If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ll have noticed two recurring names: Stephanie and Aly. Best friends of our family, Stephanie became a constant in my life at the beginning of our sophomore year in college. Aly befriended Corinne when they were about 7 and 4, respectively. We consider both of them family, and I can’t imagine our lives without either one of them.

Stephanie

Stephanie and I met one evening in the Campus Ministry office. Sister Dolores, the Campus Ministry director, regularly left the office open so that students could come in to talk or study. It was my evening to man the office, and Stephanie happened to come in. I don’t remember why, but we spent the evening talking. By the end of the night, I had an invitation to her family’s cottage in Michigan.

We spent a lot of weekends together at the cottage throughout college. The most memorable, I think, was the weekend we decided to take our homework out in the rowboat instead of studying on the beach. I don’t know how long we spent on the water, but I do know that it was sunny. Did I wear sunscreen? Um…no. Am I extremely pale and require sunscreen? Um…yes. Did I burn…badly? Also yes. 🌞 Some weekends we stayed at her grandmother’s cottage next door because she had a screened-in porch, and Michigan has some of the best sleeping weather in the summer.

When my parents came to visit me at school, they would always take me for dinner before they left. They always invited Stephanie and never allowed her to pay. (She still isn’t allowed to pay when my dad takes us out.) She has spent many holidays with us, we have taken several vacations together. The one regret I have is not telling her I was getting married the weekend I ran off to New York to marry Dennis.

Dennis and I didn’t tell anyone we were getting married. My sister-in-law suspected. My parents weren’t surprised. Stephanie had no idea. She had plans that weekend, and a last-minute round-trip flight to New York was about $700 at the time. Even though I had always planned to have her be my maid of honor, I didn’t want to ask her to spend that kind of money. If I could go back and change one thing, that would be it.

She is Corinne’s godmother (and was the first person to hold her besides Dennis and me) and someone I would do anything for. Even Dennis used to say that nothing was too much for Aunty Stephers. In fact, she is one of the few people that Dennis would leave Corinne with if we had somewhere to go.

We have known and loved each other nearly 40 years. We have attended so many concerts and shows together, too many to pick a favorite, although I think Elton John and Billy Joel together would have to be near the top. I love to hear her laugh because it makes me laugh. I can tell her anything and know she won’t judge me…although depending on the topic, it might become a standing inside joke. (I guarantee she knows exactly what I’m talking about, and I’m taking that one to the grave.) And we still have the occasional sleepover with plenty of wine and a sappy movie or TV show…or two…or three.

Aly

Aly lived two houses down from us until recently. She and four of the other neighbor kids were a staple in our front yard, back yard, kitchen, home office. You name the room, and they occupied it at some point. When the girls were younger, there were lots of sleepovers. Every birthday, every holiday, Aly was and still is here.

Corinne and Aly had their differences growing up. Oh did they have their differences. They would play together…until they got annoyed with each other. They would watch movies and TV together…until they couldn’t agree on what to watch. Being three years younger, Corinne had a really hard time sharing her toys. And being three years older, Aly had a hard time sharing the toys she only got to play with at our house.

I remember vividly the year Corinne had a Barbie Dreamhouse and the Monster High house. Aly and CarolAnn, one of the other kids who lived three houses down and is the same age as Aly, wanted to play with the Dreamhouse with the Barbies because it is Barbie’s Dreamhouse. Corinne was very much into animal figures at the time and was trying to put the animals into the Dreamhouse. Aly and CarolAnn were having none of that and told her she could only play with the Monster High house.

Corinne ended up in tears, and I ended up giving a lecture about how they all had to share. Corinne had to share because Aly and CarolAnn didn’t have a Dreamhouse at home. Aly and CarolAnn had to share because it was Corinne’s Dreamhouse. They should be coming over to play with Corinne, not just with her toys. They were only about 5 and 8 at the time, so that was the first of many many many lectures.

As all of the kids got older and went to different schools, they were into their own things. But Aly was still always a staple at our house. She ran errands with us, went to eat with us, went to the library with us every weekend. I kept her library card in my wallet until she was old enough to stop losing it. She even hung out with me at the library while Corinne attended Confirmation class…for no other reason than she wanted to hang out. She and Corinne have their own side of the car…just like siblings. Corinne sits on the left behind the driver’s seat, and Aly sits on the right behind the front passenger seat. (This is a key piece of information.)

When Corinne was in 8th grade, they had “shadow day” at the high school. Incoming freshmen shadow an outgoing senior for the day. Since Corinne’s birthday is October, she started school a year later, so while she and Aly are just three years apart in age, they are four years apart in school. It was perfect because Corinne was able to shadow Aly.

