2 Coffees, 2 Sisters, and a Sale at My Favorite Nursery

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[New! Watch the video on this story with bonus friendship strategies here.]

I forgot to say decaf,” I tell my friend Jamie, eyes widening.

Jamie gasps. “I did too!”

We laugh. “Oh well!” I shake my head.

Neither of us needs a caffeine-rush to spike our friendship with joy. I’ve been planning this date for months, Priming for it. I feel like I’m cutting school on a joyride.

Pulling out of the drive-through, I turn my van onto the freeway. We’re talking a mile a minute, catching up on our favorite recipes, recent adventures, and family affairs.

It’s all so good, but Jamie has no idea how much better it’s about to become. Because she’s never been to the Little Red Farm Nursery.

I discovered the nursery back in May when I was looking for a rare Globe Thistle plant. From the time I stepped into that magical place, I just knew I had to show Jamie.

The best plant-stylist on the planet works there. Flora is arranged in striking color combinations, at various heights and depths. Mirrors and vintage window frames are hung to capture or reflect back the wonder of what can be.

I want to take it all home for my garden.

Which I am definitely in danger of doing today, as the nursery is running an end-of-season 40% off sale.

I’d aimed to sneak Jamie to the nursery blindfolded and watch her have a heart attack in the greenhouse when I took it off. But then ... the sale. I spilled the beans. No blindfold. This sale required planning.

You know, stock portfolios being rearranged, funds liquidated. Husbands prepared. 40% off can mean a lot when it comes to your dream trees and bushes. Also, a girl needs to be prepared for the crowds.

So I asked Jamie if she wanted to go (heck yeah, she did), but I didn’t tell her the address. And friend, I’m not sure which of us felt happier when Jamie’s mouth dropped open upon arrival.

“Oh my gosh, Kristin!” she cried. It's just so. Dang. Cute.

I snagged a hydrangea while Jamie zeroed in on the Japanese Maple.

And here’s the super sweetness. Jamie watched me swap out that hydrangea from our cart no less than five times over the next 75 minutes. This one was more compact. That one has blue in the name. This one's fuller, that one's taller.

Not only did Jamie stand by me without complaining. She turned the bushes this way and that so I could get a better view. She put a hydrangea in my arms when she saw that it was inching off the shelf at me (well, the physics of my hands played a part). She understood.

I helped Jamie look for the perfect Japanese maple. She texted pictures to her husband. He was delighted. Again, the choices. This maple looked better from the front, that one from all angles.

Isn’t all of life a series of decisions? Carefully, we choose what we love most. We gather to us the people, places, and things that align with our heart of hearts.

My date with Jamie at the nursery did more than gift our gardens. It grew our friendship. Our sisterhood is now touched with the patience of waiting and supporting each other through big decisions. It contains the magic of a date lovingly planned and spontaneously tweaked.

We're in it for the joy.

When have you put your creative all into a date, then had it go better than you’d ever expected?