is.

It really was just such an incredibly amazing week.