reunion

Yesterday was a stormy, rainy day, perfect for laziness and pajamas. Trophy Husband, who had been out of town for the wedding of an old friend, returned home and was dozing on the couch. The kids, crazy happy about his return, celebrated with lots of hyperactivity and bickering. And, for the most part, all things returned to normal in the Fatass house.

Except…I got a really cool treat. Like ice cream, only better because there weren’t any calories to count.

Most of you probably know this already, but if you don’t, let me bring you up to speed: I moved to North Carolina with my family in September of 2008. Prior to that, with the exception of three crazy studious years going to acting school in Chicago, I spent my entire life in Michigan. And though I have a very southern influence in my family, I am also a Michigan girl through and through, as exemplified by all of the Maize and Blue clothing, love for Kid Rock, and appetite for Coneys, Pasties, Vernors, and Bell’s Oberon. So, I love being relocated in the south, but to say that I have experienced some homesickness over the years is an understatement. I’ve missed my ‘people.’

Enter @LisaRobbinYoung. She and I knew each other in high school, both being very involved in theatre programs around town. We were very aware of each other, though as kids we weren’t close. But I would say we had a healthy appreciation for each other’s talents. I cast her in a play I directed as a senior in school, and she brought soul to every character she played. (There was this one GREAT scene where she was a lusty divorcee with the total hots for a handyman, and HOLY COW did she nail it).

Anywhoozle, we’ve stayed in contact through the years through various theatre activites and now the blogosphere and Twitter. And she happened to be on vacation here in North Carolina and wanted to come visit! And I was so excited.

Within seconds of her arrival we both dissolved into a couple of giggly teenagers, reliving high school memories from our different perspectives (I was a couple years ahead of her, so we had that Upperclassmen/Lowerclassmen dynamic happening) and we also caught up on the last 20 years since graduation (well, 20 for me, being the older one) and I just can’t imagine spending a better afternoon with a girlfriend.

Then…I had to start getting ready for class. I had to teach Zumba at 4:30. So Lisa says to me she says “I’d totally be interested in watching.”

Watching. Yeah, right.

She’d never taken a Zumba class before, so I really wanted to get this right. I brought her into my closet and outfitted her in workout clothes, and while she was choosing what she wanted to wear she told me a story that started with “I remember in high school seeing an outfit you wore…” and that was enough to shoot my adrenaline up, because if anyone has done the math on this, I graduated High School in 1991. Which means I had big hair and tightrolled jeans and basically got the best of both the eighties and the nineties and I just had no idea what ridiculous combo of aquanet and shoulder pads and hammer pants she was going to remind me of. But what she said was “I remember thinking how cool it would be if Sue and I were good enough friends that we could hang out in her closet trying on clothes.”

And if I were better at hugging people, I would have hugged her right then.

I told you guys once that in High School, I wasn’t always so nice. So I was more than a little apprehensive that Lisa and I might have a hurdle to get over where I had to prove to her that I wasn’t the asshole now that I could occasionally be as a teen. You know? But man, yesterday? We had no hurdles. We had nothing but fun.

Well. After that, we got on my bed and began putting on Zumba makeup. I taught her about glitter eyeshadow and she taught me a better way to apply all that black eyeliner. Man we looked good.

And off we went. To class. Where she did not WATCH, she DANCED. She stood right down front and moved great and smiled and laughed and had fun.

As did I.

I wish I had a beautiful after photo, but between bad gym lighting and sweat, this is the best I could do. Thanks so much for coming for the afternoon, Lisa. I can’t wait to do it again.

Week Three: -2, TOTAL: -9

PS: Lisa is a Direct Sales whiz, both with her own home based sales companies AND as a Direct Sales Coach/Consultant. And she’s also a mom and a wife and a friend. I highly suggest following her on Twitter for honest, witty, and smart tweets about all that she does.