Reconnecting and Refreshment

What a great weekend.

It has been full of reconnecting with friends. Funny how you can live so close to people, yet never see them or find common opportunities to connect.

Saturday morning was breakfast with Alissa (have I said how much I love going out for breakfast....not the getting up part but I love having a hearty meal first thing in the morning that I didn't have to prepare!) First off- Alissa looks awesome!!! We had a good time visiting and catching up. I love time with Alissa because she is so real and accepts me as is- and encouraging! We then did a little discount shopping- another fav.

Sunday- after church I visited with Bethany- another friend who is real and also loves the Lord. She is leaving in 1 week to go to Tanzania for 3 mths. Awesome adventure. So excited for her journey.

Sunday night the "gang" took Nat out to celebrate his impending departure to Turkey on next Monday. We had a delicious Indian meal- so scrumptious. We sat outside enjoying the cool crisp air and lots of conversation and laughter. Nat is a fantastic friend who I respect and admire. He and his brother (and family) are just a few of my true favorite people. After we had dessert at Friendly's where our poor waitress was not having a good night- she totally forgot to bring Bill his ice cream. Poor guy. Again, more laughter and conversation. Alicia, Matt and Rebecca joined us and always add to the atmosphere. I love how I can always just pick up with these friends.

This morning- we enjoyed our annual Labor Day breakfast. About 40 people from church gather for breakfast before heading to their Labor Day festivities- namely the Woodstock Fair. Meredith was able to join us and as always brings her unique perspective. I do love all my friends- we are all so different. We've said so many times that we probably wouldn't have chosen to be friends but because we were thrown together at church our relationships developed. But, I think in the end, we've learned to appreciate the differences and tolerate the unique flavors we all bring to the pie. I can be myself with them and I value our time together.

As we grow older- the time and space between visits grows farther and farther apart. This is the part I hate. Turkey, New Hampshire, Virginia, Tanzania, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania- I don't mind my friends being there....I just wish all these locations were where Rhode Island is.