we've emerged.

Cori and I have some dear friends, Katie and Aaron, who while they started dating a few months after us, got engaged and then married several months before us.  Katie and I really bonded during this time period, and I loved having someone be just a few months ahead of me because she was able to speak wisdom about what to expect in these new life stages.  (Ironically, Katie and Aaron also moved away from New Orleans a week before us.)  One of the things that Katie told me about was 'the newlywed hole.'  Basically, it's just the concept that when you're newly married, you kind of hole up together for a couple months and are not super social.


This turned out to be incredibly true for us.  We moved to Tampa a month after our wedding, so the newlywed hole was actually a very natural place to be.  We didn't have any friends to hang out with, but we didn't care because really, all we wanted was to be at our new home together, cuddling and hanging out and watching movies.  As we slowly made friends, our weekends would occasionally include one plan.  I remember early on feeling like I was sacrificing something to share Cori with other people for just an hour or two!


Well, we are slowly but surely emerging from our newlywed hole, and thankfully have made some friends here in Tampa along the way.  This weekend was probably our busiest yet!  (And yes, you can laugh, because especially for you extroverts, it might not seem super busy.)


On Friday we went to the Holy Hog for dinner.  Our neighbors are in love with their barbecue, and when we went with them several weeks back we noticed that their special on the 4th Friday of the month is shrimp and grits.  Of course, we went!  The shrimp and grits were delicious- different from in NOLA though, more southern as opposed to cajun/creole- and Cori is officially addicted to their barbecue pork sandwich.


On Saturday we went to Gasparilla Fest.  We have been planning on going to this parade since the moment we heard about it, and we loved it.  It actually exceeded my expectations; I honestly expected it to be way lamer than Mardi Gras, but it was a legit parade.  I mean... the city didn't shut down, there were no king cakes, and it was only an afternoon, so definitely not quite as amazing as Mardi Gras, but it's as close as I'm going to get this year and I was so thankful for this opportunity.  I screamed (just a few moments of my Mardi Gras yell), I said, "Hey mister!" (even though no one else did) and I got some fun beads.

 These are our neighbors who we absolutely love.  Poor Jude was definitely ready to go home by this point, but it was so fun to be there with them.  Whereas I yelled and jumped and waved my arms and got a few beads, the boys just stood there and all these people would just give them beads.  Nick's wife, Shera, was actually part of the parade.

Pirate ship!  The whole pirate theme was so fun.

Love this picture.  Husband + beads + parade + sunshine = happy Becca!

I got fleur-de-lis beads!  Haha, I actually have this exact one from a Mardi Gras parade, but I was SO excited.  


We stopped by Popeyes on our way home (haven't been since we moved!) and it was just as delicious and I remembered.


Saturday night we hung out with some of my co-workers at a comedy show.  I really like the people I work with, but when you're in a classroom with children all day you don't always have the opportunity to get to know them as well as you'd like.  So it was definitely fun to hang with them.  The comedy club also happened to be right next to a Doctor Who convention, which was hilarious and amazing all at the same time....

the TARDIS

a Dalak

If you've never seen or heard of Doctor Who, I'm sure you think I'm incredibly dorky, and that's okay. ;)


Sunday we went to our church, and then (after stopping at Einstein's to satisfy my craving for potato bagels- I picked up two and have already eaten them both!) had a spontaneous lunch with our friends Cam and Sarah Beth.  Cori and I both really enjoy and respect this couple, so the chance to hang with them and get to know them better was just wonderful.


After that, it was back home to get a few things done (me, getting ready for the new week, Cori, some bills and grocery shopping) and relax (me, reading, internet, and bath, Cori, playing the second Zelda game made for Nintendo on our Wii).


It was truly a wonderful, full weekend.  I'm already ready for another weekend to come our way. :)

a long way from buttered noodles...

My (former) roommate Laura is a wonderful cook.  She's the cook for the Crescent City Cafe, a monthly volunteer opportunity I was a part of in New Orleans, and if you go to their facebook page and look at any of the pictures of the food, you'll start salivating.  On any given day, I'd come into the kitchen and see Laura cooking something delicious, usually sans-recipe.  She's not only a great cook; she also loves cooking.


