chris and i met in 1998 when we were both working in olympia at the same office. chris left to take another job in 1999 and we decided to meet up one month in tacoma for dinner. we had such a good time we decided to try and do it the next month and we made it happen. thus began our tradition of having dinner together on the second tuesday (we now do the second monday) of every month. since 1999, we have met every month for dinner except for five times - the three months after our kids were born, and two months when i was too sick from treatments. so in about 13 years, we have had a lot of dinners together! during that time, chris has always been in tacoma - i have been in vancouver, kirkland, aberdeen, olympia, kirkland (again) and sammamish. but no matter where i have been, we have found a place to meet that we could both to get to, and never cancelled due to weather which is pretty amazing considering we live in the nw.
it is one of my favorite traditions, and one that i hope we are able to continue for a long time. it is amazing how much we have to talk about after only four weeks apart. i often think about how great it would be if i could have dinner once a month with all of my friends to catch up on everything in their lives. i also think about how much i miss of what goes on in their lives, since i only see most friends a couple of times each year if i am lucky. i am lucky to work with some of my best friends so i get to see them more often, but even that proximity doesn't allow us time to regularly catch up on what is going on with each of us.
our dinners have included talk on boyfriends (those are some of the funniest stories), husbands, parents, pregnancies, our kids, cancer (her mom, my dad, my own fight, others we know and love), our families and friends, work, and all of the other things that life throws at us. sometimes we laugh (a lot actually), sometimes we cry, sometimes we encourage, and sometimes we just listen.
in addition to our monthly dinners, we have celebrated other events in our lives, many happy, some heartwrenching sad like the day we met in tacoma to say goodbye to chris's mom gail. chris and i walked together for the 3-day, 60 mile, breast cancer walk about 6 years ago. chris's mom gail, who was fighting breast cancer at the time, drove us to our drop off point the morning of the walk and cheered us on as we took our first steps. both chris and i walked for her mom, but i also walked to support chris as well, and every other woman affected by breast cancer. we did it, all 60 miles. with lots of bandaids and blisters, laughs, and tears. gail physically left this world on may 29, 2006, but i know that she continues to watch over chris and beckett, stella, and sawyer each and every day. she is greatly missed. these pics are from the morning that we started the 60 mile walk.
this monday will be our next dinner. december is always super fun because we exchange holiday presents, and mine from her is always the same and i wouldn't have it any other way (assuming she will keep making it for me;))....chris's homemade peppermint chocolate bark. yum yum. like my birthday cake, if i offer to share a piece of it with you, you know that i really really really love you.
so here is to 2012 and 12 more monday night dinners, can't wait.
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