Last weekend, we packed bags, hopped on planes and jetted off for New York City.

We were four women on a reunion trip in the Big Apple. We may not have been as glamorous as Sarah Jessica Parker and crew, but we had a splendid time pretending we were.

The last time we accomplished a trip like this, we were 20, in college and on spring break. Let's just say that after 10 years and three babies, I left the bikini at home.

Friends since high school, we've seen each other graduate, get married, begin new careers, move away, have babies and, essentially, grow up. We've done most of our friendship long-distance, but we've managed to stay in touch.

Our lives have taken vastly different directions. Between us, we are mothers, wives and girlfriends. A teacher, a doctor and a graphic designer.

It is our differences, though, that make our friendship special. We can simply pick up where we left off, give the Cliff's Notes version of what we're doing now and relax into the ease of our friendship.

It's amazing.

I love each of these gals dearly.



Kristina, the doctor, has taught me more about perseverance, dedication and patience than anyone else. Her life is a testimony to anyone who has ever dared to strive for their dream and work hard to achieve it.

I remember when I first sat by her in my ninth grade physical science class and asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. A doctor, she said.

Now, 17 years later, she has realized that dream. She has shown me what it means to be dedicated to her faith and in life, love and her career.

She's also the one who encouraged me to start running. Four years ago, I could barely run a mile. But after watching her train for her first half-marathon (she has now completed seven half-marathons and four full marathons), I knew that I could at least run a short race.

Nicole, the freelance designer, has taught me to use parts of my brain that otherwise would have atrophied because I am not creative at all. She sees the world from a perspective that my teeny-tiny mind could not even imagine.

She's the friend who encouraged me to start writing. She recognized a desire in me that I didn't even know I had. Everyone needs a friend who can be a cheerleader in her life and I found that in her. She's brave, she's daring and I admire all the qualities in her that make her fearless.

April, the teacher, saved my life. She was the one I called at 4:30 the morning my grandmother passed away. I knew that I could count on her to help with our pets while we packed the car and were on the road by 6 a.m. You can't buy friendship like that.

But it wasn't until I finally took her up on her offer and arrived on her doorstep the day after we graduated from high school with all of my belongings packed into my vehicle, that I learned how much her friendship meant to me. Without a second thought, I was shown to my new room and there I spent my weekends and holidays from school until my wedding day more than three years later.

I love each of these women for the love they have shown me, and I feel incredibly blessed to call them my friends. We've grown, we've changed, but our friendship still remains.

So while New York City itself was great, this trip was about my friends. That great city was made even sweeter by the presence of these women.

Judy Daniell is married with three sons. She works full-time this summer. Read more from her here.

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