My Fennimore Friendship Day

The other day, somebody told me I had a very "diverse life". HEY -- THAT DIDN'T JUST HAPPEN!!

Being diverse is a very good thing. Right? I think it means I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I enjoy sewing, cooking, or getting messy with some DIY....I also love thrift store shopping, traveling, reading books, attending classes and learning new things. For me, being diverse also means I have friends in all walks of life -- from all stages of my life.

But -- again -- friends don't just happen. I have always valued my friendships with other women, and I treasure the time I spend with them.

Mary Mulari, one of my best friends, has introduced me to SO MANY WONDERFUL PEOPLE.  (You know who you are!). Because of my friendship with Mary -- I met Deanna maybe 20 years ago. At the time, she was working for Nancy's Notions in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. And I was running my store, Rita's Sew Fun.

We used to run into each other often in a year's time. At Sew Expo in Puyallup, or Quilt Expo in Madison...at Quilt Market in Houston or BLT in St. Louis. We never had to make plans in advance or worry about the next time we'd get together....every couple of months, we'd be in the same place at the same time and we'd hang out. We'd visit over a quick lunch or have a big catch up during a leisurely dinner.

But, hey -- I don't do all that travel nowadays -- so we actually DO have to plan our get togethers. And I sooo look forward to these days. We live about 4 hours apart -- so we pick a day and meet halfway. Fortunately -- there are SO MANY wonderful little small towns in Wisconsin!!

This year, we chose Fennimore, Wisconsin.  Home of the Exchange Depot -- one of the best thrift stores in the state!!

My plan is always the same -- meet at a local thrift store. So, if one of us gets there early (usually me) -- she can do some entertaining shopping! Deanna was the first to arrive...and she already found this scarf..

The Depot Exchange is a huge, well organized thrift store, and I ALWAYS find good treasure there.

We bought this apron for Mary (it was Halloween, Mary!)...

After our first round of shopping, we enjoyed coffee at the quaint cafe down the street...(God, my arm is fat!!)

Deanna and I have shared some awesome adventures in cities all across America. The Hanson Sister's Linen Auction at Mary's house was a once in a lifetime experience (remember that, Marion?).

But here's the thing. Friends don't just happen. Friendship is like having a garden...once you plant the seed, you have to water it, watch over it, pull the weeds, keep the racoons out...it requires SOME EFFORT.

But the harvest makes it all worthwhile...