friendship

The Friend Pact

/ Jodi / 19 Comments

I made a “pact” yesterday with my FRIEND, John.

fist-bump-shutterstock_176659706

John Lee Bartholomew Taggart is a young man (younger than both of my boys) who was born in England, teaches English in other countries, has seen more of the world than I daresay I ever will, and is a genius writer/blogger.

John’s recent post (entitled Old Friends (Ireland)) on Storytime with John struck such a chord in me that I had to comment.   John commented back right away :), and in five minutes we decided to make a pact.  The Friend Pact I’m calling it.

A 51 year-old lady from Mars, PA and a 23 year-old young man from wherever in the world John is at the moment have decided that we are going to not just be friendly to people.  We are going to be FRIENDS with as many as we can.

Just like the friends John recently met in Galway, Ireland.

Whenever you get to thinking how you can make a difference in the world….. or what your purpose is on this earth…..  start by simply being a friend.

It might be much grander than you believe.

Smile at a stranger.  Watch it light up their face.

Hug for hello and hug for good-bye….  And hang on.  Be the last to let go.

giphy

Listen to people with an open heart, open mind, and with all of your presence.  Your time and attention is a gift to the recipient.

Tell your story, own it, and know you are who you are because of it.  Don’t be ashamed.  Don’t be boastful.  Just Be YOU.

I have always loved quickly and easily.  I love to say “I love you” to my family and friends.

To me – everyone I meet is a friend (unless they somehow prove otherwise).  No proving your friendship here.  I accept you as my friend.

Are you in on the The Friend Pact my friends?  Let’s not just be friendly, let’s be FRIENDS!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

PS  Marty has always wanted to visit Ireland, so Galway has moved to the top of my bucket list!  I hope to visit someday, and can’t wait to meet my friends.  🙂

sunset-on-a-beautiful-winter-day-in-galway-ireland-mark-e-tisdale

 

 

Aint it Good to Know You’ve Got a Friend!

/ Jodi / 8 Comments

MOJO359 2
Happy Friday!

Today I am sharing a card I designed for the Sketch Challenge #359 at Mojo Monday (MOJO359).

This card was totally inspired by one I saw done by Mojo Monday’s Julee Tillman.

Mojo359SketchHere is the sketch we were challenged to design from.

For my card, I started with some Navy and White SU DSP, embossed a “friendly” sentiment on vellum with gold embossing powder, colored a flower from SU Bloom with Hope with alcohol markers, then fussy cut and embellished with #WinkofStella and glued and stitched it all together for this fun friend card.

MOJO359 closeup

If you have a few moments, enjoy one of my all-time favorite versions of one of my all-time favorite songs 🙂

Friends make the world a better place.

Aint it good to know you’ve got a friend?

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Wedding Survival Kit

/ Jodi / 4 Comments

Jackie Wedding Survival Kit

One week from today is Jackie and Matt’s wedding.  Another one of “our children” is getting married…  (sigh)

Where did the time go?

When I met my BFF, Jill, we were pregnant with Nick and Jayme and had two little babies.  I had Jake.  She had Jackie.

Last year Jake married our beloved Colleen.  This year Jackie gets to marry her dear Matt.

jackie and matt

I can still picture our two little toe heads and the wonderful times we shared as we weaved our way through diapers and bottles and strollers and trips to the mall (just to get out of the house)….

to being homeroom moms together and planning holiday parties and the best obstacle courses for field day…

kids 1996

to PTA meetings, playgroups,  the best themed birthday parties and homemade Halloween costumes…

to Jill & Jodi’s Junque craft shows, and then re-entering the workforce, being parents of teens, then sending them to college and empty nesting…

and now weddings.

It is a great life to share with friends like we are, and I am so excited to celebrate our Jackie next week.

Jackie Jodi Jill

One of the shower gifts I gave Jackie was this simple little “Wedding Survival Kit.”

I put all the items in a cute little keepsake box that Jackie can use for whatever she wants.

You can customize it to suit your special couple and make a sweet, personalized gift.

Jackie Wedding Survival Kit

 

A crayon – to “color” all the days of your marriage bright and sunny

A rubber band – to remind you to always be flexible

A candle – to help the glow of romance always be part of your love for Matt

A paper clip – to help you hold it all together

A penny – to give you extra “cents” to know which battles are worth fighting and which are not

Some tape – to remind you little things can be “fixed”

A highlighter – to highlight all of the wonderful moments you and Matt will have

A glue stick – to help you “stick it out” during the rough patches

A battery – to help you recharge after a long day (or week…or month…)

A button – to remind you that sometimes you need to “button your lip”

A safety pin – to help you pin-point your problems and solve them

A dental pic  – to always pick out the best in Matt

A q-tip – to dig out all the bad things in your relationship

A band-aid – so you can tackle those high heels in August

 

Can’t wait to celebrate your day next week at this time Jackie!

Love ya!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Blessings Jar – Thankful for one of the Best Gifts Ever

/ Jodi / 6 Comments

blessings

So it’s the Day After #GFC2014 Weekend, and I’m still feeling so thankful and so blessed!  Relaxing with Marty on this Sunday evening, and a teensy glass of red wine :).

