Vacation with friends...

Amanda and I had a nice visit. We didn't lounge around relaxing... there were four children involved in our festivities. Libby is 1 year old and toddled after the girls who are always on the go. There are a few essentials whenever a friend comes to visit:

• Beach

• Delicious coffee (I like to show off our somewhat local treasure, Dutch Brother's Coffee)

• Authentic Mexican food (the closest Amanda comes to Mexican food in Saskachewan is Taco Bell)

(Ritner Creek Covered Bridge)






Amanda and I have been friends for 12 years since nearly the first day of our freshman year in college. We were standing in line waiting to audition for a worship band. Both of us came from small churches where we were on the worship teams and summoned up the courage to try out for a female alto part in the impromptu freshman band. It was quickly apparent that lots of other people were more confident in their talents. At least 50 girls stood outside the choir room. It was like American Idol except the small Canadian Bible College version. I remember seeing Amanda standing and looking just as terrified as I felt. We struck up a conversation and decided to leave center stage for the professionals (after, of course, we were passed up for the part in the band).

We lived just down the hall from each other, were in choir together, and shared everything that year including midnight microwaved nachos, lots of long talks, and a love for all neutral colored clothing. I had finally found someone who was just as passionate as I was about kaki pants and brown cardigan sweaters.  The next year we were roommates and I will be forever indebted to Amanda for moving with me to be an RA in a different dorm. We learned far too much about stinky couches, the power of Fabreeze, the Briercrest rule book, and ancient Greek.







We've seen each other every few years. Rather remarkable with 2,000 miles and 2 counties to cross:

September 2000 - Amanda and Linds' wedding

March 2002 - our wedding and Amanda and her parents and Brad came for the event

August 2002 - Jeff and I made a rare (and last) trip in the middle of harvest to Banff to visit Amanda's family

August 2004 - Amanda and Linds came to visit while I was miserably pregnant with Emma

January 2006 - Jeff, me, and 1 year old Emma flew from Vancouver BC to Saskachewan

May 2007 - Amanda Linds and their son, Liam, made a road trip to the NW to visit us

November 2008 - We made a road trip with 4 year old Emma and 1 year old Mandy to visit them when Amanda was a few days shy of her due date with her second baby

February 2010 - Amanda and Libby flew to see us





I think our children will be terrific friends too. We missed 4 year old Liam who undoubtably would have come away with plenty of girly attention. The girls loved having Libby around to play with.




Libby was so fun to meet. And we made her take lots of the girls' clothes. The coat and hat she is wearing were Emma's when she was tiny. Sigh. So precious.

Until we meet again....
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This week my friend Amanda is visiting from Saskatchewan with her little daughter, Libby, for 5 days. Yes, this is the friend that our Mandy was named after. Jeff and I had a few other reasons for choosing the name, but this dear friend was #1 on the list.

Thankfully Amanda can't change her plans after seeing this picture I am posting of us. We went to visit them last year in November and Amanda had her baby a few days after we left. * Every women loves pictures of themselves 9 and a half months pregnant.*

We have some fun things planned, but we are dealing with her 1 year old, my 3 children, and my husband who is working super long hours lately hauling wheat to Portland. It's a long way from endless hours of chatting when we were college roommates.  There is always nap time! If we can manage to stay awake too, we will squeeze in good conversation between all the normal mommy life.

I'll post more after the weekend. Take care,

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Real visit from a virtual friend

My blog has opened doors of friendship that I never imagined when I started posting 4 years ago. Friends of friends and beyond come here, to my always perfectly clean blogger home and I also virtually go visit them. We share life as we learn about each other's families, loves, and irritations. There are so many people that I "visit" that I have never met face to face or haven't seen in years.

Today I got to actually meet a blog friend who before I knew only in words and pictures! Grace asked me to take her family's pictures and they live close enough to make it possible. We met at the park and I was able to capture her and her husband with their beautiful girls. I posted more pictures on my photography blog (click here).

Thanks, Grace, for taking the time to get together. It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope you love the pictures!

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