Stuff Jo Knows ...: WR 2012

WR 2012 took place over Memorial Day Weekend in Seattle. We laughed ("poonami" in front of Collins Memorial Library at UPS), we cried (Stacy, repeatedly, during the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close), we broke bread (naan at an old haunt, Taste of India). We missed Kathleen, who couldn't get away from NYC, but enjoyed the addition of Francie, the first WR Baby.

The ladies at the Mariners v Angels game. Clockwise: me, Anna, Amy, Gretch, Stac and Francie.

We arrived during the 7th inning. I then had to wait in line at the family restroom to change Francie's diaper. And by the time we actually sat down, she was hungry and throwing a fit, so I breastfed her right there in the bleachers, giving the young boys behind me a sneak-peak peep show.

My group of six college girlfriends gets together annually - events we have deemed "women's retreats" - and have consistently gathered at various western locations each year since we graduated from UPS. That's not to say we don't see each other at other times in different combinations and permutations, between weddings, showers, races, and some of us living in close proximity.

Last year we met in Denver and stayed at Stacy's house. I had blogged then about us going to the Muffly family cabin in Kenosha, lazing around eating jelly beans, going for walks, and taking an art class while drinking wine.

These are some of the most amazing women I know. I love being able to pick right back up with them, even if we go six months without chatting.

Stacy, my BFF and MOH, lives in Denver with her husband, Nick, and their Burmese mountain dog, Samson. She (Stac, not the dog) works as a nurse practitioner on a hospital stroke team. She's smart, she's kind, she's bubbly, and she's damned funny. Probably the funniest person I know; she makes me laugh more than Maya Rudolph and Tina Fey put together. Speaking of Tina Fey, Stac has been reading Bossy Pants for the last year. As long as I've known her, she's never finished a book. She remembers everything you've ever told her, and never misses a chance to tell you good luck, even if it's just for your driver's test or Pap smear.

Gretchen just moved back to Yakima, WA after several years living in New York, where she worked as a dermatalogical physician's assistant. Her husband, Dan, is finishing up his urology residency before settling with Gretch in their new home, just blocks from both of their families, and joining the local urology practice. Gretch is 20 weeks pregnant and just learned she's having a baby girl!

Amy is also pregnant, 27 weeks along, and will welcome a tall baby boy in August. She and her husband, Jake, grew up and live in Eugene. They were actually friends from ski team in high school, got together when we were in college, and were on-again-off-again until they married four years ago. Amy works as a physical therapist and recently became a clinic director.

Anna lives in Big Sky, Montana with her husband Neil. She works in HR for a company called CIEE. She works form home but gets to travel all over the world on hiring trips - the perfect position for someone who loves to visit new places and try new things.

Kathleen lives in NYC, and truth is, I don't really know what she does for work. I do know that it's something in the "business" realm, hence my ignorance. She graduated from Tufts Fletcher School with a Master's degree in international business. I haven't seen Kathleen in nearly a year, probably the longest stretch of time we've ever gone. She wasn't able to make the cross-country journey given employment and financial constraints. But we did get to Skype with her, and virtually introduce her to Francie, so that was a treat.

For this year's WR we met up in Seattle and stayed at Gretchen's parents' condo in the Wallington area. Stac flew in to Portland to serve as my surrogate husband, since Alex went to Detroit to visit his brother for the long weekend. Stac would make a great husband - and wife - because she can vacuum, wipe trash cans, fix snacks, offer encouraging words, change poopy diapers, and plan ahead with the best of them. The drive from Portland to Seattle took us nearly 5 hours, which is no surprise considering Stac and I once drove in the opposite direction of our destination on a roadtrip some years ago. But this time we can blame part of our delay on the baby.

We met the other ladies at the nail spa to indulge in some mani/pedi relaxation. Although truth be told, it was far from relaxing because I was caught in a perpetual hot flash, the baby was fussy, and I couldn't understand the nail tech's accent. We spent the rest of that Friday talking, talking, talking. Because that's mostly what we do, we chat. On Saturday we took a stroll down memory lane and visited the campus of our alma mater. I'm not nearly as nostalgic as the rest of the crew, but it was a sunny day and a beautiful campus for a stroll. Francie gave us all a treat, when she majorly shat her pants, including a spooge all over my arm, while I was nursing her and we were chatting up some prospective students. Stac and Gretch stepped into crisis mode and cleaned up Francie with surgical precision. Anna and Amy, the biggest UPS fans of us all, continued to reminisce about their own college experiences and sold the prospective students on life as a Logger. That night we over-ate at Taste of India in the U District and watched a movie. On Sunday we spent a leisurely morning eating breakfast, then went shopping, and arrived at the Mariner's game very, very late. But our tardiness had its perks - we got free parking ("You guys are here for the game???"); we walked through the corridor housing the boxes and suites; and we were permitted to sit in different seats because ours had been occupied. Truth be told, we were kind of a walking shit-show, and I myself was a hot mess. But at least our escapades had us in fits of giggles. Until the elevator incident ("Karl?!? We are stuck on level three!") In my humble opinion, the Safeco field could stand to hire some brighter bulbs. Early Monday Stac and I drove back to Portland in order to get her to the airport in time for her flight, and for me to pick Alex up from his trip to Detroit.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend spent with fabulous ladies. And although I had tremendous anxiety about parting ways with my hubby and taking Francie out of town on my own, I was able to quell my nerves by spending 9 obsessive hours packing and re-packing for the trip. And truth is, once I was with my girlfriends there were more hands on deck than Alex and I have ever had on our own.

Until next time, ladies ...