Forever Friends

For the past month I've been really excited!  My best friends from Kindergarten through 12th grade were planning to get together after almost 20 years!

One of the friends, Gwen, lives in Alaska, so she is not able to come to Oklahoma too often.  We all made plans to meet together some time during this week.  The other two friends and I live within 30-40 minutes from each other, but planning a time to actually get together was really hard.  We had to work around our families' schedules - and with 11 children between the four of us, that's pretty hard to do!

We actually thought it had been 24 years since we had all four been together, but when I found this picture, I realized it hadn't been quite that long. It had been 19 years, though....still way too long! This picture is in 1992.  We were asked (probably by my mom!) to sing at the Junior/Senior banquet that year. Three of us had siblings in those classes, so that's most likely why they thought of us.  We were part of a group that was called the "Teardrops".  We didn't lots of singing during our junior high and high school years!

After our Senior graduation we went to Orlando, Florida.  Walt Disney World was so much fun for us.  Eldorado (at that time) had about 800 people so it didn't take much to excite us! This picture is at our hotel lobby.

This is three of us at our graduation.  Gwen is missing.  She has a picture where someone else is missing.  It was sometimes difficult to get everyone for pictures, so we have several "3 people" pictures!

This is our Freshman Graduation.  Aren't we pretty???! :)

This is one of our many, many slumber parties.  Molly isn't in this picture, but I'm pretty sure she was there somewhere.  Most slumber parties were at her house, but this one was at another friend's house.  This is about the time "Jello Jigglers" were new and very popular.  Kind of an odd memory!

This is my 6th birthday.  I think Pam is to the right of me.  See her elbow??  I really wish that this picture had all of us.  We would have been in Kindergarten at this time.

I found this little note in a memory book tonight.  Such special friends!

It says:  "Molly, Pam, Gwen & I are all best friends.  We always have a great time together."

I'm pretty sure it was written in junior high.

Sitting here thinking about this post made be realize some neat things about our friendship:

All of us lived in the country for almost all of our growing-up years.  Gwen and I were less than a quarter of a mile from each other.

All of our dads were farmers for most all of our growing-up years.

All of our dads graduated from Eldorado - just like we did.  None of our moms did, but all of our moms were from Oklahoma.

All of our dad's parents lived in Eldorado for our growing up years and until they passed away.

Two of us went to church camp together for many years.  Two others went to Germany together for an exchange trip.

All three of them went to OSU after high school.  I stayed at home, went to a junior college and married the next summer.

We have so many fun memories and so many funny memories.  Getting together for those few hours was just like we had never been apart.  That's what it means to be "Forever Friends".  I'm thankful for my "Forever Friends".  Can't wait to get together again! I love you all!

I thank my God every time I remember you. Philippians 1:3