These are the friends who I see least often and who are spread the farthest. The Millers: Long Meadow, Massachusetts Terry: England Lubin: Manhattan (Upper West Side) Messer: Brooklyn (Carroll Gardens) I make a point of seeing these friends at least twice a year, and when we get together it's as if no time has passed, but every year it feels harder. Thankfully, one tradition that has continued is my winter trip to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
To be truthful, these pictures are both from 2018years. This year it was just me and Lubin and Messer, and we only stayed in Portsmouth one night, but we visited all our usual stops (tall ships at The River House, pool on Daniel Street, Golden Tee on State Street, and late-night egg sandwiches at Clippers) and still took over the town (at least in our own minds). Even though it wasn't the same without Terry, no one makes me laugh as hard as Messer, and Lubin is as close as a brother. This was my sixth winter trip up there, and it's always nice to know that even if we can't manage to get together every month, when winter comes around, I know we will be heading to New Hampshire.
I don't see The Millers as often as I want to either. This year Jenna and I headed up there for a playoff game that Brian was coaching, and although the gym doesn't look crowded, the stands that Jenna is sitting when she took the picture are packed out! The game was really intense; there was almost a fistfight on the court and the other team had two players ejected! In the end, the Eagles won, but the best part of the weekend was spending time with Brian and Liz and catching up with them in their kitchen.