But for me, cooking has always been a thing of necessity, not enjoyment.  It simply doesn't relax me, and I always struggled to find motivation to spend an hour or more cooking something when I was just going to sit by myself in front of the tv or my computer and eat it.  My first year teaching, when I was working ridiculous hours and pretty much ran on adrenaline [and I'd say that adrenaline was 50% Holy Spirit, 50% fear of failing my kids and my job], I picked up fast food on the way home from school multiple times during the week.  [Popeyes, I love you!  Thanks for helping me survive my first few years as a teacher!]  My typical meal those years was mac and cheese [I still have a special spot in my heart for the Kraft boxes that come in the shapes of different cartoon characters] and buttered noodles, with my fanciest meals being the addition of chicken or shrimp mixed in with the noodles.


But when I started dating Cori, things started changing.  We would cook dinner together, and somehow I knew that buttered noodles weren't going to cut it for him.  I gradually improved during our first 6 months dating, and kicked it up another notch when we started talking marriage and the thought of being a wife began playing around in my head.  Now that we're married, I've found that I take real delight in looking for recipes and creating meals that we both really enjoy.  There have been a handful of complete failures, and plenty more that, while tasty, were not ones that we were dying to repeat.  We are slowly but surely forming a list of recipes that we would eat every night if we could:


*Shrimp Roban
*Pork Marsala
*Shrimp and Grits
*Any of the mixes we stocked up on before we moved- jambalaya, shrimp etouffee being my personal faves
*Garlic Parmesan Chicken [recipe from my friend Lisa- super easy and delicious! What really made it a win for Cori was when I added extra parmesan on his and served it over spaghetti and marinara sauce.]
*Emeril's Breakfast Casserole [while Cori definitely enjoys this one, it's me who would eat it all day, every day, if I could]
*Cod saute with citrus bearnaise [We sub tilapia for the cod- we've found that it's cheaper and we personally prefer it.]
*Gnocchi with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Pesto [I take the easy way out and use pre-made pesto.  Also, can you tell I'm obsessed with shrimp?]


Our newest favorite came from this week: Pesto Pizza


We made a few changes on this one- left out the olives since neither of us are big fans, added chicken, and then personalized our sides a bit... Cori used sun dried tomato basil pesto on his,  plus some italian cheeses and mozzarella.  He also added sun dried tomatoes and pepperoni.


You'll notice that all the recipes are fairly simple- I tend to search under categories like, "15 to 30 minutes or less"- although they always take me twice as long as that!  But I'm certainly a far cry away from the girl who survived on buttered noodles and Popeyes! :)

2012.

In so many ways, my husband and I are complete opposites.  There's the obvious- I mean, c'mon, we have trouble fitting in pictures together because he's so much taller than me!- and then there are a million other things.  I hate tomatoes, he'd eat pizza and spaghetti every day if he could.  He's super science-oriented and I'm just glad that I passed all my science classes in high school and college.  He's calm and steady, I'm crazy and all over the place.  He's also an internal processor.  It took me a while to figure this about him- not because he hides it, but because it's just so foreign to me.  He can actually think through a situation in his brain and come to a logical conclusion- without saying a word!  In serious conversations, I've had to learn how to just sit and be quiet and wait for him to determine what he wants to say.  I'm sure that every internal processor is thinking I'm being Captain Obvious over here, but it really was a profound realization for me because I just don't work like that.


Needless to say, I'm an external processor.  I'm also OCD- which for me means that when my brain is left to its own devices, it tends to go in one of two directions: either absolutely all over the place with no real focus, or obsessing over one [usually unimportant, but at the time feels huge] thought.  I've had to learn to force my brain to focus, to logically think through situations, and not get distracted by thoughts of what I'll wear tomorrow or how far I need to run later or when I need to shower next or that email I need to send or... [get the point? I'm crazy.  Lovable, but crazy.]


