Keep the Old

Since my return from Charlotte, this childhood lyric has resounded through my head:

Make new friends, but keep the old

One is silver and the other's gold.

I spent the week with my girlfriend Julie and her family. Julie and I went to Samford together. I was in her wedding ten years ago and she was in mine two years later. She has known me since I was 17. I realize that 16 years isn't that long, but these particular 16 years have seen so many life changes, so many different life stages. It is so comforting to spend time around someone who has known you that long.

There are so many things I appreciated about my time with the Tassy's and so many things I appreciate about Julie individually. The two are kind of hard to separate but they are no doubt why I will cherish dearly the week spent together.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip from the silly to the sentimental:

• Julie is an awesome cook! She prepared so much in advance so that she wouldn't have to spend a lot of our time cooking. Everything was so delicious!
• Julie remembers things about me that I don't remember about myself. She will bring things up that make me feel so known and understood. I seriously don't think she must ever forget anything and she waits until the perfect moment to remind you that she knows.
• Julie is a great mom. I don't really know what else to say about this. It was so easy to parent beside her. Spending time with Harper and Ella was such a delight. And the fact that they weren't perfect made my time there even more refreshing.
• Julie is hysterical! So many times she sent me to my loud laugh-some of you know the one, the one where people will turn their heads to find out who is being so obnoxious. It's hard for me to stop when it gets to this point.
• Julie and I share the love of creating. She has a home that is filled with her creations which makes it so warm and inviting. We had a craft-gone-bad experience but still had so much fun laughing about it after the fact.
• Harper played momma all week to Owen. Seriously it was like a vacation for me. Seriously. She wanted to do everything for him and she wouldn't leave his side. By the end of the week, she was so astute to our schedule that she would be one step ahead of me. Really, can she come stay with me for an extended amount of time? She was more help than a husband!
• Christopher was so kind to put up with us for the week. Adding three kids 5 and under can be a little chaotic. Sometimes Julie would be busy and I would sit down and talk with just Chris for a while. It is so nice to not only understand why your friend loves her husband, but to personally enjoy and feel comfortable around him also.
• One night we got a sitter and went out to dinner. The night could not have been more perfect. We had this long, slow dinner filled with great conversation, laughs, and people watching. Then we went somewhere different for dessert and coffee, making the night last even longer. (Such a bummer to go home from a night out and find the kids still awake so we were making sure we were out long enough that would not happen!) It was also fun to remember that 17 years ago, we were the babysitters for other families. Now we were the one with these awesome families in need of a sitter for a night out. We have so much to be thankful for!

In reality, it was probably all the little things that happened in between that made the week so awesome. All the moments you can't put into words when I realized how blessed I am by this friendship.

We are so going back there next summer!