Q-tips and Cauliflowers

I have some awesome friends. I have said it before, and I will continue to say it for as long as these women let me be a part of their life.
Yesterday was my 35th birthday. I am the "old, crotchity" one of the group.... by 10 whole months. (But no one is counting). My girls and I went out to Calgary for dinner, and some fireworks. We had a blast. But I couldn't help but wonder how the four of us have seemed to hit it off so well. We have so many things not in common with each other.... for example:
Music - Tara listens to country, Haley listens to Rancid and Jazz, Kacey listens to Top 40 and easy listening stuff, and probably the Morman Tabernacle Choir, and I listen to alternative.... Hard to have a conversation there....
Religion - Kacey is the only one who is fully committed to a religion. I go to church occasionally, Haley has talked of taking her kids to church, and Tara.... well.... ;)
Politics - two of us are very conservative, and the other two... not so much
Style - we all have a different sense of personal style.... Tara has a cow purse... made of not real hair. Haley likes it, but wouldn't have it. Kacey and I have funky hair cuts, and Haley and Tara have good ole standbys....
Career Paths - three of us are SAHMs.... Haley, newly so, and Tara and I have been for a while. Kacey works from home.... But, I want to go back to work, and I think Tara has aspirations for that as well.... and honestly??? I can't see Haley at home forever..... she doesn't have baby machine in her. ;)
Home Decor - although I would like to have a true sense of style within the four walls of my house.... mine is simply hand-me down and Ikea. Tara is very western and comfy, Haley is a non-shabby shabby chic, and Kacey is a functional with a touch of whimsy.
Extra-Curricular Activities - Kacey likes to shoot guns. I am not lying. Haley likes to go out with her fancy friends (clearly not the three of us) and drink super expensive wine. Tara likes to escape the daily grind by staying home with her husband and kids, and I like to go out to a pub and eat greasy food.

So how do Q-tips and cauliflower factor into all of this? Well, there have to be some similarities, otherwise we would have all given up on each other by now. So, there is also a list of ways in which we are alike as well...

Fireworks - we like them. We paid money to go and watch them last night. And we laughed a lot about what they looked like.... hense the q-tips and cauliflowers.
Scrapbooking - clearly a no brainer. This is how we all met, and we continue to make time to spend with each other doing exactly this.
Family - it is important to each of us. We are all married, and all have kids.... (some more than others), and Tara, Haley and I each only have two and they are all one of each kind!
Hair - Kacey does all of our hair now.... lucky her. No wait, lucky us.
Inside Jokes - every good group of friends has them... and boy do we ever! "purple stickers", "bangs and fuzzy boots", "love you!" and my new favorite... "click". Try really hard to figure out what each one means... you won't be able to. You might think you know, but you don't. And if you do figure it out... we won't tell you.