Last Monday Rachel came to visit with her two boys. It didn't occur to us to get a camera out until they were about to leave. I had bed-head and refused to be photographed, Mari was napping, but we got the older ones together for a couple pics. The kids played really well with each other. I was surprised at how much Rachel and I were able to visit. Philip and James insured that we would have quality time, when they watched all the kiddos so Rachel and I could go eat Mexican food alone. Chips and chatting...it's an art form!
It was a kick to have her around again. She has been my friend longer than anyone else on earth. Back in the summer of '71 she warmed up the the crowd in the church nursery two months before I made it onto the scene. We would challenge and delight Sunday school teachers, GA leaders, and choir directors for decades to come! (Not to mention our poor parents)
She really hasn't changed. She's still as beautiful and comical as she was when we were teens. I absolutely cherish her honest, straight-forward conversational style and her unconditional acceptance of who I am. I'm confident that besides my dad, she's the first person to ever think I was a very fun girl! Apparently she also thought I was a very wild girl. Can you believe? Yes, she just casually shared it over enchilada's like everybody knew I was a wild child. Something about kissing too many boys... We'll keep that little historical assessment where it belongs: in the past. I've completely cleaned up my act and I only kiss one boy now, 'cause he's simply the best!
I wish Patrick could have made the trip with her. I'm sad that the four of us can't go to dinner....well, Philip invited himself to dinner in Montana. I believe his quote was: "Yeah, that'll be great! You can hang out with Cari so I can go hunt!" Isn't it sweet that he has to pawn me off before he can get to the real fun?
After a pancake brunch, we helped Rachel and the boys get loaded up to leave. The kids were all asking, "When are we/y'all coming back?" It was heart-breaking to admit to them that it would probably be another 3 years. Sad day! At that point her youngest announced that the current set-up was a bummer because "that boy with the blue shirt is my best friend!" We'll nail down details like names later...
