The guys had been friends for years. As their wives we very much enjoyed each other’s company but rarely spent time together outside of couple’s dinners. Our conversations had always been surface level until that weekend back in 2011. We stayed in Sophia’s Sandcastle across from Crescent Park and it was perfect.
On our first night the husbands took to the hot tub for cigars and scotch while we sipped wine and nibbled cheese while making dinner. It was instantly relaxing being at the beach away from our hectic work lives. At some point our conversation turned more personal and she began telling me about their struggle to have children. I quietly listened while she cried and when she was done I hugged her and told her my story too, one that was shockingly similar. We bonded over our sadness and desire to become mothers. What we didn’t know at the time was that our husbands had already shared these stories with each other. They knew it would carry more weight and meaning if we reached a point where we could tell each other ourselves.
Over the next two years our journey to becoming parents was almost identical. We began checking in with each other more often, sharing in the others disappointment over a glass (or bottle) of wine. Eventually that struggle turned to joy and we welcomed our first born children 5 months apart to the day from each other.
6 years (and 5 kids) later we have a beautiful friendship I wouldn’t trade for the world. Our families remain the best of friends and we have returned to Seabrook multiple times for our annual Weaver-Barnes Vacation. In September we returned to The Coast Is Clear for a long weekend. The kids spent hours digging in the sand, chasing waves, and exploring the tree house and Gnome forest right outside our front door. The men had their annual cigar and scotch night. Meanwhile we sipped wine and nibbled cheese while bonding over the hilarious challenges of motherhood. What a beautiful full circle!!
