This is not goodbye.

My dearest friend Wendi has moved away. I have spent every single week with her for over six years. Since our babies were chubby, little Cheerio-eaters that couldn't crawl yet, through the foggy first year of Motherhood, we've moved houses, had more babies, enjoyed family nights together, vacations together, shared Bible studies, deepest thoughts, and monthly scrapbooking. I can confide in Wendi with my most private worries, she cries with me, prays for me, laughs with me, and relates to me. I don't know where I'll be now that she's half a country away, and not a three minute drive. I don't know who I'll be without getting a love-fix from her amazing kids, and without our families enjoying the weekends together. I know and love her kids like they are my family, and while her newborn son is only two weeks old, I held him every hour I could before he moved to place where I won't hear his first words, see his first steps, and I won't know his little idiosyncracies.
We will visit, we will write. Atleast there's Skype. But I can't help but feel that it just won't be the same. I am so happy for her family and their new adventure. But for now, I am oh so sad to see her go. Love you, Wen.

Another amazing friend.

My dear friend gia and I have grown up together. She has started this AMAZING new non-profit that provides a summer retreat for foster children that are nearing the age of 18. Sadly many foster kids in their teens end up on the street because they are too young to support themselves but can no longer rely on the foster system. As a fundraiser to kick off her first retreat in 2010, she published this calendar on her own!!! Many people helped ofcourse, but it came to her in a dream, she followed it through, and now has these very green calendars for sale. Check it out!
http://soulbeautiful.org/

The best friends.

My friends are so darn sweet. Can you believe how crafty they are? For my son's birthday, Nikki made him a super sweet super hero cape, in his favorite color with his initial. She also sewed a headband for me on my birthday, all because I had mentioned I was trying to let my gray come in and grow out my color.

Gretchen drew my name for the annual Jitterbug gift exchange. She made these CUTE potholders and washcloths with a dishtowel. Love that I see a little bit of her in my kitchen each day since she lives across the country. They're pictured here with my husband's yummy weekend pizza. The kids prefer their own little calzones that they make with him. Mmmm!

And while there's no photos of Wendi's thoughtful gift, she gave me a kid-free day on my birthday, so while my daughter was at Kindergarten, Wendi watched True all day!! One of my favorite gifts all year, much as I love those kiddos, I'm sure you can all relate.