hometown

One hundred and sixty days is a long time for us. It had been exactly that long since we watch Abs drive away with her brand new husband and exactly that long since the four of us had been together. It had been a long time.

You know that it's been a long time when there is lots of hugging and squeezing going on in the restaurant parking lot. And when we make quite the reunion scene inside. Sorry, Miss Hostess. We see our friend, and we are sprinting towards her! You know it's been a long time when visiting the moms' houses calls for mini tours to see what has changed about our second-homes. And when you notice something familiar [like late night coffee at Ashley's or mini pretzels at Abs'], somehow you all comment on it [in unison] as to bring comfort to the situation, to remind one another of your history - a history that has allowed you to learn the intimate details of each others' lives.

Along with this well-loved and familiar friendship was a newness this trip: husbands. "Number Five and  Number Six," as we lovingly call them. I think maybe even "brothers" on occasion. Great sports, they are, as we soak up some girl talk and relive tennis team stories and take unhealthy amounts of pictures. D is totally accustom to the fact that we'll probably need to carry in a fistful of my hanging clothes to share with Ash. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I'm thankful for his understanding. Or just accepting something he doesn't understand. Guys don't share clothes - isn't that weird?

Our weekend was full of...
Late dinner and even later coffee at the Wilsons where we talked and laughed until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.
A carb-filled, girls-only breakfast that lasted until the afternoon.
Checking out the going-out-of-business Blockbuster/paying homage to the place we visited nearly every night the summer after high school.
A little vintage and baby gift shopping with Mom.
Biting the bullet and spending the rest of my wedding credit on this beauty.
Visiting with my wonderfully spunky grandparents.
Meeting the ever-so-perfect Grant Willson Lane and seeing Aunt Abby and Yaya in action.
Daddy's delicious fish fry which he serves out of brown paper bags.
D's impressive clay shooting [who knew?!].
More friend time around the Hillside kitchen table.
Finishing the night off with a little Wii Just Dance with D and my parents: hi-lar-i-ous!

While driving back to Baton Rouge in the beautiful Louisiana Spring weather, I was glad. Glad to have had time to lay around and talk to Mom on her unbelievably comfortable bed. Glad that the Lord graciously slowed down the clock hands to allow time to spend time with everyone we hoped to see. Glad for a rare, strong friendship with three women who I love so deeply.

As we all venture off to [what seems like] our four corners of the Earth, I will remember this weekend and have confidence in our friendship's ability to survive and thrive. I, loving to talk about feeeelings, had thought I might bring up the changes we've experienced in the last six months and those that lie ahead. As lifestyles continue to look different and distances steadily increase, I think its healthy to talk about it. To put it out there and recognize those challenges in order to reaffirm one another that you're willing to face and conquer them. I've seen friendships slowly fizzle when change happens and one or all is not committed to rolling with those changes. The idea of that happening to us completely terrifies me which is why I planned to spill all my feelings [and probably some tears] on that coffee shop table.

But after a few hours of rawness and fears and excitements and stresses and hopes and dissatisfaction and dreams, there wasn't a need. Though I never doubted it, I was sure they were ready to lean into the curves that lie ahead. My heart is full of thankfulness for that Saturday morning and for the friends I shared it with. They continue to teach me what it looks like to be a life-long friend, and show me grace when I get wrapped up in my own little world and forget that cell phones exist.

I encourage you, for the deepening and longevity of your friendships that will soon encounter life's changes, to talk about it. We've done it before, and it brought us to this point where we were thankful to arrive. Talk about how to conquer the changes. Get it out there and get over the uncomfortableness. It's worth it. Also, FaceTime is awesome, pick up the phone [more than I do], and get out your agendas and pick a date to be together. It's important.

Last but not least, if you are fortunate enough to have your Abbys, Ashleys, and Hannahs all in the same town, I hope you soak it up. Do it for me. Cook for one another and grocery shop together and spend half the weeknights around each other's tables and, if you have them, go see one another's kids dance recitals or soccer games. And, if you aren't this fortunate, then you can call me about every third Thursday of the month, and we can cry together because we miss them dearly. Sounds like a plan.