Small Group Memories

Last week, Tessa and I went over to Mary's house for dinner. It had been a LONG time since any of us had been over to her house for dinner but I am so grateful that we did. Mary made delicious pad thai and the conversation over dinner with her and Ted was fruitful and full of stories. After dinner, we went upstairs and looked at some OLD pictures from small group cabin time, including a video that I had taken of Tessa tubing down the hill in the snow. I don't know when the last time I had laughed so much was. It got me thinking about how important these ladies were to me in college but also how important they still are to me. We met for two and a half years, spending afternoons together learning about each other, praying for each other, being listening ears and commiserating about shared experiences and shared frustrations, supporting each other, and spending time together. We were so lucky to have gotten Mary as our leader, with her wisdom, her prayers, her stories, her experience, her a-mazing cooking, her wonderful husband, and her gentleness and hospitality.

Here are some of my favorite memories of times with the small group ladies:

-trips to the cabin in McCall (favorite memories from cabin time include LONG gossip session in the middle of the night with Tessa and Kristen, playing JENGA at the Bistro with Tessa, meeting "Brad" and Hunter, free dessert, Special Harvest wine and communion, tubing and making snow men- actually, a pregnant snow woman for Ted- hot chocolate and hot tubbing)

-visits to Portland to see Ali (and having drinks at the City Pub and Grill way above the city, watching terrible movies, cooking, skype session with Allie, delicious pizza, Sunday Market), to Spokane to see Tessa (long talks outside on the grass about Michigan and California and life), and to Colorado to see Kristen (Ghost Adventures, Idaho monopoly, baseball games and mimosas, her fantastic wedding)

-lots of dinners at Mary's house, both when we were students and then when I was in town visition (and each dinner had the most delicious food, even the one time I was hung-over, the views were always gorgeous and there was always Special Harvest, no matter what)

-hangouts with all the girls during school, either at soccer games, at my house eating falafel, Spring Formals, margaritas at Applebees, bus rides to basketball games, graduating together in our caps and gowns, birthday celebrations

-Alive After 5 with Ali, Knitting Factory concerts with Tessa, Hurricane Chasing with Kristen

I love these ladies so much and am so freaking blessed that they're in my life!