Three are Even Better

I love this picture of Heidi, Abby and me at our Taylor University Floor Retreat our Junior Year.  It's a great reminder of the roots of our friendship.  And our skinnier days.  And how I broke my hand on a field-sized slip-and-slide.


But mostly, I love it for this:
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ephesians 4:12

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Long December and There's Reason to Vacate

Here I am, back in the cold midwest, dreaming about the glorious days of my 10 day Arizona/California vacation. Here are the highlights for you:

Delivering Food to Families
• I’ve been thinking a lot about authentic community. I want my home and my spirit to be welcoming to all kinds of people- all ages, all cultures, all stories. In order to do so, I need to not only do the inviting, but I need to get invited in. My friend Carly and her friends in the Redlands have been invited into homes because they deliver food to families living with AIDS. As I joined them (and laughed so hard that it made the #1 of my vacation), I started to think about returning to my community with fresh love for people and perspective for what true community takes. I love that my vacation was about more than playing and exploring. It was about people. And serving. And thinking.

That Glorious Mountain Air
• I spent 4 days hiking in the mountains. I LOVE the mountains.




78 Degrees and Perfect
• You know how I can’t chose if I’d rather be at the beach or in the mountains? California is the perfect solution.


P.S. While I was watching surfers on the Santa Monica Beach, I was getting text alerts about the severe winter weather warning in Michigan.

Great Times with Old and New Friends
• The number one question I got about this vacation was, “Who are you going with?” And when I said myself, I think people were a little baffled. But, you don’t need to have someone else sign the rental car agreement to make sure your vacation is filled with old and new friends. I'm so lucky to have friends all over the U.S. And to be able to collect them as I go, too. Beautiful, wonderful friends.



A 12 Hour Disneyland Day
• I was a Disney child. We sometimes even went twice a year. And as a children's program developer and director, I have a great adult appreciation for Disney. I still get swept away by the magic sometimes. But, I'd never been to DisneyLAND or California Adventure, so a 12-hour-park-hopper I became!





May you find days of friends, rest, reflection and magic in your December as well!

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Parting is Just Sorrow

Have you ever left a group of people and felt like this?

This is a shot taken with my TU friends (see previous post) a week after we graduated from college. We were saying our last goodbye. Forever to live in different places. With different lives. And different problems.

In the next ten years, we'd have to navigate miscarriages, infertility, a baby almost dying, a parent with cancer, a sister with a brain tumor, parents divorcing and so much more sadness.

It was insightful, really, to sob so painfully at the age of 22.
We knew how much we'd need each other.

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Re-Living the Taylor Days

I graduated from Taylor University with fun, beautiful, trusted and committed friends for life. Each year, we gather for a weekend to re-live our TU days and love on each other in-person. We have a proven, simple friendship philosophy. It worked when we were planting the seeds 13 years ago and still keeps us strong now:

1. eat good food together
2. sit in our pajamas and talk

We visited Ali in Ohio this year and we've heard her talk about the Winking Lizard since we graduated. We've all been dying to go together, so we piled 5 adults and 2 babies into the SUV to go practice the "eat good food" part. Heidi and Baby Reese, Ali and Baby Andy

April, Abby and Jenny

We all really love each others' kids. Really, we do. Even Jenny. But this is what our reunion dinner ended up looking like. Turns out babies don't like 3 hour dinners.

We ate at home the rest of the time. Which has many benefits including elastic-waisted pants. :)

Never to be defeated by screaming babies in the backseat, we pumped up the music and threw a dance party in the car. See? Just like the good ol' Christian College days.
I love my friends.

Plant a seed of friendship; reap a bouquet of happiness. - Lois L. Kaufman

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My Friends, My Estate

"My friends are my estate. Forgive me then the avarice to hoard them. They tell me those who were poor early have different views of gold."

-Emily Dickinson

Dara, Emily, and Kate are my dearest friends from my Chicago days. We recently spent a wonderful weekend reunion in Saugatuck, MI. I moved away from Chicago a few years ago, but it doesn't seem quite as big as Kate's move this summer-- to Arizona to start her life as a professor! We've all worked so hard this year in our careers- it's nice to take time out to celebrate that! And laugh. A LOT.

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Tackling a Baseball

This weekend I had some firsts:

I slept in a Caboose at SpringHill Camps
I taught a break-out session for over 100 women at our Women's Retreat
I had brunch in The Tigers Stadium Club
I caught (okay, tackled) my first foul ball after 100+ baseball games!

Special thanks to my friends from Chicago, Kate and Emily:
I'd sleep in camp housing with you girls any day!

Special thanks to the McCurley family:
You continue to make Danae and me feel like rockstars! Thanks for the game!

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Indy Mini Marathon

Sporting our winner's metals after running 13.1. It was my 5th half marathon- not my best run, but a wonderful time with friends!

Classic Matt Casburn

I spent most of my time after the race in the fetal position. Emily was nice enough to still pose with me.

Dustin and Jan Fenton were especially sporty this year. Great run, friends!

Everyone needs ice cream after running 13.1 miles!

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Farewell, Friends!

Dara and Kate- What amazing lifelong friends you have been. Nothing beats sharing the Taylor U, SpringHill, and Chicago experience. I love you girls!

Gena, Courtney, and Bridget- Our Grad school days are over but when I'm with you I always feel like the fun is just beginning! I can't wait for you to visit MI!
Jessica, you're the best upstairs neighbor I ever had. I love our old and new adventures.
Val, Olivia, and Himala- I have loved working with you at Loyola! You're outstanding doctors and friends.
Biz, I feel like this is just the beginning...I have loved getting to know you!
Dave and Jud- I knew I could count on you for being the last ones out the door. Jud reminded me that I have known him since we were babies. It's so nice to have forever friends!

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