I Thought You Were a %$&# When I First Met You!

I have had an ALARMING number of people tell me some version of this phrase about their first impression of me. It's really baffling. I guess no one would ever truly admit they were a snot, but really, I'm not. Not at all actually. So what is it about me that gives people the "she is an unsavory b$tch vibe" right off the bat?

Thinking...Thinking.....Thinking some more....

Okay, I got nothin, but it did make me think about how my first impression of most people is usually wrong. Even the girls that are my BEST friends now, I didn't always start out liking them at first. So here are some of the horrible (and not so horrible) things I thought when I met each one and the surprising things I learned about them.

(Names are going to be withheld, but you b&tches know who you are!)

MOLLY
 I don't even think this one counts, because I have known her so long, I barely remember life before I knew her. She married my cousin. I think I was about 12 when I first met her. I remember being envious of how pretty she was, she seemed so perfect. Fast forward 12 years, I really didn't become great friends with her until about 5 years ago. I remember thinking when we started hanging out that she was just one of those people who always makes you feel like you have been best friends forever. She is a blame friend whore. She's probably got every 30 year old women on this side of the county thinking that they are her best friend. Damn her for being so warm and loving. Sometimes its nice to think that your girlfriends love you and pretty much hate everyone else, but NO CAN DO on that one Molly.

What I love about her: She is the first one of my friends to give me a hug when I need it.  As an adult,  I find that people get stingy with affection for some reason. She is warm, loving, sweet, and affectionate. If she wasn't so pretty, I would swear she was a Labrador Retriever.

ALICE
I met her about 5 years ago through Molly. I spent the first several times we were together pretty much thinking that she hated me. Mostly because she rarely spoke, but when she did it was always very quietly and usually only in earshot of Molly. I wondered, was I not pretty enough, or friendly enough for her?  Did I not dress the right way? Did her and Molly go way back and was their not any room for a new friend in the group? Well what I learned (eventually) is that Alice is very reserved about 95% of the time. In a crowd, she is a listener, NOT a talker.  She also happens to currently be in the running for mom of the year, wife of the century, and probably Sainthood.

What I love about her: There is this little tiny person that lives deep within Alice. We will call her Spicy Ginger. Ging only comes out every once in awhile. Sometimes all it takes is to get her really fired up about something. Sometimes it takes a sample of every single drink off the Jasmine Sushi Restaurant Menu. Whatever the case, its worth hanging around to see.

PENNY
Probably 4 year ago, I got introduced to her because she already knew Molly and Alice (casually.) My very first encounter with her, I was so INTIMIDATED! She would probably laugh at me to hear me say that now, but its true. She was cute, and really trendy. At no point in my life, have I ever been accused of being trendy, which is normally okay until I get thrown together with some cute trendy b%tch, then I start feeling all bad about myself. Actually, because she already knew the other girls, they had things to talk about. They new a lot of the same people. I really couldn't come up with anything to say to her that I felt like she would care about. I mean, who wants to be friends with someone that thinks tennis shoes go with EVERYTHING?  Fast forward...now Penny is one of my best friends. She is funny, smart, and honest. I don't mean that in a bad way either. Everyone needs a friend that is honest enough to tell you the real deal when you ask their opinion.

What I love about her: She can stare a hole right through you if she wants to...why do I love that? Well, lets just say you ever get cross ways with a scrappy B&tch at a bar that for some reason was wearing a referee uniform...your gonna want Penny with you ;)

ELLEN
Around about the same time I met Penny, that damn friend whore Molly brought Ellen out to eat with us. Although, I guess that doesn't count, because Ellen and Molly are sisters.  My first thought was...D@mn, she is loud. The problem with that, is that I am loud. So, I wasn't used to having someone else in the group that was as talkative as me. The more I listened to her, the more I realized that not only was she loud, but she also made me want to get in a straight line, stand still, and mind my manners. Turns out Ms Ellen is a preschool teacher. She is also super fun and an awesome girlfriend! She always tells it like it is and doesn't care who hears here.

What I love about her: She wears her heart on her sleeve. You don't ever have to worry about where you stand with her and I'm way to busy now a days to be busy with friend drama!

TARA
So I met Tara through Ellen. They had been friends for awhile. Tara was actually much younger than most of us and wasn't married yet. My first thoughts of her...."She seems like a sweet girl, but I'm not sure she is going to fit in...or why she would want to?"  Why would a sweet, quite, young, unmarried girl want to be friends with the mom brigade? Well, what I figured out is that Tara is an old soul at heart. In the time I have known her, she has gotten married, had a baby...and basically become another disgruntled member of the "unsavory bitch of the month club."

What I love about her: She is funny. Not in the obvious way, but in a way that I don't even think she means to be. Plus she puts up with us elderly women, so gotta give her props for that!

KYLA
She got invited to go out with our group one night that I was going to be out of town. I was kind of bummed I wasn't going to get to go, but I figured I would make it to the next girls night. After they went out, ALL the other girls couldn't stop talking about how AWESOME Kyla was. Kyla this, Kyla that. I hate to admit it, but I was jealous. They had all went out and had a fabulous time and bonded, WITHOUT ME! So even when you are 30, there is still some of that middle school girl left in you.  So the first time I actually met Kyla myself, I was on the lookout for flaws....ENTER OPERATION...SOMETHINGS GOTTA BE WRONG WITH THIS SKANK, AIN'T NOBODY THAT COOL.  After about 3 minutes, I realize I was so wrong. She is that cool, and fun, and thoughtful, and a hundred other things. About the only bad thing I found about her is that she is Northern as HELL, but even that makes me kinda smile to hear her talk.

What I love about her: She is the ultimate party planner. Actually I am convinced that she walks around with a bag of party games for any occasion that she can set up at a moments notice. (Did someone say, babyfood shower games??)

So there you go. Almost ever one of my homegirls, I didn't exactly have the warm fuzzies over the first time I met them. There is no telling what that thought about me the first time they met me. It probably was something along the lines of "This girl is loud, and opinionated, and unsavory as hell!"  Maybe they still think that about me? Who knows, but all that matter is they love me for it!
Shout out to all you crazy girls. BBC!