Last weekend, I snuck away for a few days to join four of my sweetest friends in Waco, Texas to celebrate Baylor’s Homecoming. Sixteen years ago, the five of us met. We were all so different, but we had the common factor of being far away from home and totally lost in a brand new world.
We were eighteen, silly and over the course of four years we developed the kind of bonds that most people only pray for. By God’s grace, I can still say that those four women are some of my favorite people to be around. We’ve lived in different cities for twelve years now. We (currently) have sixteen children between the five of us. We’ve weathered heartache and loss and joys and sadness together. We’ve moved and grown and changed and we always come together without a moment’s hiccup.
We are knit.
Blessed.
This was then. I don't really have an explanation...
We made a pact our senior year of college to try and get together once a year. Moves and babies has made it difficult, but we’ve worked hard to keep that promise. In twelve years, we have had nine reunions. Not too shabby.
This was our first time to come back, all five of us together, to the place we met. And we proved that even though we are, ahem, a little older – we still got it.
Friday night after the Homecoming bonfire, a cover band lit up the stage with music from the ’80’s until now. Unable to resist the urge to dance, we pushed our way to the front of the stage and boogied like it was 1999 (again) and until it was way past our bedtimes. Us and the college kids. I kept wanting to tap the kids shimmeying next to me on the shoulder and ask them to guess my age.
I resisted – decided to blend in.
This is me...blending in.
We shook our groove thangs, lifted body surfers over our heads and sang along at the top of our lungs…just like the days of yore. I even knew the words to all the songs!
BECAUSE I LISTEN TO KIDZBOP!
This girl right here has six kids. Would that we all looked that good after six kids...
I hereby apologize for every time I’ve bashed KidzBop and it’s fingernails on chalkboard singing. KidzBop kept me cool for just one night. (We’ll ignore the fact that I sang the cleaned up, watered down words to all the songs because that’s the only way I know them…thank you KidzBop.)
I came home refreshed, encouraged and remembering that every season of life brings miracles and grace. I also realized that I am immensely blessed to have dear, dear friends. I’m thankful that I still reap the blessings of my college days through those sweet friendships. What an honor.
Standing in our freshman dorm, sixteen years and sixteen kids after we first met...
So how’s everyone holding up after a long election day? My advice? Put on a little KidzBop and shake your groove thang. It feels good…
Post election night Tiffany: I’m eager to talk about something else! KidzBop huh? I dunno if I can handle that…I think I’ll just go on making my kids listen to what I want to listen to in the car like the mean ol’ mommy I am. Speaking of which, did you hear the the Civil Wars cancelled all their tour dates? Whoa. Wait, do you like them?
I LOVE them. I can’t believe they just cancelled everything like that! Weird…
I have a theory that if you put more than 4 people in one photo at least one of them will make a face. Thank you for keeping my theory trustworthy.
You’re welcome. Glad I could help.
I have been trying to shake my groove thang all day. I think it’s broken!
Oh dear…did you ever figure out the problem?
umm, excuse me, but I am going to need to collect some royalties on this blog if you are going to post a pic of my midriff!!! I guess at least it was pre-kids, but still. Loved, loved, loved our weekend, so so needed. Remarking to Ritchey how different we are but can still have wonderful conversations and tons of laughs together still. Thanks for the post.
Ummm…I have a hilarious photo of you from this past weekend. I chose not post it on the world wide web, but I will be sending it to you. You’re welcome. 🙂
Looooove you!
KidzBop has represented well in our household for the past 10-plus years. We even have such exclusives as KidzBop Christmas and KidzBop All-Time Hits (Hey, any cd that can get my kid to sing “Sugar, Sugar” and “I Think I Love You” is a good thing, right…). After KidzBop 4 or 5 came out, Andrew and I would start laughing when the commercial for the new cd came on and we would say, “Next thing you know, there will be a KidzBop 22!” … Who would of thunk it??? Sadly, we do not have the latest versions as Andrew is WAY past KidzBop age – but we still get a kick and a good laugh between us when we see a commercial introducing the new one… and every once in a while I’ll catch him singing some Partridge Family when he thinks no one is listening….
Hahaha! That’s so awesome. I think I remember Chase and Andrew playing KidzBop way back when. I never really got it until my kids got old enough. 🙂
Kelli!
When we “met” on the phone, we somehow missed talking about that we both went to Baylor. I’m so bummed I didn’t know that, and I’m super bummed that we were at the exact same place in little old Waco, Texas and I didn’t get to hug your neck.
But I’m so glad you got to go back for a reunion. Homecoming is truly one of my favorite weekends of the year–I haven’t missed one in 23 years!! Glad you enjoyed it. There’s something about college friends that love you through the crazy that just makes them irreplaceable. I’m off to see some of mine tonight!
Sic’em!
Shay
Unbelievable! I don’t know how we missed this fact, either. That would have been so fun to meet face to face! Hope you had fun! Baylor knows how to put on a Homecoming, yeah? 🙂
Indeed, they do! Hopefully we can find another way to meet face to face someday!