i was 10. kehaulani entered our primary class radiating like an angel. the rowdy boys in our class sat a little straighter and i noticed how white her scripture case was. this week i received a random text from kehaulani informing me that she still has her middle school p.e. uniform. we also exchanged a catch-up email where she enthusiastically informed me that she is NOT pregnant.
i was 11. heather and i sat in the back of the primary room, so sick of primary and ready to get out that we decided to be most obnoxious. we would sing every other word and giggle. now we're 31 and we share almost-daily hilarious text conversations about the best kinds of things. one special conversation spanned 88 texts and taught me a new skill.
i was 14. laurie was the new girl in the ward. she was popular, she was funny, she was cute, and she could drive. our teenage years were full of mischief and boys but we turned out pretty well and now she is one of the best examples of motherhood that i know. last night she made me cry as i read this about life with her autistic son...
somewhere in my youth jamie entered my life. she had a little stint as my brother's girlfriend, during which we became best friends. she and i have been so close all these years: living together, being each other's third wheel (we could never time having boyfriends at the same time), living together again, and then because of me she met her husband. i take all the credit. this week we had a brief, day-after-giving-birth-to-her-second-daughter conversation and i remembered all over again why i love that hag.
i was 19. my life at that time was in a stand-still and for some reason i landed in provo, in the glenwood, apartment 61. i walked in for the first time and met gina. i had never met anyone like her... her humor and wit are unmatched. when we talk all i do is laugh. (i apologize to her for that, but she says she loves it.) sunday night we had a much-needed three and a half hour phone conversation that could have gone on for another three hours just talking about our love for cake (no, not the dessert), and our memories of skanking in provo.
i was 20. i moved back to rexburg and found the shanty. marci and i shared a room. she was a ray of sunshine and a strong influence in my life. now our daughters are pen-pals.
i was 21. i was scared to death of aubry, but once we got to know each other there was no stopping us. today we share our lives through blogs, facebook, and texts... mostly about reality tv and her helping me figure out what to wear. wednesday night we shared a rare phone call and it was magical.
i was 22. lara, cindy, and andi moved into the shanty. some of my best college memories were created with these girls. this week brought a sweet text from andi, a string of texts with cindy discussing babies, and a really gross text conversation with lara. (the best kind!)
i was 29. we started a new phase of our life in ithaca, new york. little did i know the utopia i would enter and the friendships that were waiting for me. yesterday i cried as i read brooke's post, especially when i saw baby abe's picture. (and then today she made me cry again when i read this post.) i can't believe our babies are one and that i've missed out on his first year. however, in two weeks i will meet up with brooke, and amy, emily, melanie, and jordan for our third annual weekend in new york city. emails are being exchanged in preparation and excitement doesn't begin to describe it.
nine months ago we came to florida. after a rough start i believe i am finding my footing in this new state. i have been blessed with friends here and had a fun, chatty girls night out this week. (celeste and nicole, why do you have to leave?)
and then there are blog friends. they are real. i love them. to meet them in person would be a dream come true. and lately i have been communicating with some and something amazing is in the works...
this week has really been full of friendships, old and new. i am thankful for blogs and texts that keep me connected with my "tentacles of friends". i sometimes get overwhelmed about how far away i am from most of my friends and how i don't ever want to lose one. i don't ever want to lose contact and get lazy in my communications. i can't stand even the thought of that. i hope to always have (and continue to make) such amazing friends. i am truly blessed.
and yes, most of these are pictures of pictures. scanning is the worst.
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16 comments:
awh! robin! this is so sweet! friends from all places and times...you are so blessed...as am i for having you in my life. i am a better person for knowing you and so many of the fine ladies you mentioned. i miss everyone so much.
and i'm also grateful for that awesome picture of me you posted. we had just come back from running! oh the days of yore.
i am inspired. i have a tendency to get lazy in the art of maintaining friends who live so far away.
it's hard on my heart.
but it is worth it to be better about it.
it's no coincedence that everywhere you go you make great friends.
you are a great friend, that is why....
and now i am almost crying but thinking about new york and can't because i am too excited.
You're awesome!! I totally teared up when I read this post! You inspired me, I really need to do something like this to remember all of the good friendships old and new that I have had in my life! I'm sad I have to leave and I will miss you dearly! Let's not lose contact and I will come visit you every time I'm in town!! Xoxo!!
i mean..... do i need to post something schmoopy here? is that the way it goes?
i'm mostly grateful you dug out that old picture and posted it online. i've wanted to use it so many times, but it's never worth it to me to track it down in my storage.
and, thanks for your poor aim that one time we had to socialize together and you threw that bowling ball at my feet... and missed. this whole thing could be a whole different story had you actually hit me.
p.s. blog friends ARE real, and even though i don't have a mom blog, i think all your mom blog friends are awesome and i want in on "amazing in the works"
please?
even if i'm your servant girl for the weekend... i'll cook all your meals... i'll go through a hazing ritual... whatever you want.
this was the sweetest post. i love knowing about people's pasts and seeing their old photos. and if your husband would stop being such a dictator, we could be real life friends! (kidding, kidding. haha.)
I had to fight off the tears because "the real slim shady" is sitting here and he would tease me. What a wonderful post Bobin. Thank you for your kind words. I can't even say how much I miss my Shanty girls. I love you so much and sharing a room with you was indeed a highlight in my life. After all, you DID save us all that night that someone was trying to break in through the front door.
Adorable post that makes me feel like a loser for not keeping in touch with old friends, BUT ... Jay's totally offended that he doesn't have his own blurb. He trusts you will rectify that in your next post, devoted solely to him.
(he also wants me to say that he totally remembers that picture of you and Kehau. And if he's done dictating to me then I will be done typing ... yep, we're done.) :)
I feel so lucky to be mentioned in your post, not just because it makes me feel special, but because it means I'm your friend. I'm so excited for Girls Night Out, The Weekend. (If our NYC weekend were a movie, that's what it would be called).
I wish I could "like" Brooke's sweet comment.
Love you guys! *wink*
you are sweet. i love you.
p.s. that picture of me is awful.
remember when you posted that bad picture of macy and then you posted a good picture to make up for it.
maybe you owe me...
you little STINKER, what an awesome tribute to all your friends. this might be one of your best posts. you have so many rob. you are queen blogger for sure. i will just say that you find amazing people to become your dear friends because you are so dang wonderful yourself. i love the way you put things, the way you LAUGH and the way you treasure friendship, communication, and memories. LOVE YA ROB!!!!
this was awesome. makes me want to scan in all my old photos of when I had way too many blonde highlights and my skin was way too tan. or perhaps not enough time has past yet...ha
p.s. how do you get your hair to always look so great- all short and piecey? mine would never do that. too thin. too lame.
you're going in june, aren't you? :(
so honored to be included in this post. so sad that of all the pictures you could have chosen, you picked that one. i look like rosie o'donnell. you, however, are ROCKING that crown shirt. thanks for the chat. i miss you.
you are lucky to have such nice friends.
but seriously.. come!! i want to meet you in real life!
you have the best posts. I love reading your blog! Do I count as your friend because you know....I have known you since your were born (wink)
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