I picked them up after school, and I watched them talking as they came out of the building to the car. Corinne was on the right, and Aly was on the left. As they approached the car, without hesitation or any sort of misstep, they crossed each other to get into the car on their respective sides and kept their conversation going the entire time. It was really cool to watch this unspoken coordination, and they didn’t even realize they’d done it until I pointed it out.

When Corinne says “my best friend,” she usually means Grace in Oklahoma, who came to visit at the beginning of June. Aly typically means her friend Ashley, who she lives with. Corinne and Aly consider the other a best friend, but they think about each other (and treat each other) like sisters rather than just friends.

Just like Stephanie, Aly has spent many nights here and taken several vacations with us. She and Dennis called each other “Bud,” and she cried just as hard as anyone when we told her about his cancer diagnosis. I have my own kid programmed in my phone with her full name so Aly is listed with her full name as well, but Aly has me in her phone as “Mi Segundo Madre.” And I love her like my own. 💜

Stephanie and Aly aren’t “like family.” They are family, and I wouldn’t give them up for the world.

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Book Review

⭐⭐⭐⭐
4 Stars for Forever Hold Your Peace by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

320 pages
Publisher: Alcove Press
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher’s Description

When their newly engaged kids ask all four divorced parents to meet each other over brunch, everyone RSVPs yes—secretly hoping someone at the table will get to the bottom of the bottomless mimosas fast enough to say what they’re all thinking: that this engagement, coming after a whirlwind romance between two people barely out of college, is too much too soon.

But at that brunch it’s not the impulsive couple’s decisions that end up under the microscope, as it turns out June, mother of the bride, and Amy, mother of the groom, certainly do know each other—they’re ex-best-friends who haven’t spoken since their explosive falling out more than 25 years ago. Reeling from their unwanted reunion and eager to shift the spotlight off their past as decades-old secrets and rivalries come to light, the two moms battle it out for the prize of Most Enthusiastic About This Wedding.

But when their history—and their present-day shenanigans—threaten to crack the foundations of the happy couple’s future, June and Amy find themselves becoming unexpected allies in an all-hands-on-deck effort to get their kids (and themselves) a happily-ever-after two generations in the making.

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Main Characters:

• Olivia Abbott – 24 years old, recently passed her LSATs and attending UCLA School of Law in the fall, her parents gifted her a trip to Italy for the summer before starting law school
• Zach Carter – 26 years old, works in real estate with his dad but really wants to be a photographer, happens to be in Italy at the same time as Olivia, which is how they happened to meet
• Chloe Abbott – 22 years old, Olivia’s sister, helps their mom at a bookstore she owns
• June and William Abbott – divorced, Olivia and Chloe’s parents, June owns All Booked Up and doesn’t have any sort of social media presence, William is an anesthesiologist
• Amy and Troy Carter – divorced, Zach’s parents, Amy is the director of communications and marketing for the annual Pasadena Rose Parade, Troy owns a high-end real estate business with Zach
• Eileen – June’s mother

If you are looking for a great summer read, check this one out.

Olivia and Zach meet while they’re both vacationing on the Amalfi Coast. After six glorious weeks together, they fall in love and get engaged before returning to California where they had lived only 30 minutes apart. Their parents all try to be supportive while not-so-secretly wishing they knew each other better. That is until they meet for brunch to discover that Zach’s mother is June’s former best friend, and Zach’s father is…well, you’ll find out about a quarter of the way in.

Suffice it to say, June storms out of the restaurant and the truth of her falling out with Amy comes to light for both of their children. Determined to stay together, Olivia and Zach ensure that their mothers take on wedding planning duties to see if they can get them to make amends. As they try to sabotage and one-up one another, June and Amy make things much much worse before they get better.

This story is not a romance, which is what you would expect from the title. You get the coupling and the uncoupling and the recoupling for Olivia and Zach that you would get in a romance, but it is more about family and forgiveness and friendship. I loved all of these characters, except maybe Amy who could be really obnoxiously mean.

Olivia and Zach have great chemistry, and Zach takes after his dad in the witty and charming department.

• Olivia: I stared at a poster of Shawn Mendes for half the night.
  Zach: He’s kind of hot. Should I be worried?
• Olivia: Marni is pretty sure they are leaning toward the donut tower.
  Zach: Tacky ass glazed donuts at our wedding is a small price to pay for peace.

I did find their habit of calling each other “V” and “Z” as annoying as their parents did. (If that makes me old, so be it.) All in all, though, these characters are realistic and react exactly how you would expect friends-turned-enemies to respond in such an unusual situation. And you shouldn’t be surprised that all’s well that ends well.

If you enjoyed Mamma Mia or Ticket to Paradise, this definitely reminds me of those. Pick this one up.

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