For some reason, I was reminded of one of the best (birthday) gifts I’ve ever received.   And it made me realize what a great Wedding Gift this could be during wedding season, so I wanted to share.

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My BFF, Jill, gave me this gift on my birthday a year ago, which just so happens to fall on New Year’s Eve, so coincides beautifully with New Year’s resolutions and new habits to create for the new year.

You see, “best gifts ever” don’t have to be expensive or elaborate.  The best gifts ever are from the heart and those that create memories for a lifetime.

My gift was a jar filled with blank colored  index card sized pieces of paper.  In explaining the gift, Jill encouraged me to write down blessings throughout the year and things I am thankful for.  She said we could then reopen it the following year, and revel in the wonderful experiences of the past year.

I still have the jar, and I review the notes occasionally.  Sometimes when I’m feeling blessed and happy, and sometimes when I need a lift.

In my happiness and afterglow of the blessings of this past weekend, I decided to revisit the jar and read some of the blessings from 2013.  It doesn’t need to be New Year’s or Christmas or a Birthday or Thanksgiving to be thankful.

Let me share just a small sampling of some of the little notes I scribbled throughout the year.  Some of them are BIG – like my oldest son, Jake’s wedding, my youngest son, Nick, getting a new job….    Some are very small – like planting tomatoes or a phone call from a friend.  But ALL of them bring a smile to my face and heart, bring me joy, and make me realize how fortunate, thankful, and blessed I am.

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January 1, 2013:  “Celebrated the first moments of 2013 with some of the people I am closest to – Marty, Jill, and Todd. This was our FIRST year when all the kids did their own thing – be we savored the moments, the friendship, the blessings, AND we texted with the kids!”

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January 7, 2013:  “Received a beautiful card from Joyce and Rob thanking and celebrating our recent reunion.  A reminder to consider perception becomes reality until clarified, and can result in boundless blessings.”

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May 4, 2013:  “Jake ran and finished the Pittsburgh Marathon!  26.2 miles in 4 hours, 53 minutes.  Such a amazing accomplishment!  So proud!  Jill and Todd were there with us to cheer him on!”

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May 8, 2013:  “Pam called today.  Had such a nice talk.  Good friends are such a blessing.”

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May 13, 2013:  “Nick got a new job.  Starts 6/10/13.  So proud and so happy for him.  I know he will be a great SUCCESS!”

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May 25, 2013:  Planted tomatoes.  Can’t wait to watch them grow and enjoy the bounty!”

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May 28, 2013:  Girl’s Day Out with Janet – manicures and pedicures and bridal shower shopping!

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June 1, 2013:  Today was Colleen’s Bridal Shower!  It was a great day to celebrate a very special young lady we love!”

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June 1, 2013:  Jake brought flowers to the shower for Colleen, Teri, and me.  So proud of him and love him dearly!”

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June 13, 2013:  “Marty got a ride in the autonomous car!”

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July 12, 2013:  “So thankful for best friends ever helping with Jake and Colleen’s Wedding Rehearsal Dinner – Janet, Jill, Dawn, Tracy, even Todd and ” Baby” Jake – LOVE them all!”

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July 13, 2013:  “WEDDING DAY for Jake and Colleen!  AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL DAY!”

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August 15, 2013:  “Matt and Judy came to visit and stay for the weekend.  GREAT time catching up and reminiscing.  Love them!”

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September 1, 2013:  “First invitation to dinner at Jake and Colleen’s.  So good to be with them in their new home.”

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September 17, 2013:  “Card-making class with Colleen.”

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October 12, 2013:  Wonderful GFC Weekend with Pam, Jill, Janet and Joan!”

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November 16, 2013:  “Marty’s 55th Birthday!  Fun time with family and Hendy’s – lots of love!”

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November 22, 2013:  “Jackie and Matt ENGAGED!  YAY!!!”

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November 28, 2013:  “WONDERFUL Thanksgiving – Johnny came to visit – SURPRISE! with Nancy – and it was GREAT to hug him!  Then a lovely dinner with Dad and Carole.”

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November 29, 2013:  “So Thankful for my Marty.  His heart and mind are my ROCK!”

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December 22, 2013:  “Christmas with the Hendy’s at Jake and Colleen’s House!”

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December 31, 2013:  “My birthday lunch with my Dad.”

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You see – there are so many things to be thankful for!  BIG and small!

Wouldn’t a Blessings Jar or a Thankful Jar be a great wedding or birthday gift to give a friend or loved one?  Hardly any money, but it will create a lifetime of memories.

Appreciate the moments at Life in Between…

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

Friends Found – Ain’t it Good to Know You’ve Got a Friend

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

Tranquil thinking of you SU Lovely as a TreeAs I was contemplating what I would share on my blog today, I was emailing with a dear friend.
Always the multi-tasker, I was doing three or four things at once, but got stuck on a thought she put in my head.

