Christie and I at my 40th birthday party last year.

I moved to Texas in 1995. One of the first people I met when I arrived is Christie. Since then, our friendship has grown from planning weddings to having babies, to sending our children to private schools and then public schools…and the list continues. We’ve planned birthday parties together, we’ve scrapbooked together, we’ve extreme couponed together, and now we are taking on a new challenge together.

She is moving to Central Texas. I live in North Texas. There’s a three hour drive between those two regions. And while I am excited because the Three Amigos and I have a new place to visit, I am trying not to be sad. Really I am. So I’m not going to talk about what I’m going to miss, I’m going to talk about what I’m gaining.

Her son starts high school in the fall. And he will be playing football. And since the infatuation with high school football in Texas is statewide, we will catch as many of his games as we can. I’m thinking at least two.

She’s keeping her job! Her job in Dallas, that is. That means that she’ll have to come up here for official work meetings and such. And when she comes, she will need a place to stay. I’m thinking at least once, that place needs to be my house. I’m just saying.

I’m thinking she’ll blog about her adventures. I like it when my real life friends also double as my blogging friends. And she is a blogger. So, we’ll all be able to read about life in Central Texas.

We’re connected by social media, texting, and internet word games.

But I still have that twinge. The little twinge that is going to miss her. The little twinge that hits me in my gut when I have to list an emergency contact on the kids’ school registration forms. Because she’s always been about 20-30 minutes away, and now she’s 3 hours away.

Ok…I can do this…we can do this….we can, right?