On warm blankets..

"Oh crap, my boobs are in the way."

I bet our waiter never heard that one before.

Tonight I was wrapped in the warm embrace of dinner with a dear friend. As such, in a matter of minutes, we were as crass and comfortable as ever, discussing everything from whose husband and boyfriend is probably gay to butt pimples. And then the waiter tried to place my entree in front of me. But, well, my boobs were in the way.

Chrissy took me to dinner at this fantastic Swedish restaurant. We scored a table by the window which was also fantastic, but tight. She's a size 0, I'm decidedly not, and even she had to squeeze into her seat. In terms of table size, if I extended my arms in front of me, I could have hugged her. Hence the waiter needing to negotiate my chest as he brought my dinner.

"Oh my God," Chrissy hooted. "Now he can't help but look!"

Chrissy became a very fast friend in 2001. She started work at our place of employment just a couple of short weeks before me and, as with most "classmates" at work, we became close despite some major differences. Chrissy is thin and petite. I am taller and curvier. She's brunette, I'm blonde (ish). She's from New York; I'm from New England. She's hot. I'm "grandma pretty" (see my friend Meg for a definition). Chrissy is an aggressor; I tend to watch from the sidelines. Chrissy is a shopaholic who returns everything she buys. I am a shopaholic who buys things that don't fit but is too lazy to return them and just increases her credit card debt whilst looking ridiculous.

Yes, we couldn't be more different in a lot of respects. But we get along famously.

Chrissy is also incredibly smart and is one of my favorite friend stories. She's completely self-made and has enjoyed tremendous success due to a lot of hard work and determination. As I enjoyed the view from her 41st floor apartment near Wall Street tonight, I marveled at what she has achieved.

I am incredibly proud of my girlfriends. Those of us who are unmarried, without kids and currently falling victim to the puzzled looks our married peers with children are left at times to feel as if we've made a dreadful sacrifice. "We're getting old," Chrissy lamented tonight. But I'm just in awe of the incredible women in my life who are really lighting the world on fire, even though they may not realize it, professionally. We're kind of a stellar group, if you don't mind me saying.

She also has a wonderful boyfriend who I like more with every encounter. Of course, what I like most about him, in addition to the fact that he's friendly, hugs me back when I greet him and actually converses with me, is that he basically worships the ground she walks on. But not in a creepy way. The simple fact of the matter is he adores her and respects her, and loves taking care of her. I loved watching them interact. And I loved, really loved, seeing her so completely happy.

There's no greater gift than seeing those you care about reach those moments in life when they can't help but smile. Particularly because I couldn't help but smile in return.