Hey Kind Friend

It all started with two little girls, around the age of 7. They had both been put in time-out at the summer camp they attended every summer, when one asked the other if she wanted to be friends. The other girl gladly complied, not quite realizing how this would impact her life. And thus begun a life-long friendship. While there have been times that we've drifted apart, we've always come together for the big events in each others' lives. And even when we thought our friendship wouldn't survive, I'm happy to say that it has...for 20 years.

Now is the time for old, embarrassing pictures from the awkward phase. Mine lasted for longer than most kids'.

This is the oldest picture I have of Emily and I. I have no idea what year this was, but that's Emily on the top right and me on the bottom left. Yep, you can laugh. I have no idea what I was wearing.

This is probably my favorite picture of us. I love it because it's so candid and we really are laughing and being silly. She hates it because of her hair. She let someone cut it at church camp, and well, they didn't do a very good job...so she had to get it fixed.

This was on a ski trip in the mid 90s. Can't remember what year exactly, though.
At a formal 1996

And not too much longer after Emily and I became friends, Laura and Adrienne came along to make our foursome complete. We went on ski trips together, choir trips, dances, youth group outings, church camp...I don't have a single memory from childhood or adolescence that doesn't have these 4 beautiful women in it.

The same formal as the pic before, 1996.

I'm not sure which ski trip this was (there were several), but it was the only picture from high school I could find with all 4 of us in it! We had met these random guys and I don't know even know why we took a picture with them. I think they were in a band and we thought that was cool......or something.

Some more recent pictures. My birthday, 2006.
My bridal shower, 2006.
My wedding, 2006.

Fast forward to present. Emily is having a precious baby girl, Addison Tallu, who I can't wait to meet. Adrienne has a great full-time position with a great company, and is a mama to a handsome 6 year old boy. Laura is engaged to be married in May, and moving away to Mississippi. The reason for our most recent gathering was a baby shower for Emily, who is due in February.

Here you can see Emily's belly better. :)
Laura and Adrienne with Jude and Shawn.

And I promised I'd post a picture of the lovey that I knitted for Addison! I messed up a few times, but was able to fix it. I think it turned out pretty well myself, considering I was making up my own pattern as I went along.

I consider myself extremely blessed to have great friends that have been there with me through all the major (and minor) events in my life. From births to deaths, break-ups to marriages, birthdays to wedding/baby showers, they've been there through just about everything. Not a lot of people can say they are still friends with their childhood friends. I've considered it a privilege to watch these women grow up to be people I not only respect, but truly admire. I can't wait for little Addie to be born, to see Emily raise this sweet baby girl. I know she will be an amazing mom. I told Laura that she's the only one without a kid now, so she needs to get on it. To which she replied "Let me work on doing this next thing first [getting married] and then we'll see."
Just a little something for you guys:

• Toot toot!
• "It looks like a SNAIL??!!!"
• Singing Grease songs on the bus of youth group trips
• Leader of the pack, VROOM VROOM!
• One of us is really good at miming, hehe
  
• Sliding down the stairs in sleeping bags

I love you girls. Hope we're still friends when we're old and gray, our little great grandchildren running around us while we reminisce about the good ole days. :)