I am not a spur of the moment person.  I like plans.  I like making plans.  As I get older, despite having this as a lifelong trait, I realize it can sometimes be a detriment.  My mother was awful with spontenaity and I confess my husband is not much better.  We are blessed to have laid-back friends who are the opposite of us in this way.  Thanks to them inviting us over on the spur of the moment, what would have been a regular Sunday night turned into something restorative and fun.  While our little girls colored, snacking on strawberries and Pirates’ Booty, we actually had grown up time.  It was wonderful!  So wonderful in fact we didn’t want to separate them for dinner.  Then I discovered Pizza Hut has gluten free pizza!  And so we all had a little party of sorts.  My friend’s husband and I savored cigars outside while our girls raced around the lawn laughing with abandon.  The American singer Jim Morrison said, “A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself.”  And that is exactly what our friends allow us to do.  My husband got to have some guy time with someone whom he enjoys; I got some girl time with someone I enjoy, and our kiddos hugged and played.  We realized they have known each other over half of their young lives now.  How blessed we are to have found a little family in our neighborhood that has someone for each of us.  Personally, I think that is an incredible rarity.  The girls did not squabble as children often do and they cheered each other on in true sisterhood.  We all had varying adult beverages of our choosing and I even got to launch into a talk about cigar terminology:  ring gauges, names, brands, lengths, wrappers, fillers, ways to cut or punch them, ways to light them, the different ways they are rolled, etc.  Just when I thought I had exhausted the subject I looked down, snapped this picture, and said with appreciation, “What an ash.”