A Very Special Friend….on Fabulous Friends on Friday

Lisa left this Earth 6 years ago, but her legacy lives on in the hearts of so many. I have wanted to write about her for so long, but could not find the words to describe my lovely friend. She was a devoted wife and mother of three beautiful girls. Lisa had a zest for life like no one I have ever met. To know Lisa was to truly love Lisa. She always had a smile on her face and twinkle in her eyes. The first time I met her we were on the beach. She and her husband, who was a childhood friend of mine were strolling on the beach with two friends. Her husband introduced Lisa to me and then she introduced the two friends, one of which ended up becoming my husband. That was a very fortuitous meeting because I not only met the love of my life, but also met Lisa, who later became one of my best friends. I was on that same beach today and my mind kept drifting back to the good times we shared with Lisa, her husband and all the kids playing in the surf and sipping whatever libation Lisa had concocted for us. She always had frozen whiskey sours, but never missed the chance to try something new. I had an email when I came in tonight from one of our friends asking if I had Lisa’s whiskey sour recipe. Originally I had decided I would not do a post today since I was on vacation but when I got the email asking for Lisa’s recipe, I thought, I had to do a fabulous friend salute in honor of Lisa, since the beach was where I met her! I never come here without thinking about her and our good times.

The weekend I met Lisa, was also, the Sigma Nu reunion weekend that she and her husband, held yearly for friends. That same group of friends(Sigma Nus & wives and non Sigma Nu friends) continued to gather yearly, until the year Lisa died. We had grown from friends into family over the years. In our group were four Lisas, which was proof that all of our mothers had fallen prey to the trendy name of the year, when we were all born. If someone called out “Lisa”, we all answered! It was quite funny!

The last gathering we had with Lisa was a going away party for her, per her request. She had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and knew that her time was short on Earth, so she decided to have a going away party with her group of friends. The only stipulation was it had to be a happy occasion, no tears! That was a tall order, but with the help of crazy outfits and funny stories, we all held it together. We toasted Lisa and we toasted life. It was surreal. I’ll never forget leaving her that day. I can still see her face. She was so frail, but still had that smile on her face, even as weak as she was. The next time we gathered was for her memorial service the week before Christmas. We wore pink boas and sat together. It was a sweet service. We listened while beautiful tributes were given. The last song was so appropriately, “You can’t always get what you want” by the Rolling Stones. It was the perfect song, because it was unexpected for a funeral and immediately changed the mood of the service from solemn to upbeat. The tears were replaced with smiles which was so classic Lisa. I’m sure she was smiling too. I will always miss Lisa , but I know without a doubt, she would want us to live each day like she did, to the fullest! Tomorrow I plan to make Lisa’s famous “Frozen Whiskey Sours” and have one on the beach in her honor! It’s true we can’t always get what we want but like the song

…we get what we need

Lisa’s Frozen Whiskey Sours

1 12 oz can of frozen lemonade (Minutemaid)

1 6oz can of frozen Orange Juice (Minutemaid)

2 cups bourbon

5 cups water

Melt juices & put in freezer until frozen. Best to put in freezer overnight. When ready to serve, sit on counter and let it get slushy.

Don’t cry because it’s over but smile

because it happened.