make new friends, but keep the old…

There is nothing quite so wonderful as an old friend. Someone who knows what you would want for breakfast and that you hate feet. Someone who asks about the things closest to your heart and challenges you even when it hurts. Someone who has loved you through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
 I am blessed to have 7 of those friends… my roommates from college. We live all over the southeast, don’t talk every day or even every week, and each have separate lives in new communities of people. Yet, when we get together, it is one of the sweetest comforts I know. Old friends truly are golden.
Last month, we were all able to gather at the beach with only one dear friend missing- our sweet Amy. It was a precious few days to be together. And so much fun. We even invited our “significant others” for the first time! At one point, we had 15 people in the 4 bedroom condo. There were some huge sacrifices made to be a part of this weekend, which made me even more grateful for every person there.
Allow me to introduce my dear ones and their dear ones….
(disclaimer: These pictures are not good. They were mostly taken at a dark restaurant, and I am just not a good enough photographer to make that work well without a flash. But I tried, because I hate the flash. Needless to say, they then required quite a bit of photoshopping, in which I am also no expert. So… I’m asking for your grace. It’s more about the people in the picture, anyway. Right?)

This is Kara. We sometimes call her “Parker” after the cruise ship director from our senior year cruise. She is a fabulous encourager and gatherer of friends, making everyone feel included and cared for. Hence, this trip... it was her idea.

 
Kara married Peter almost two years ago, and apparently they’ve been dressing alike every since. :) Peter is a native Floridian, an obnoxious Gator fan (at least that’s what they call them in Knoxville), and a tender-hearted man.

 
My beautiful friend Lauren was there, with a special glow about her. She is a free-spirit who never ceases to surprise us with both her random comments and her brilliant successes.

 
We had our first encounter with Matt, the reason for Lauren’s sweet smile. We understood- he seems like a keeper for sure, which is good thing since they got engaged a few weeks ago!! I am so excited for them!

Tiffany, who I lived with for all four years of college, is the Anne Shirley to my Diana Barry. Her strength and grace are amazing and I am so thankful for her long-time presence in my life.
P.S. She did not want me to take her picture.

Tiffany’s husband, Will, wasn’t planning on coming for the weekend. At the last minute, he drove all the way from Nashville, on his motorcycle, to be at the beach for about 12 hours. That certainly shows a lot about his heart and character.

Though looking a little frightened in this picture, I think Meredith looks gorgeous as well. Her wisdom and conviction have been a steady stream for all of us. She’s even a real counselor now! And she has great hair.

Scott, Meredith’s husband, did an excellent job repeatedly posing as I tried to take a decent picture. That’s the kind of guy he is- fun, confident, and carefree. The kind of guy you want in any group.

One of the best stories of the weekend: Ross (Amy’s hubby) came to spend time with us, even though she couldn’t be there! He is one of the most genuinely kindhearted men I’ve met, and almost filled the void that Amy left.

Claire, strong and lovely, was a joy to be with as always. She has a fabulous way of knowing every person in a room and making each of them feel important.

 
James, a great match for Claire, really added to our weekend and fit in so well. Intelligent, easy to be around, and so good to our precious friend… I am definitely a fan. I think we all are.

Look at that face- don’t you just love her already? This is my dear friend Julie and she’s just as fun as she looks. It is always a gift to me to be with her, especially since she lives forever away under the big city lights of DC. She’s so cosmopolitan.


This is Mac, the man lucky enough to get a ring on Julie’s finger. Mac has a good heart and a great laugh. I’ve told Julie that he and Curtis would/should be BFFs if they lived in the same town. He’s just a good one.


Scott decided to take my camera and try it out for a few minutes. This is one of the results… I actually like it, which says a lot coming from me! The biggest reason? I think it shows how happy these people make me. Happy makes beautiful.


Last but certainly not least in my world… Curtis. I feel so blessed that he went to school with all of these girls because he knows and loves them all already. He understands where we’ve been and is a part of where we are going. What a joy! And he’s cute. :)

To bring it all together for you:


and, just in case you need a refresher on the relational ties:
Ha ha ha. I just think that’s funny.
If you made it this far, thanks for getting to know my sweet friends. In learning about them, in a way you are learning about me too. So thanks.