Visiting with My Kristi

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I was given a wonderful gift. My friend Kristi, who I haven't seen for (cough!)teen years, came for a visit with her beautiful family. Brian took the day off of work so he could meet Kristi and her husband. What a blast we had! (John, thank you for all of the arrangements you made to bring Kristi to see me!)

 

 

When they pulled up in their van and John stepped out, Ian put his arms out to be held by Uncle John. Kids (even babies) know who they can trust and who truly loves them. Ian was literally John's shadow and attachment during their entire visit. We even have photos of Ian reaching for Uncle John (who was taking the pictures at the time).

 

 

When the back door of the van opened, Addie hopped right in and gave Julia a hug. The girls have spoken on the phone and through Skype, and Kristi and I have spoken to them about each other, so they already knew each other in a way. They became instant best buds and were inseparable the entire visit.

 

 

We went to our favorite local park and let the kids run and climb to their heart's content. I had to rub Kristi's baby belly! I was the first person (outside of Team Mac) to know about Baby Mac, and I kept the secret until she announced it :)

 

 

 

We enjoyed our visit well passed bedtime, but Hostess cakes (thank you, Grandma!) and The Lorax movie made for some easy kid entertainment as the adults talked and caught up some more. Our husbands' personalities are so similar that they instantly got along and you would never have known that this was their first meeting.

 

The next morning (Thanksgiving morning), we met at Cracker Barrel for one last visit before Team Mac headed off for their Thanksgiving destination.

 

I loved that our daughters became friends, just like their mommies. Friendship is such a treasure, and I am thankful that this year God  has allowed me to reunite with two of my friends from my teen years and their families.

 

 

 

I think Kristi and I hugged each other so many times before they left, just to get one more hug. I thank God for texting, Facebook, blogs, Skype, email, and snail mail. It is how we stayed connected before, and how we will stay connected until our next visit with each other.

 

 

This friendship began with just two of us and has grown to include eight of us (until March when Baby Mac joins the friendship). It is beautiful to watch friendships grow!