I realized in high school that praying can be hard for me for those reasons.  I'd sit down to pray but just wouldn't be able to focus.  It was hard to seriously sit down and process my life with God when He couldn't come over to my house and sit on my bed and talk with me.  I don't remember exactly when or how, but I [thankfully!] learned that having a prayer journal was the perfect solution for me.  Writing is a way for me to externally process without needing to have an audible voice responding to me.  It allows me to quiet my mind and pour out my heart, sorting through different issues, and in the midst of that, connect with Jesus.  I loved writing my monthly prayer letter during my 2 years doing relief work with Cru for the same reason.  It forced me to sit down and think through the last month, to evaluate what God had done in both New Orleans and in me.


When I started this blog [over a year ago? it seems like a lifetime ago that I was living in New Orleans, teaching first grade, and dating Cori] it was for that reason.  A chance to externally process and share my life and heart with friends and family.  Yet somehow I haven't kept up with that.  So that's goal number 1 for 2012.  Yep, no resolutions- sounds too cheesy, to0 much like something I'm going to grit my teeth and do, instead of real life changes that I'm praying God will help me make.  So for 2012, it's goals.  And in no particular order, here they are:


*blog more
*journal more consistently- because that's where my heart really meets with Jesus, and I haven't been good about that.  I miss Him.
*RUN again- consistently!  1/2 marathon?
*invest more in life and people in Tampa... and in the same vein, let go of New Orleans some.  I've been realizing that I'm so stuck on being in love with New Orleans that I haven't let myself love Tampa.  It's just not healthy.  I love NOLA- always have, ALWAYS will- but Tampa is my home now.  I have to remember that.
*spend less time on the internet [really, I'm just fabulous at stalking people online, but what do i really gain from doing that?  I'm not talking about getting off Facebook or anything- just spending my time a bit more wisely.]
*be intentional with Cori- it's so easy to get lazy and just 'hang out' without actually having real, meaningful conversations
*take at least one trip back to NOLA!  [and Virginia too, but that's a given]
*eat healthier.  For the love, this has been my goal for years.  It helps to be away from the amazing food of New Orleans- and from Popeyes, [sigh] but still.  A girl's got to eat more vegetables and less fried food!


I'm sure there's more, but my guess is the only person still reading this is my mom [hi!] so I'll stop.  Here's to making a more consistent appearance in the blog world.

why we love Willow

When I was first getting to know Cori, I had a long list of reasons of why I could see a potential future with him.  Some were silly (like how he rode his bike to Home Depot to help me find magnets) and others were legit (like his deep love of the Lord).  On that list (no, it wasn't a written list- I may have been interested, but I wasn't obsessed!) was his love for cats.  I'll let you decide if that qualifies as silly or legitimate. ;)


Cori and I both grew up with cats and have always loved them, so when we got married, it was always a question of when we'd get a cat- not if.  In light of the crazy beginnings of our married life (we found out a week before the wedding that Cori had gotten a fellowship with the CDC and that we'd be leaving New Orleans- although we didn't know where we'd be going yet, 2 weeks after the wedding that we'd be moving to Tampa, and then 2 weeks after that we moved) we decided to wait until we had gotten a bit more settled before we went looking for a third addition to our family.  We were thinking a year, maybe more, since we're not sure how long we'll be in Florida.  That was the plan.


And then one Saturday morning, a month after our move, Cori and I were lounging around the house when someone knocked on the door.  Being that it was 9am and we still didn't know many people in Tampa, we weren't quite sure what to expect when we opened the door.  It was our across the street neighbor.  She explained that some of her family was moving in temporarily and had a cat, but since she already had a couple dogs and was not a cat person, they were going to have to get rid of the cat.  They had contemplated just letting it go feral, but decided to ask us if we wanted a cat.  Before I knew it, Cori- my always think it through first husband- was saying sure, and a cat was carried across the street and into our arms.  We agreed to keep her for a trial run- a day or so- but after just a few hours, it became clear.  We were cat owners.

Willow, our first weekend with her- you can tell in more recent pictures of her that we feed her well ;)

She came with the name Tabitha, but we had always wanted to have a cat with a New Orleans-based name, so we decided to call her Willow, after the street I lived on for 3 years.  (But shhh- don't tell our neighbors we renamed her!)


