what a weekend!...

Kate, holding Micah, Ali and Becca

So, we just got back last night from such an amazing weekend...so glad there are 7 girls to describe it, cause I just don't even know how to begin. (there were supposed to be 8 but poor Mary's baby Aaron came down with a virus the day they were supposed to leave!!! we missed her so much!) Anways, its pretty incredible---this year will be 10 years since we graduated from JMU! I seriously can't believe it---and it makes is really special that we've been able to keep in touch and maintain our friendships for so long. The 8 of us are SO different in many ways, and I think that's a lot of what keeps our friendships close and special and real. Its a circle of friends where we are truly free to BE who we are and be REAL about what's going on in our lives and hearts...

So on that note, I'm sorry cause I didn't really take pictures this weekend--but it definitely wasn't a "picture weekend"---we did so much just sitting around catching up and that was definitely my favorite part. I think we may have solved most of the problems in the world--ha!--or at least tried to figure out our own :) marriages, children, careers, dreams, budgets, the world, hunger, orphans...just to name a FEW topics :)

We did get out in the beautiful, sunny, 70 degree weather--which was especially exciting for the girls coming from the frigid winter of the east coast! We had a fun baby shower for Michelle who's expecting in March.

Onesies we decorated for Michelle's soon to come baby!

Art projects for the nursery...

The babies definitely had a great time getting to play together---Kallen and Sawyer (below) are just about the same age and they had fun making a LOT of the same noises together (finally someone who speaks my language...) and Micah who's only 4 mos totally kept up with them. He was amazing and looks just as old as the other boys!

Well, as life gets harder/ie--more complicated, it just makes me realize how special friends "like these" are...friends who love you unconditionally...friends who will listen to your dreams, fears, struggles, without judgement...who provide a safe place for you to question who you are and who you have been, and who you are becoming...that is so priceless to me and I am so grateful for these women for that reason! And I don't think I've EVER laughed as hard as the night we pulled out all the pictures from college---all the times we thought we were SO COOL---and were SO NOT!! It was great! Brian was able to come up for part of the weekend too, which was really fun to get to see him and for him to get to spend a little time with the girls...

What a wonderful weekend I will remember forever!