Remember 1985? Church camp...graduation...swaying with arms around each other or holding hands in the air singing "Friends are friends forever...if the Lord's the Lord of them"...hearing everyone sniff and cry? Turns out that's true!
Malinda moved to Conway a year after I did--9th grade--and we became friends almost immediately. She moved away before our senior year (but after church camp...sniff), then went to Ouachita, and was instrumental in me going there!
(picture of my 9th grade friends...it's one of the few I have where Malinda isn't hiding her face!)
Well, last week Mike's job sent him to the Baptist camp at Siloam Springs, so after sending Jessica off to Joyworks at Ouachita, the other 2 girls and I went up with him, and re-connected with old friends! On Tuesday I had lunch with Malinda and her husband Joe, and I was amazed all over again at how easy it was to pick up our friendship where we left off.
From there we went to the aquatic center and met my friend Margo and her 4 boys. Margo came to Idaho as Mike's semester missionary, ended up marrying a different Mike and becoming my sister-friend. They left Idaho before we did, to move to Maine, then moved to Oklahoma after we moved to Arkansas. Phew! I love her boys like family!
Ian
Caden
Nate
Kyle
On Wednesday the girls and I drove a little farther north to visit Holly, Kate, and Grayson. Holly was one of the first friends I made when we moved to Magnolia 2 years ago. We clicked right away, and needed each other. Rebecca has missed Kate so much since they moved--all the girls had so much fun playing that afternoon.
Holly and Grayson
Silliness
Kate in the middle
Thursday morning we drove to Arkadelphia to watch the Joyworks concert and pick up Jessica. They did a wonderful job, and the songs they sang were from a musical I was in when I was her age! It brought back so many memories of Dale City Baptist Church. I got all teary! Plus we were at Ouachita, one of my favorite places in all the world, sitting surrounded by a mixture of Conway and Magnolia friends...I felt so blessed. And then we met Uncle Jerry and Aunt Barbara for lunch--not my real aunt and uncle, but missionary parents of friends of mine from Ouachita. God used them to put me on the road to follow Him, and I was so glad Mike got to meet them. You know, he didn't know what to expect, and I didn't want him to be bored, so I loved it when we got in the car to leave and he said, "I LOVED them!"
It was such a neat week of reuniting with friends.
And when we got home, we discovered Precious had had her kittens under the shed! But I'll save that story for another day.
Mom and Gabby, my great-neice--we stopped in Conway for lunch on our way to Siloam.
Whitney and Sally
Malinda moved to Conway a year after I did--9th grade--and we became friends almost immediately. She moved away before our senior year (but after church camp...sniff), then went to Ouachita, and was instrumental in me going there!
(picture of my 9th grade friends...it's one of the few I have where Malinda isn't hiding her face!)Well, last week Mike's job sent him to the Baptist camp at Siloam Springs, so after sending Jessica off to Joyworks at Ouachita, the other 2 girls and I went up with him, and re-connected with old friends! On Tuesday I had lunch with Malinda and her husband Joe, and I was amazed all over again at how easy it was to pick up our friendship where we left off.
From there we went to the aquatic center and met my friend Margo and her 4 boys. Margo came to Idaho as Mike's semester missionary, ended up marrying a different Mike and becoming my sister-friend. They left Idaho before we did, to move to Maine, then moved to Oklahoma after we moved to Arkansas. Phew! I love her boys like family!
Ian
Caden
Nate
Kyle
On Wednesday the girls and I drove a little farther north to visit Holly, Kate, and Grayson. Holly was one of the first friends I made when we moved to Magnolia 2 years ago. We clicked right away, and needed each other. Rebecca has missed Kate so much since they moved--all the girls had so much fun playing that afternoon.
Holly and Grayson
Silliness
Kate in the middleThursday morning we drove to Arkadelphia to watch the Joyworks concert and pick up Jessica. They did a wonderful job, and the songs they sang were from a musical I was in when I was her age! It brought back so many memories of Dale City Baptist Church. I got all teary! Plus we were at Ouachita, one of my favorite places in all the world, sitting surrounded by a mixture of Conway and Magnolia friends...I felt so blessed. And then we met Uncle Jerry and Aunt Barbara for lunch--not my real aunt and uncle, but missionary parents of friends of mine from Ouachita. God used them to put me on the road to follow Him, and I was so glad Mike got to meet them. You know, he didn't know what to expect, and I didn't want him to be bored, so I loved it when we got in the car to leave and he said, "I LOVED them!"
It was such a neat week of reuniting with friends.
And when we got home, we discovered Precious had had her kittens under the shed! But I'll save that story for another day.
Mom and Gabby, my great-neice--we stopped in Conway for lunch on our way to Siloam.
Whitney and Sally
Rebecca after roasting and eating marshmallows--she said, "Mommy, take a picture of me and put it on your blog!" How could I say no?
3 comments:
I DO remember summer 1985!! all those things! We use to go to Siloam Springs, too!
oh my....you are so right. Friends ARE friends forever. And I am so grateful for the technology we have that has put so many of us back in touch after 20+ years of separation. Facebook, blogs....high schoool friends, college friends....
God has blessed us so much!
~Robin
I LOVE my old friends.
Ih Holly, Kate & Grayson....we miss them too!!! The cat looks like one I had when I was a little girl- how sweet!!
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