Wedding

The wedding last weekend that I was a bridesmaid in was beautiful. My friend that got married started out being a little girl in grade school that I baby sat for when I was in junior high! Yup! Over the years, we have always stayed close, and are now great friends. The kind of friends that will always be friends. I am so excited to see how married life is for her, and to just see the new turns that she gets to take with her husband. I can think of so many conversations she and I had over the years when she was in high school about her future ... all those things girls wonder about, right? And to see her on her wedding day, and so thrilled with the man that proposed to her - so, so good.

Yes, it was crazy, and yes, I still was running back and forth feeding Matthias every few hours (thanks to my wonderful mother in law who brought him to me so Eli could keep studying!), but it was fun. And some of the other bridesmaids were dear friends and we had a great time together. One of the things that makes weddings like that even better is seeing friends' faces that I haven't seen in a long time! Catching up with people, laughing together ... ahhhhhh.

Amanda and I were friends as little girls. We grew up together!

My sister in law Grace was also in the wedding - isn't she gorgeous?

And of course, the bride! This is actually before her dress was even on - but she looks beautiful!

And another dear friend, that I didn't get a picture with, was also in the wedding party. How fun it was to catch up with Leanne as well. It reminded me HOW grateful I am for the friends God has given me. Even these friends that I don't get to see all the time, but when we are together, we can just talk and pick it right back up. Lifelong friends. What a gift to have that shared past together.

We just sent away some dear friends from church (one of whom I have known since we were born!) to another country. Bittersweet. Eli and I are so excited for them to embark on this journey - but it is also heartbreaking to not even know when or if we will see them again. And to see their family here say goodbye. But, at the same time, there is a peace because our hearts are connected. And I know that no matter how long the time span might be, when we see them again, it will be an instant "we love you" and able to get right back in. Again, a gift. A relationship deeper than just surface talk and bound by time and history shared together.

As we wrap up November (and I really want to focus more next year on making November and Thanksgiving shine and get some attention in our household!), my heart is full of gratitude. The most important things in life are not things ...