Willow is the sweetest cat in the world and we are absolutely in love with her.  She is playful and has definite spunk, but she's not overwhelming wild, like some cats I've known (R.I.P, crazy cat Flash).  She is definitely not afraid of people and loves to cuddle.  She's always anxious to go outside, and now that she's been spayed (because a cat in heat is not something we ever want to experience again) we let her.  We were nervous the first few times we let her out- what if she doesn't come back? what if she gets lost or hurt?- but quickly found out that while Willow might love being outside, she loves being the center of our attention even more.  If we go outside looking for her after a short stint outside, she'll come bounding up to us, desperate for some loving.  Her favorite days are when the weather is nice (which is often- thank you, Florida!) and we leave our doors open.  She'll wander outside for a bit, then come back inside to be near us, then venture back outside, then back inside... the only downfall is when another neighborhood cat, Ladybug, sees our open door as an invitation to come inside and visit Willow's food dish. ;)

Willow, right before we our weekend trip to New Orleans in September- she wanted to come with us!

In the mornings, Cori has nicknamed Willow 'Alarm Kitty.'  Willow will wait patiently for us in the mornings, snoozing on our bed, her spot by the window, on top of the refrigerator, or wherever her current hiding place is.  But once our alarm goes off, Willow takes it upon herself to make sure that Cori and I don't oversleep.  Cori and I are big fans of the snooze button, so Willow will come into our room, hop up on our bed, and do what she can to get our attention... sleep on top of us, attack our toes, nuzzle our faces.  As soon as we get up, she's either off to wait (impatiently) by the food dish, or follows us into the bathroom so she can try to drink water from the sink as we wash our hands/faces.  And on weekends when that alarm doesn't go off... well, she gives us a couple extra hours, but then makes her presence known.


We are so blessed by this crazy, adorable, loving kitty.  We're in it with her for the long run, and I'm already thinking about how much we'll miss her the week we're in Virginia for Christmas.  Sweet Willow, you bring us so much joy!

Love.

no offense, Buccaneers

I may not live in New Orleans anymore, but I will always root for the Saints.  I know, I know, I'm in Tampa Bay Bucaneer country now, and yeah, I'll cheer for them during every game they play- except when they play my boys.

I moved to New Orleans a year after the storm.  Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on that glorious city, and among its innumerable wrongs, it displaced the Saints for a year.  They spent the 2006/2007 season practicing and playing out in Texas, but come fall 2007, they were back.  Back in the city, back in the Superdome, and back in action.  Except maybe they weren't back in action- maybe it was more like they were in action for the first time ever.  The Saints had been a notoriously awful team; they were nicknamed the 'Aints and their fans were said to wear paperbags over their heads to games because they were just so shameful.  But that first year back in the 'dome after the storm, they were good.  They were really good.  And New Orleanians everywhere noticed. 

I don't know how else to say it except that the Saints brought a ray of hope that year to a city that desperately needed it.  They went to the NFC Championship game and lost, which was devastating, but still- I've got to come back to it- they brought hope. 

The next two seasons, while not overwhelmingly awful, were also not particularly notable.  But then, in the fall of 2009, things got crazy.  The Saints were winning, and winning big.  They won 13 straight games, and let me just say, those games were incredible.  I spent Sunday afternoons with friends, eating jambalaya or gumbo, watching as Drew Brees and his buddies made one incredible play after the other, and more than once claimed a victory after starting the second half behind.  All over New Orleans, people were intoxicated by the Saints.  After so much heart ache, God had given 'the city care forgot' a reason to come together and cheer.  It didn't matter how old you were or what color your skin was- if you lived in New Orleans, you were a Saints fan, and that made you family.  It was the most beautiful thing to watch.

