Good Times with Good Friends

Have you ever met someone you just clicked with? Someone who would be your friend though everything, who would make you laugh until you pee, who will comfort you when you are sad and who will put up with you when you are crazy? I met my someone a few years ago and now I can't live without her.

Kristy and I got to serve together over the Young Women in our church and that is how it all started. A few weeks into our service the youth had planned their annual camping trip to a cabin in West Virgina. Being new to our callings we thought this trip would be fun...turns out we were wrong! Over the 2 day trip we spent 8 hours in the car with teenage girls, 1 hour making the best taco diner ever (including mostly cheese), 1 hour cleaning up cheesy dinner, another hour leg wrestling which turns out I am pretty good at, 6 hours not sleeping. 6 hours! 6 hours of bug killing, telling kids to get back to bed, taking away 1 Bebe gun and 1 guitar, 6 hours listening to the loudest snore I have ever heard. I started the evening out in a sleeping bag on the floor but with the discovery of the rats I quickly escalated our friendship and jumped into a very small bed with Kristy. We spent the remaining time cuddling as the bed we were in resembled the taco's eaten earlier. This mandatory cuddling was better that sleeping with the rats which later turned out to be bats (not that much more comforting if you ask me).

The trip goes on and the story gets better and better. We leave the cabin and head to the beach, now that's more like it, right? We do have a grand time at the beach the kids swim, canoe, and play volleyball and load up the cars because it is time to head home. All accounted for, we have a prayer and then hit the road. Wait...Angel's car won't start. Super. Sidebar: I am actually driving Jimbo's car as he is in Iraq yet again. I have already dinged the crap-ola out of said car and just got it back from the body shop in hopes that he won't notice and now the dang thing won't start, you gotta be kidding me! After we pop the hood and do a lot of head scratching we decide the problem is serous and we call for backup. Lots of time passes here and the kids get bored, one cries so I cry...I wanna go home too. We leave Jim's car in West Virgina and I wonder if I am ever going to see it again and cry again thinking how am I going to explain this?

Wouldn't you know it, the Navy came to rescue me! Steve, Kristy's husband jumps in his car the next day (Sunday of course), he drives to West Virgina, gets the car from the toothless tow truck driver, throws a new battery in the sucker and is on his way back to Pittsburgh! Why didn't we think of that? Steve is my hero! I now notice that I have only seen Steve wear nice button up dress shirts and I now know that it must be to cover his super-hero costume beneath!

So anyway, that is how it all started and needless to say it just keeps getting better. We have now moved away from this great family but our friendship remains true. Last month we got the chance for a quick visit...here are a few shots from the trip.

This is us again, we can look respectable but we have to try really hard!

Maddie and Sarah...BFF...for that weekend at least!

Poor Maddie hated those piggy-tails but man I thought they were adorable!

Yep, they were dressed alike that day and it was all my fault...oops.
A couple of people on the plane thought it was cute though.

I love that she is above the roof tops...it looks like he really chucked her up there!

I gotta crop out those hands and post my super baby!

Sarah at the wedding...Congrats Lindsay thanks for letting us share your
special day...mostly because you said you were NEVER going to get married!


A family photo


Sarah after the wedding but before I dumped the entire bowl of baby
cereal into Jimbo's suit pants pocket. I am not known for my grace. Sorry babe.


Child Prodigy


My talented friends


Sarah and Sydney...I hope Sarah grows up to be as fun to be with as
Sydney is...I mean really how many teenagers do you want to spend time with?
Love you Syd.


I am sure she learned this from Kristy!


This too...why do kids eat the boogers...why?