Apr 15

Apr 15 Get to know your Shoperones.

Laura and I met in college 2,000 years ago. Dubbed the “University in the Forest” (likely by their marketers), Drew University was and still is, arguably the prettiest small liberal arts college that ever existed. Hard to believe it's in New Jersey. From the first day, we knew we’d have each other’s backs no matter what. You see, among the gilded gentry and trustafarians, safely protected by the lush canopy of our little fantasy bubble of a school, we were city kids with street smarts and a strict no-bullshit policy.

I grew up in Jersey City, and Laura in Staten Island. Recently, we’d marveled at how during breaks, we would manage to meet up in the city and actually find each other, somewhere in Greenwich Village, without mobile devices or GPS (though Laura’s mom definitely would have put a tracking device on her if one were available in the ‘90s). It feels like we understood each other before ever saying a word.

In truth, we thought we were brighter than we were. Without sounding as (ahem) mature as I feel sometimes, some (our husbands, for example) have questioned how we made it to our 40s at all, given our hijinks. The answer seems obvious…a good Shoperone does more than you think to help you hold it together.

In many ways, ours is a great love story. Not the silly, romantic love that gets you pregnant or heartbroken or married; the respectful, loyal BFF love that has you planning what kind of life you’ll have when you’re spinsters together. And like all great love stories, ours spins a tale across time and sometimes great distance, bringing us to today, where we’re closer than ever. Literally, like a fifteen-minute drive.

It’s funny how we’ve wound up in the suburbs (insert maniacal laughter). We’re among the gilded gentry once again, but with decades of fine-tuning our bullshit meters, we can deftly navigate the precious and the plastic, while still managing to fit in. Between us, we have two loving husbands, five great kids, six mushy pets (who would keep so many animals?) and of course, very busy lives. But we’ve also got a dedication to keeping things real and healthy, inside and out. Having eased up on perfection, we instead strive for simplicity and enjoyment. We do it for ourselves and our families, and for each other. I think we’re proof that growing up (not old) isn’t so bad, especially when you’ve got someone to help you keep it high, and tight.