Of course, you know our happy ending.  The Saints won the Superbowl that year, and never before have I been a part of such an amazing celebration.  We ran out in the streets, yelling and cheering and dancing and congratulating neighbors, and then we headed down to the French Quarter.  People everywhere were honking and laughing, running around giving strangers high fives.  Excited doesn't even begin to describe it.  For the first time EVER, the Saints had won the Superbowl.  The euphoria lasted for weeks, which was easy since just two days after our win, we had a parade for our boys, our heroes, and then Mardi Gras season was fully in swing, with most floats celebrating our beloved team. 

The Saints' journey to the Superbowl was one of the most euphoric experiences I've ever been a part of, and I'll never forget it.  My love for the Saints will always be a part of my love for New Orleans, and that will always be a part of me.

Bourbon Street in the French Quarter the night the Saint's won the Superbowl

Saint's Parade

Cori and I, celebrating the Saints- WHO DAT!

how it all began...

I've been thinking a lot recently about Cori and how our relationship was beginning to unfold around this time two years ago, so I thought I'd recount our story.


I moved to New Orleans from Virginia in August of 2006, just months after graduating.  I did relief work for two years, and then began teaching.  In August of 2009, right as I began my second year teaching, Cori moved to New Orleans, also from Virginia.  He came to get his Masters of Public Health at Tulane, and the only person he knew in NOLA was Harris, a friend of his from his undergrad days at Virginia Tech.  He called him up when he realized he was moving and stayed with him for a couple weeks while he looked for his own place.  Harris and I had been involved in the same church and Bible study for the past two years and hung out in the same group.  When a group of us went to pint night at one of our favorite bars, the Bulldog, Harris invited Cori to come and hang out with some of his friends.


Cori and I were introduced, briefly bonded over the Virginia connection, and then talked to other people for the rest of the night.  Cori says that his first impression of me was that I was loud.  A fairly accurate impression, especially considering that I randomly met another JMU alum that night and loudly sang our fight song in the middle of the patio bar.  I thought Cori was cute, but was wrapped up in the beginning of the school year and other aspects of my life, so I didn't think much about it.


Without my knowledge, however, Harris and my best friend Kim had decided that Cori and I would make a great match and conspired about ways to bring us into social situations together.  One night in September, a group of us had dinner- a group that I would later find was specifically formed so that Cori and I could hang out without knowing we were being set up.  We chatted a bit and I shared about the difficult school year I was having.  Later that night, I got a text from Cori, sharing a Bible verse and that he was praying for me.  Some might find this cheesy, but for me, this was a major turn on.  The next day, I went for a run with my roommate Laura and told her that while I didn't want to read into it, I thought Cori was great and enjoyed him pursuing me a bit with that text message.  I decided to do my part to make sure Cori was included in group activities, and was happy when he joined our gang that Saturday at Oktoberfest.


This is where the story I love to tell happened.  Cori and I were chatting when Kim told me to come to the bathroom with her.  Apparently, our group had decided that I needed to 'get out of the friend zone' with Cori, and had voted that Kim be the one to tell me.  Kim instructed me to touch his arm while we chatted, and I obediently followed her instructions.  I was pleasantly surprised with the results- Cori bought me a drink and the two of us spent the rest of the night talking.  As I was asking him some questions about his life, for some reason, we decided that the best way for me to get to know him better would be if he made me guess random facts about his life, with me getting points for each correct guess.  If I got 10 points, he would dress up and sing the Schnitzel Bank song, which is a tradition at Oktoberfest.


Cori says that he underestimated my determination to win a bet; what he really underestimated was my desire to get to know a cute, funny, Jesus-loving guy.  We spent the next couple months texting and flirting, me advancing in our silly little game, and enjoying him.  But I was also confused- there were days when I was convinced he was going to ask me out any moment, and other days I was sure he wasn't interested at all.  I continued to be interested in him, but prepared my heart to accept that it just wasn't going to happen.  I did, however, when our little bet, and at our annual 'Friendsgiving' gathering, Cori dressed up in Leiderhosen and performed the Schnitzelbank song in front of all our friends.


