Love, laughter, loss, lessons...

Saturday was an absolutely wonderful day. Daddy, Owen, and Papa all stayed home to get some work done on the house, and I took my baby big girl to swimming lessons. Afterwards, we headed over to Kristen's house for a big playdate/get-together with my best girlfriends in the whole world. My BFF, Renee, was in town for the weekend, and it's not often at all anymore that we all are able to get together. The kiddos had so much fun together, and we had some much needed, (and long overdue) girl time.

Blake rockin' out

Sweet Serena

Gavin

Skyler

Livy lovin' Serena

Serena lovin' Smith :)

Olivia playing with all the baby dolls

Cheese!

Michael

Davis (who would not let me get near him with the camera) and Michelle

There is just nothing like spending time with your best friends. The girls who have been there for you, WITH you, through just about everything you can remember. Some of these girls I have literally been friends with since we were born, as our parents are all friends. One of these girls has been my best friend since we were in the 7th grade... which was... wait for it... 1986 (DEAR LORD!). Twenty-five years. Wow. And another I have been close with since we were sorority sisters at Duquesne, so we're talkin' 16 years. When I sit back and think about these friendships... it's amazing. I am so lucky. So lucky to call these women my friends. So lucky to have unconditional love, trust, support, and pretty much anything else I need from them. Life sure has changed over all of these years... we are all grown up, married, children... yes, that changes everything alot. But one of the constants in my life, along with my family, is my friendship with these girls.

I pray my kids have friends like these. Life-long, always there for you friends, who know you inside and out (and love you anyway!). It's still hard sometimes, when we're all together, not to feel some emptiness that one of us is missing from the gathering. It's hard not to think about what she'd be doing right now... if maybe she would have a little one who would be playing with our kids... what she'd be doing or saying to make us laugh so hard that we cried... and so many other things simply too numerous to mention. It's coming up on five years that she unexpectedly left this life too soon. We love you and miss you every day, Jenn.

There are so many lessons I've learned from her... but that's another post for another time. For today, the biggest lesson of all is to "forgive and give as if it were your last opportunity. Love like there's no tomorrow, and if tomorrow comes, love again." -Max Lucado