Happy Graduation Mr. Jensen and family!

Let me tell you a little story. 9 or so years ago I went on-line looking for some information on getting pregnant. I came across this message board of women all looking for the same information as me. We all became fast friends and the majority of our group has stayed together through the years. There is over 50 of us! These women have known me since before I had any children and now I am expecting my 5th. We have had our share of differences through the years. We've fought and made up more times than I can count just like any group of friends would. I think we have all learned that there is a big difference in expressing yourself over the internet and in "real life". I would say aside from Steve these women know just about everything there is to know about me. Really they know the good the bad and all the stuff in between more than anyone else. Some of us have met through the years. We try to get together as much as it's possible. We have seen each other through pregnancy, divorce, loss of parents and grandparents. We lost one of the Mommies to a terrible cancer that took her too quickly. She left behind 2 sweet daughters and 1 son. In the end she was an amazing inspiration to us all. We have also now seen the older siblings of our October babies graduate from high school and college! It's crazy! Some of us are closer than others and that's OK that happens. That is how this post came to be for Mr. Jensen - we'll call him Shawn.

See Shawn is married to Jen and she came across this message board the same time as me. I wouldn't say it was a slow to form friendship rather than a well nurtured one. We peed on a stick at the same time and found out we were pregnant with our first born's. I don't mean we literally peed on the same stick she was in Seattle and I was in NY - come on now. Samantha and her Morgan are born days apart. I went on to have Steven and Bella she followed with Conner and then I had Sophia. Now I need to tell you that Jen is Mormon and quite frankly it appears it is more my calling than hers seeing at this point she has 2 kids and I have 4. OK I am getting off topic and I would totally switch over but I can't get past the whole giving 10% thing :)
2 years ago Shawn decides to go back to school to become a .......well he's has had a lot of "what I want to be when I grow up" scenario's. This time around it is a... ummmm holy cow I am drawing a blank it's on the tip of my tongue....OH I got it a PA. So Jen applies him to schools mostly on the East Coast YES I said they live in Seattle. She had a theory on this and pretty much it came down to moving close to me. Yes I am that fantastic!!! Well Of course I am all for this. Steve thinks were nuts and he can't believe Triple J (Triple J - that's what Steve calls Jen) is applying Shawn on the East Coast. I think Jen's family was on the same page as Steve. After a few trips back an forth he went to PA and Florida and I think one other place that I can't recall at this moment and then interviewed here at Pace University.
OMG - he get's in!!! Jen packs (well not really cause she was away for work and so her family packs them up) and moves across the country to live a mile from me. That is just crazy! I remember the first time I ran into Jen in my Target. Yes it's my Target her Targets are in Seattle. Well she scared the crap out of me. I think I screamed....lol. It took me a moment to process that she lived here now and these things would happen. People think we are crazy whenever we tell the story about how we met. It's funny thinking about it but in this one instance it was fate. We were meant to be lifelong friends. Really there is no other explanation for it. We are alike in just about every way. I am the R-rated version of her. See she doesn't swear or drink alcohol or drink caffeine or watch R rated movies for that matter. You'd think we were complete opposites but it's only with our vices. She gets me in more trouble though. Hey this is my blog make your own post and say I get you in more trouble :) She is always making a project more than what it needs to be. I can't tell you how many favors or invitations she has made me change and then go crazy running around looking for that perfect bag or ribbon or paper. OK OK your version is always BETTER I admit it! Right now we are waiting on vinyl for all of our kids teachers year end gifts. I can't even begin to explain...lol Now the kicker is that we only lived a mile apart for a short time and then we moved further away to East Islip and she stayed in Babylon. So our 2 min. drive turned into 20min - no biggie really cause see we live on the phone with each other. I mean we get together but not as much as you might think so even though she is leaving soon to go back home and I will be sad things won't really change that much because we have the phone.

So that brings us to today - Shawn graduated from Pace University! WAY TO GO!!!! I think I can say it was challenging 2 years. I mean they pack up and move to the other side of the country leaving all they know behind to stay here for 2 years so Shawn can go to school. Jen missed her family terribly, HER family missed them terribly. Shawn had a distraction with his grueling class load. But they did it-all of them-East and West Coast! They got through and get to go home very soon not without one more visit from the Call Family though - Steve is already preparing the menu! If Jen had it her way she probably would have been on a plane moments after Shawn was handed his diploma. The thing is she really wanted a lasting souvenir from her time here and what's better than a mini Statue of Liberty that doubles as a pencil sharpener?!? Oh I don't - how about a little bundle of joy coming this July. Now she is only 2 behind me. She'll be on that plane days after she delivers. :) We will make sure to get off the phone and spend the last few weeks in person! I'll get her out of the house - I got a pool set to 80' NO pregnant woman can resist a nice long float :)