December was an emotional month for me as I struggled through some huge drama with my job.  I didn't have the energy to worry about Cori, and had pretty much convinced myself that he wasn't interested.  But that doesn't mean I wasn't going to still give it a shot- if he flirted, I flirted back, which is why my friend Katie found herself uncomfortably in-between us when we went out for drinks and holiday lights to celebrate my roommate Laura's birthday.  She moved spots and Cori and I bantered about a little sword that was in my drink- he really wanted it, and I gave it to him- but only on the condition that he give me his word that he'd owe me.  This seemingly unimportant interaction was actually crucial for Cori and gave him the courage he needed to ask me out.  He planned to do it the next day, but after his car got flooded, his plans were delayed.  We didn't see eac hother for the next few days, but in a gchat conversation, Cori asked me what a girl would like best as a treat, music or dinner, and I straight up told him that I thought he was asking me because he was asking another girl out.   He avoided answering and assured me he'd tell me the next time he saw me.   He was also particularly interested in what I was doing that Friday, but I just couldn't handle the disappointment of him not being interested so I didn't let myself read into it.


A few days later, on December 16, 2009, a group of us went out to sushi to celebrate Laura's actual birthday.  I asked Cori what he'd been talking about in our gchat conversation, and he said, "It's my thing to tell and I'll tell you when I'm ready."  So I gave up and spent the rest of dinner talking with other friends; I specifically remember my friends Jeremy and Shannon asking what was going on with my guy life, and me saying that I didn't think anything was happening with Cori.  (This was from the other end of the table.)  We finished eating, and chatted outside for a few minutes before people started heading home.  Cori asked me where my car was parked and said he'd walk with me to it.  That's when it hit me- this guy was about to ask me out.


Cori walked me to my car and said, "So, the reason I asked you what you were doing Friday is because I'm interested in you and I'd like to take you out on a date to talk about it."  I said, "I've been hoping you were interested..."  We talked for a little while and Cori filled in a few missing details for me.  My sweet intentional Cori hadn't been trying to confuse me by flirting and not asking me out- he'd been trying to make sure that he truly liked me before acting on it.  He was surrounded by girls in his classes, but found that his thoughts kept drifting back to me.  When he realized he truly was interested in me, at the advice of a smart guy friend of ours, he waited a few weeks for some of my work drama to die down.  Before that night ended, Cori handed me a blindfold and told me I'd need it for our first date.


I was absolutely giddy for the next two days, so much so that one of my students asked, "Miss Taylor, are you okay?  Why you smiling like that?"  My girlfriends giggled with me, and I was amazed to find out that Kim and my friends the Paddocks had known about Cori's plans to ask me out since Thanksgiving.


Our first date, Cori blindfolded me and took me on a tacky lights scavenger hunt.  We held hands and went back to his house and talked until 2 in the morning.  The next night, we went to our friends' Scott and Rebekah's wedding and danced all night.  I was smitten, but I was also overwhelmed.  I'd spent the last month convincing myself to not be interested in Cori, and then- BAM- there he was, crazy about me and wanting me as his girlfriend.  It took me a couple weeks- until New Years Day- to say, "Hey, Cori.... I want to be your girlfriend."


8 months later, we started talking about marriage and exactly a year after our first date, Cori asked me to marry him.  I love our story. :)

let's hear it for the girls

This past weekend I had the absolute joy of going to my dear friend Rachel's wedding.  As I was flying back to Florida at the end of the weekend, I reflected on my friendship with Rachel and our group of girlfriends.  I was reminded of the time Rachel came to New Orleans to run the Mardi Gras Half Marathon with me.  As I was introducing her to people, my friend Tori said, "Oooooh, you're one of the girls!"  The way she said it made it clear that no further introduction was needed, because anyone who knows me knows who 'the girls' are.  These 5 women have been in my life for years, many for decades (am I that old for that to even be possible?!), and whenever I'm in Richmond, they top the list of people I must see, right up there with my parents and Katherine (when she's actually in America, that is!).

me and Emily at one of our annual Christmas dinners, December  '08

First, there's Emily.  Emily and I met in first grade, although as I remember it, we didn't actually become friends until second grade, when we were the only two girls in our class who had been in the same class before.  All that I remember about our friendship then was that we liked that our initials both spelled words- RAT and EAT- and one time she rode home on the bus with me.  The following year I was transferred to another elementary school, and it wasn't until French class in 7th grade that we were reunited. 




freshman year at JMU



Next, there's Rachel.  Rachel was my first real friend when I joined Girl Scouts in 4th grade, and while I don't remember exactly what drew us together, by 6th grade, we were inseparable.  Even though we never had any classes together, we managed to see each other throughout the school day and had constant play dates after school, where we sold lemonade door to door, went to the pool, and made up ridiculous nicknames for each other, like Automobile, Locomotive, and Rachel and Rebecca Bailey.



