If Only I Had the Nerve to Have a Body Like That

     Remember the old saying, There's one in every crowd?    Well, in my group of friends, we definitely have that one.   The one that is the center of attention, the life of the party, a bundle of energy and loved by everyone who knows her.  She never meets a stranger and has a heart of pure gold.  No matter what we are doing she can always make us laugh and always make us feel loved.  She is the heart and soul of our circle.  Her name is Brenda.

     Brenda is experiencing a rough time right now, dealing with excruciating pain.  She is facing knee surgery but won't know for a few more days just when and how extensive.   Now it is my turn to hopefully make her laugh.  This story is not only about her, it is dedicated to her.

     As I mentioned earlier, Brenda never meets a stranger and loves to get a laugh.  And, as she herself will tell you, she has more nerve than a bad tooth.  If you don't believe me now, you will by the time you finish reading this post.  Let me show you what I mean:

                                                                                     

 

                                                                                

"Brenda the Bod"                                   

 

     "Eat your heart out girls"

     This is the bathing suit cover-up we bought for Brenda in St. Maarten.    Now, me personally, I wouldn't have the nerve to wear it in public, but for Brenda it was perfect.  She loved it, and not only did she love it, but it soon became the "must see" talk of the whole cruise ship.   She wore it everywhere and everywhere got the same reaction.  She was the hit of the week.  People loved the cover-up and loved her.   

     Brenda has one of those charismatic type personalities that draws people to her wherever she goes, without any props.  But give her something that draws this much attention and she is really the belle of the ball.

      Women, as well as men, all over the ship stopped her to tell her how cute her cover-up was.  They would engage her in conversation and soon she had new friends from every region of the world.   Strange men would come up to her and want their picture taken with her.  In some instances the photographer was the man's wife, who loved it!

     One morning we decided to go to the main dining room for breakfast, knowing there was a dress code.  Usually we only went there at night for dinner.  Libby and I had already gone in so we missed what happened at the door.  Brenda had on her cover-up with white capris under it.  Kelly had on a cover up too with her bathing suit underneath.  Unfortunately, Kelly's cover-up was crocheted so you could see her suit through the holes.  They wouldn't let her in but would let Brenda in with her "shapely body".  Kelly couldn't believe it.  They went elsewhere for breakfast.

     Brenda and Kelly went up to the Windjammer buffet.  Now, this isn't just a small buffet, but instead has various buffets in a circle about the size of a football field.  Somehow, they went different directions and after getting her food, Brenda couldn't find Kelly.   If you remember, I said Brenda never sees a stranger, so, not wanting to eat alone she picked out a nice looking couple and proceeded to sit down with them.  She introduced herself and struck up a conversation.  Inevitably the discussion came around to her cover-up and she told them all the stories of fun and laughter she had had because of it.  She made some new friends from Russia.

     Brenda is a special lady and we all love her very much.  We pray that she will soon be out of pain and feeling like being our life of the party once again.  Until then, maybe we can make her laugh just a little.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Laughter Among Friends

Written for Week #27 GBE2 prompt - Laughter    

     Since this is Thanksgiving week, I would like to elaborate on things I am thankful for during the next few days.  What better way to start than with this weeks GBE2 challenge word - laughter.  How could I not be thankful for the gift of laughter?

     When I think of laughter my mind immediately conjours up visions of the source of my most heart-felt, belly shaking, roll on the floor laughter - none other than my 5 best friends.  The 6 of us are as close to being the real life Ya-Ya sisters as any group of women ever could be.   Let me introduce you to my friends.

     Libby is our mother hen.  She keeps us in line and worries for all of us.  She is soft spoken, but we all tease her that when Libby speaks, everyone listens.   

     Next, we have Linda.  Linda is our classy lady-about-town.   She is always stylish and on the go.  She is a bundle of non-stop energy.   

     Now meet Kelly.  Kelly is our all-business career woman; always looking for that next opportunity. Afraid she might miss something, she can constantly be caught texting and reading emails from her Blackberry hidden under the table.  Besides business, she is the only one of the 6 of us that still has 2 teenagers at home to keep up with.  

     Ann is the good-natured one of the bunch.  She has the sweetest disposition and always has a smile on her face.    She's a lot of fun to be around.

     Last, but definitely not least, is Brenda.  Brenda is our resident comedian and storyteller.  I have never in my life met anyone like her.   She is a true walking example of "Murphy's Law"; anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.  But once it has, she will be the first one to make a funny story out of it, embellishing the details and making it into the most hilarious story you have ever heard.    She is the best storyteller ever, bar none, and will have you rolling in the floor with tears running down your face from laughing so hard.  She missed her calling by not being a professional comedian!

     As you can see, we are quite a diverse group.   In spite of our differences, or maybe because of them, we are the best group of friends anyone could wish for.  We love each other, always have each others backs and can always count on each other to be there when needed.  But most of all, we share laughter.  I've heard it said that laughter adds years to your life.  If so, we will all live to be at least 100 because when we are together it is non-stop laughter.  We enjoy each others company and laugh at the silliest things.  When we are out in public, such as in restaurants, other people usually are affected in one of 2 ways - they either look at us like we are crazy, or drunk, or, they want to join us because we are having so much fun.  We've actually had strangers tell us they want whatever we're having!

      I am truly thankful for laughter and for my girlfriends with whom I can share it.  I have recently been reading a daily inspirational book titled, "Moments of Laughter for Girlfriends", by Barbour Publishing.  To use a quote from it, "When we count the blessings God has given, we should count our friends twice - and those who bring us laughter, twice more".

     So this Thanksgiving I'm doing just that.  For my friends, Libby, Linda, Kelly, Ann and Brenda, I am counting my blessings twice and then twice more.  I could never adequately express my gratefulness for the positive things they bring to my life.  Their love, friendship and laughter are true blessings beyond measure.

Happy Thanksgiving Ya-Ya Sisters!  I love you all!

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat