My Travel Companions

I had a great weekend with "my girls." You know, that group of friends that you are completely real and honest with? The ones who have known you a really long time...and still enjoy spending time with you? The ones you are free to be as nerdy and uncool and silly with? We all met our freshman year at ACU and we've been friends for 12 years. Thanks Jenny, for actually adding it up and making us all feel old! :) I called them "my travel companions" this weekend in jest, but as I thought about it, the term made more sense than just "my college friends" or "my girlfriends." In the last 12 years, we've been through a lot of "stuff." Of course, there is the typical college stuff: new boyfriends, break-ups, pledging, engagements, weddings, etc. But each of us has felt like we've been through our fair share of heartbreak in the last few years, too: divorce of parents, babies (not really a heartbreak, but children seem to bring their own kind of heartbreak), death of a spouse, death of an almost-mother-in-law, cancer, diabetes, illness of a father-in-law...it makes me tired to think about it. In some ways, it seems like Satan is attacking our little group. More likely, we are getting older and life just seems to happen to everybody. Through it all, though, I know that my girls are traveling with me. They are there laughing and crying and praying and worrying right along side me. We may go a few weeks or months without really talking, but when we do it's like nothing has ever changed. We may have gotten a little older, a little more battle scarred, a little more cynical, but we are still the same and our friendship can weather it all. We had a great weekend of shopping, and laughing, and crying, and eating. These are the friends I can be most honest with about my life and my children and my marriage and I come back feeling a sense of hope and renewal...even if they are secretly worrying I might be one the verge of crazy. I had hoped to post a picture of our college days and one of now, but I couldn't find one of all of us together (except my wedding pictures, and I couldn't figure out how to get them on the blog). So here are my traveling companions on my journey of life. They are all beautiful, strong, godly, precious women! I am so blessed to know them like I do.



Here are the highlights of my weekend:
* I got to eat at Petrezzio's (I still don't know how to spell it) and La Madeline...two of my favorite restaurants! Maria and I tried to eat at The Cheesecake Factory on Sunday before my plane left, but the wait was too long, so we ended up eating at The Corner Bakery. Oh, how I miss all those yummy places!

* I had two chocolate croissants from La Madeline...need I say more? (They were at different times, though, lest you think I am a pig.)

* We stayed in a nice B&B in Salado, TX. It had beds for everybody and it felt like we were at a really nice camp...could that be because we stayed up way too late talking and eating?


* We had a little shower for Rebekah, who is having her third baby girl. Baby girl showers are so much fun!! I made her a quilt (I like to toot my own horn.


*I got to come home to my wonderful husband and sweet children!