Jenny's wedding, April 4, 2009



JMU Homecoming- freshman year



Even though Jenny and I first met when I joined Girl Scouts, we didn't actually become close until 6th or 7th grade when we had lunch together.  Pretty soon we were spending hours on the phone, talking about boys (always, always talking about boys!), Winnie the Pooh (classic Pooh, mind you- somehow that made it cool), Sanrio, and Beanie Babies.

me and lori at my rehearsal dinner

In 7th grade, I had science class with Lori.  We quickly realized that she had recently moved to my neighborhood, and being that we were only 12 and driver's licenses were far in the future, we would spend our afternoons and weekends walking around the neighborhood.  

Emily L. and me, celebrating Jenny's 26th birthday

In 8th grade, I had science with Emily L.  We already knew each other because she was friends with some of the other girls, but this was our first time getting to know each other.  We sat next to each other, and I'm pretty sure we didn't listen to our teacher very much that year.  We picked our favorite periodic elements (don't judge us- we were in science class, what else could we do?) and passed notes.


Throughout the years, our friendships have stretched and grown and changed.  There have been seasons that we haven't been as connected to each other, and seasons that we've been attached at the hip.  We've had stupid fights (I'll NEVER live down the time I dropped the f-bomb at Emily L. and Jenny!) and we've had joyous celebrations.  There have been marriages (Jenny, me, and Rachel) and there's been the sweetest addition of Ellie, Lori's daughter.  We've all lived within 15 minutes of each other, and then we've all been spread out across Virginia at various colleges.  


These girls have taught me about unconditional love.  They've carried me through hard times.  I'll never forget sending out an email during a particularly horrendous season of life.  Within 24 hours, the girls had put together a care package for me.  They've celebrated with me as I met and fell in love with Cori, being almost as excited as me when Cori first kissed me.  They breathlessly answered the phone with anticipatory, "Hello's?!" for at least 3 or 4 months before actually receiving my "I'm engaged!" phone call.  I know that no matter how far away I am, these girls will always, always, ALWAYS be there for me.  They are some of the most precious blessings in my life, and because of all we've been through, I can say with assurance that they always will be.  Love you ladies.

And because it's impossible for me to pick just one fun picture of us, here are some favorites, in no particular order.... if only we'd had digital cameras back in elementary and middle school, I'd really have a treat to share- but then again, the girls would probably kill me. ;)

beach trip, summer of 2010- lori, me, jenny, rachel, emily l., lovey



Jenny, me, Emily, and sweet baby Ellie, Christmas '05- Ellie's first!

my wedding- june 25, 2011- lori, jenny, me, rachel, lovey, and of course, everyone's favorite flower girl  precious ellie (she's been mine, jenny's, and rachel's!)



a trip back to Richmond to see each other during our freshman year of college- me, Jenny, Rachel, Emily L., and Emily- dressing up in hunting gear at Wal-Mart, just like any cool college student would



Christmas break, sophomore (?) year of college- Karen, Emily L., me, Emily, Jenny, and Jenny

visit to NOLA! summer 2007- Jenny, Emily, me, Lori



Ellie's birthday party- Lori, me, Jenny, Clarke (Jenny's now-husband), Karen, Emily, Rachel, Lovey, Emily L. 



one of our annual Christmas dinners- this year's was at Kabutos- Emily L., Lori, Emily, Rachel, me, Jenny, Karen



senior year of high school- Ryan, Chris, Jenny, Rachel, me, Emily L., Emily



high school- Karen, Emily L., Emily, Jenny, and me