Friends Found

Do you ever think about all the ways people come into your life?
How you decide who will be your “friend?”
Is it a conscious decision?
Does it take consideration?
For some, it takes time…
it takes proof,
it takes evidence,

But for me…… (and as niave as it may sound)
You are my friend…
right away…
unless or until you prove otherwise.

I fall in love quickly.
(and not in an inappropriate way)
But I simply love people.
I love their differences, their uniqueness, their similiarities…
their stories, their history, their traditions…

I love it all –
and consider you my friend
unless you prove otherwise.

No “proving” of friendship with me.
Only proving you’re not… my friend – if that is to be.

Otherwise I’ll love ya.
Because what is life about if not for that?
Call me naïve
Call me gullible
Call me a dreamer…

Whatever

I’d rather love and lose
than never love at all.

and that reminds me…
like just about everything 🙂 …
of a song…

(and here is my favorite version of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend” from Divas Live – which I had on CD years ago – and now must search for! – but practically wore out listening to – and shamefully sang out VERY loud to from my car many, many a times…)

You’ve Got a Friend:

You know…
I had a bit of a vagabond lifestyle growing up
with lots of change and many different homes and schools and situations…
but I don’t regret a minute of it – because it shaped me into what and who I am today.

And I think I am ok.

Life throws us a lot of curve balls,
but the fun part is figuring out how to hit them!
And though I started out with a bit of a rocky road,
I have found so many friends along the way that have more than made up for it!

Yep –
I’ve got a friend – in fact quite a few friends – and I am so grateful…
for
Friends Found
at Life in Between.

Thank you for being a friend. (teehee – another song!)

Cheers and Hugs,
Jodi

My Good Fortune

/ Jodi / 3 Comments

GF Mars 5This past Saturday morning, after Mikey and I got back from our regular Saturday morning walk with our buddies Tracy and Halo, I started doing laundry and some other usual chores around the house, when the phone rang.

On the other end (much to my good fortune), was my buddy Janet letting me know she was meeting up with a couple of old school friends for lunch at Jimmy Wann’s and asked if I wanted to join them.

Well, I thought about it for about – oh – maybe – two and a half seconds – and said, “You bet I do!”

Heck with laundry.

Heck with the chores.

They will be there when I get back.

First of all, I LOVE any time I get to spend with my Janet.

Secondly, I LOVE Jimmy Wann’s!

Give me a bowl of Eight Treasure Rice, a Volcano Sushi Roll, a nice glass (or 2!) of Chardonnay, and some friends to catch up with….

Not too tough a decision.

Lunch with friends – that’s what Saturdays are made for – right?!

GF Mars 1

L-R: Val Danner, Judi (Stanko) Wahl, Janet Adams, Jodi (Rodgers Towle) McKinney

We had the patio practically to ourselves, and it was sunny and bright with just the perfect breeze.

What fun it was to catch up with these girls I went to school with back in 7th and 8th grade at Mars Middle School.

You see – my family only lived here (in the Mars area where I returned and my boys graduated high school from) for a few short years while I was growing up.

It was one of the six different homes I lived in, and one of the five different schools I went to, so I only spent a couple short years here with these ladies (who all went on to graduate together).

But – what I realized was that my good fortune came true… (you see my fortune cookie above?)

These ladies are lifetime friends.

We ate, and we drank some wine, and we talked…

and talked…

and talked,

shed a few tears,

and laughed…

and laughed…

and laughed.

Then we got silly with our fortune cookies (after asking the sweet and ever-so-accommodating waiter who must have filled our – ahem – water glasses a half dozen times during the several hours we sat there) to take our picture by the bamboo bushes.

GF Mars 2

Yep – I’d say it is my good fortune…

to have these lifetime friends….

Thanks Judi.

Thanks Val.

Thanks Janet!

Love ya!

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

The Summer Wind…. Came Blowin’ In…. and brought me some amazing friends

/ Jodi / Leave a comment

Lago

I am extremely fortunate to have so many amazing women in my life.

This Saturday, after our rousing Friday evening of THE BEST BOOK CLUB EVER, I got to spend the day with three of those women.

These women, who are just a few months ahead of me on this journey we call life, sure know how to LIVE.

I am completely smitten with,

inspired by,

and madly in love with these “girls.”

 

After a little porch sittin’ and coffee sippin’….

porch sittin

… greenhouse gazin’…

greenhouse gazing

…lake lollygaggin’…

lake lullygagging

…and fig tree inspectin’…        Ohhh Rob – we are so proud of you! 🙂

fig tree inspectin

We headed out for a teensy bit of antiquing,

amassed a few treasures,

and finally ended up at Lago Inn and Winery

lago chardonnay

where we sipped chilled Chardonnay while the “summer wind… came blowin’ in…. from across the (lake)”

The beauty of the day couldn’t hold a candle to the beauty of these three ladies – – – their wisdom – – – their love for me – – – their encouragement and confidence in me – – – and the way they can take this somewhat broken, oft doubting and confused soul and make me feel like a princess, a prized possession, a worthy wanderer through life, a forever friend, and inspire me to be me.

What a truly treasured gift….

at life in between.

With love to Joyce, Kathleen, Laurie, and so many other amazing women in my life.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi