~ We Had Fun ~

I'll update this blog entry with clearer photo's as soon as I can . These will have to do for now .

FUHouse 2003
Amber, Stacie , Jenny, Sarah & Jessica

We had fun , no wonder I'm so tired . Tonight I had the opportunity to Skype with two of my former roomies and BFF's . One is in Washington state, the other in Virginia and I in Tennessee , PTL for technology !!! I think we may have spoken for over a hour by the time it was done . After we got off the phone I was inspired to hunt down my old video camera . It was one that I'd gotten before I left for college , but haven't used in yearrrrrrsssssssss . I wasn't even sure if the tapes would still be in it or that I would be able to hook it up to my TV for viewing . Once again, PTL for technology because it all worked . As I watched footage of my friends and I , I became overwhelmed by the laughter . We had so much fun .  For one year in 2003/2004,  four of my best friends and I lived in a awesome house in Forest, VA , Amber, Sarah, Jenny , Jessica and myself . Several of us were in school . All of us had at least a job or two maybe even three . Several spent time volunteering for Habitat for Humanity . I traveled now and then with a Liberty University music team . And we all had friends out side of the house , but none that seemed as important at the time as the one's in the house . We'd joke , "why leave when we are all here ?" or "there's four of us here , let's play a game !" . We still use the game joke every time there are more than two of us in one place .

FUHouse - Forest United Methodist Church Parsonage - Forest, VA

As I laughed at our shenanigans I was not only overwhelmed , but grateful . My g'parents have always been so proud of the friends I've made in my time away from home . I think it's comforted them to know I'm surrounded by such good people . Now that life , distance , marriages , babies , work , and oh did I mention life , have moved us away from each other I'm even more grateful for the friendships we have . I watched my home movies tonight and relived decorating our two Christmas tree's , sledding at night , snow ball fights , a death slide (made of snow) , and a few dance parties . WE HAD FUN !!!! How come it's so easy to forget the fun ?! It's so important to remember it .

Jenny gearing up for some snow fun . 

These are the people I lived life with .  Now, we all were friends before our time as roomies and we are all still friends now , but in that one year Amber's father passed away , Jessica got engaged , Jenny decided to spend the Summer as a missionary in Guatemala , Sarah decided to go back to school and I attempted a semester of Graduate school along with a few other things . To say we lived a lot of life in that one year is an understatement . It's been ten years now and I can remember it all like it was yesterday . I'll never forget getting the call from Jessica that Amber's father was gone . I'm so grateful for a boss who understood that these girls weren't just my roommates, but my sisters and he let me leave work that day to drive Amber to her home town . I'll always remember that Jessica was wearing her chicken pajama's the night Marvin purposed to her in our home . It's impossible to forget that we put rocks in Jenny's pocket on the day of the "hurricun" (said in a Dr. Falwell accent) and put her on the porch to see if she'd fly . I'm always gonna be grateful that Sarah loved me enough to open her bedroom door even though I had the flu to take me to the doctor . The flu that would eventually get most of us . I still blame Jessica and Amber who worked at a day care for bringing in these kooties . This is the stuff I gotta keep in mind when I get down about my current, slower days . We had fun . We had a lot of fun . No wonder I'm so tired .


~FUHouse~ 4 out of 5 roomies had the flu, the one behind
the french doors didn't want to risk it. #memories

These are the people that no matter how long we go with out seeing each other or speaking, we pick up just as if it's only been a day .We still see each other as often as we can . Sometime it's just a few  and sometime it's all of us . As families and miles grow it becomes harder and harder to all get to the same place at the same time . We will never stop trying though .

Tonight I am so very grateful for the love , sister hood , tears , heart breaks , and FUN we had together in just that one year . I'm grateful for all that was before , after and to come as well , but for me that one year was life changing . I have no siblings so this was my first time in a home with more than one person . I mean I'd lived in a dorm , but that's totally different . I have video's from that too . I'll have to share those stories on another entry . Tonight I'm also grateful for technology and the ability it has to bring us together no matter how many miles are between us . I'm grateful for old home movies, pictures that will forever be proof of our hotness , laughter and people who accept me as I am .

In the ten years since we lived together ........

Jessica has gotten married , had two adorable children and is a teacher in VA . I still call her with all my Home Economic questions . She'll never be rid of me .

Sophia and Paxton - Jessica's adorables

Amber is finishing her SECOND Masters Degree and has proven to be the smartest of us all .

She is teaching in VA and spent the summer serving in Uganda as a missionary.

 

 

 

Sarah is a military wife (to me that's super hero status) and is a mother of two beautiful lil' ones . One of which is just like Aunt Stacie , wearing her pearls every where she goes .

 

 

And Jenny is in Florida , married and expecting TWIN GIRLS this Summer .

 

 

If you'd told us then where we'd be now there's now way any of us would have or could have believed you . We were too busy having fun . We had no idea at the time these would become our memories or that we'd be so far apart in miles ten years later .

Washington, DC - Jenny , Stacie , Amber & Jessica

 



Amber , Jenny, Jessica and Sarah - You are my soul sisters . I'm forever changed because of you . Thank you so much for loving me as I am . I hope you know I love you just as you are . I'm a better person because of the influence you've had and continue to have on my life .