Surprise!

Sometimes, it's okay to be clueless.

When my friend Kendra asked me to lunch -- with a few weeks' notice -- I just figured she was busy and, with three kids, had to plan it out a little.

When she asked me to text her when I was on my way to pick her up, I thought maybe she was ready to go but was maybe going to throw in a load of laundry before I got there and needed a hint of notice.

When I said, "Cute dress," and she said, "Oh, I figured it was good for a garden party," I didn't think twice. Was just happy I'd worn a dress too, instead of the work-out clothes from my morning walk.

When she said, "Hey, before we go, I wanna show you this cool thing I got for our patio," I took it at face value. I mean, she's a designer and always adds a fun new feature for the summertime: fire pit, canopy, fountain... I was excited to see what she had gotten (and what I'd be copying soon!).

But when I walked around the corner of the garage and saw a group of my closest girlfriends standing there waiting for me... I nearly fell over. So much love. So much gratitude.

Even though I'm only moving 20 minutes away -- and will still be in the 818 area code, thus technically still a "Valley mom," even if it's of the West Valley variety -- it was so touching to celebrate this big move with my girlfriends. Thankfully I'm at an age where I don't lose friends easily - it takes much more than a freeway drive to sever these ties. I know how I feel about these women, but I was so lucky to feel the mutual affection yesterday.

And what a send-off it was. Everyone had brought a dish to the potluck that I have loved: Barbie's famous kugel, Michal's hummus & pita, Natalie's salad, Nicole's chocolate-dipped strawberries, Kendra's Chinese Chicken Salad... We talked. We laughed. We crafted. We enjoyed the sunny Sunday afternoon in the 'Oaks.

The only other surprise was that I didn't cry.