Can't Keep A Girl Down With Friends Like These

Do y'all ever just have one of "those" days? 
Mine was totally yesterday and I'm hoping I don't have any more like that for a while.

I should have known yesterday was going to be a doozie because of the way the morning started, but I ignored all the signs.  I won't go into too much detail in a woe is me kinda way because quite frankly, I don't want to listen to myself complain...so I know y'all don't want to listen to it.  The following are just the highlights of my day yesterday:
~Studying for part 3 of my test.  Remember when I took part 2?  Well, part 3 is just ridiculously difficult and only has about a 50% passing rate on the first attempt.  Great.  I'm a walking ball of stress. 
~Went home for lunch and McGruff couldn't walk.  As in, his back legs completely stopped working.  Rushed him into the vet immediately.  Turns out, he's having a flair up again due to his ongoing back issues (for those who don't know McGruff has degenerative disc disease and his back hurts him from time to time).  They put him back on meds and sent him home for some TLC. 
~Work drama, which is something I really don't have time to supervise or sort out.  Why can't people just treat one another with respect, play nice and get along? 
~I suddenly discovered I may have a small overlap on two different trips I must attend.  Neither are an option to miss.  It's only a small over lap, but it certainly didn't help my stress/anxiety levels yesterday afternoon. 

By the time I left work I just felt defeated.  I was excited to go home to an evening of nothing.  I wanted to relax, de-stress, take a hot bath and cuddle with McGruff while reading the new book club book. 
However, by the time I got home I couldn't even move off the sofa and I just sat there holding McGruff.  The two of us had a two person pity party.  It was grand.  It was pathetic. 

When Mr. D got home and mentioned Suggins for dinner I was all in.  The thought of eating my feelings and stress made me an easy target (plus, I was in no mood to cook dinner).  So off we went to Suggins. 
When we arrived at Suggins I was greeted by the happy faces of this girl and her guy.  They instantly sensed I wasn't my usual self and did the unthinkable...they cheered me up and calmed me down. 
Then, Joy came and picked me up and took me to Cold Stone.  By the time I had finished inhaling my wonderful icecream+redvelvetcake+piecrust+minichocolatechip creation I was as good as new! 

Can I just say how much I love my friends?  The first year we "lived" in Lexington I felt so lost because teh only friends I had were all far away.  We didn't have any young friends here.  Sure, we had plenty of family, but it wasn't the same.  We would spend our days reminiscing about our BFF's that are now spread out all over the globe (doesn't it suck when college ends and everyone moves to different towns?)  I missed the relationships you make with the family you choose (friends).  It's funny the way God puts people in your life right when you need them. 
We couldn't have met Katherine and Ben at a better time.  Really, we couldn't have met any of our Lexington friends at a better time. 

Whether they are in Kentucky or Florida or some place between, our friends are wonderful and I love them so much.  Mr. D and I are truly blessed.  We not only have the greatest family but we also have an amazing family of friends, both near and far, whom we love dearly and would do anything for.  I feel like I don't sing their praises enough.  All of you (if you're reading), this is your thank you.  We love you.  You are amazing! 

Basically, what I'm getting at is just when I thought the world was going to end and I was all down on myself and down on everything I had going on....my friends reminded me to put it all in perspective and just do the best I can and everything will work out the way it's supposed to.  Friends are incredible.  I hope some of you out there in blog land are as lucky as we are.  We are fortunate enough to have best friends living all over the country (and a couple in England too) and I wouldn't trade any of them for anything. 
My advice for you today: Never underestimate the power of prayer, family and true friends. 

And now, an homage to the family we got to pick:

Yes, I'm aware my blog post today reads like the script of an After School Special (do y'all remember those?) but I don't care.  Sometimes you just need to say thanks...and for me, this blog post was the only way I knew how to do it. 

Keep those you love close to your heart and remember to say thank you. 

xoxo,
Mrs. D