Déjà vu

When I was little, one of my favorite things to do with some of my childhood friends was to play school. When I was at their house, I always got to be the teacher because I was company. When they came to my house, these two sisters had to take turns. I actually wrote my name on the wall next to their staircase while playing school once. Some of the letters were backwards and everything. I don't even remember getting in trouble. Their mom laughed about it for years.

I guess that is what good friends do...they overlook your mistakes and enjoy the good times. There were a lot of good times, especially because there was never a time when I did not know Tatum. She was five weeks old when I was born. We grew up together. She was with me through thirteen years of school, and countless hours spent playing softball and basketball. Team movie nights. School dances and field trips. Birthday parties, back yard campouts, and wet bananas. Bus rides and hotel stays. When our dads were hunting. When our families took our boats to the lake most summer weekends. When our families worked up corn, cut wood, or completed other projects needing extra hands.

I know her childhood almost as well as my own, and I know she went on to become an actual teacher, instead of a pretend one. This year, my daughter is in her class. I have been looking forward to this, but I have to tell you it feels a little strange to hear Madison telling me things "her teacher" says in the classroom and know she is talking about Tatum. I knew I hoped my child wouldn't act up in class and stress out my friend, and I hoped they would like one another. I hoped it would not feel weird for her if she had to approach me with any concerns. I knew it would be a struggle to remember to call her Mrs. Reed. What I did not expect was to feel such a vivid sense of déjà vu. It feels like we have been through this age before. You know, this Little House on the Prairie reading, Parent Trap watching, leg shaving, basketball playing age. It feels like we are going through fourth grade together. Again. I am even planning to help chaperon a field trip to the state capitol this year, so there is at least one more shared bus ride in our future!

This is one of my favorite things about growing up in a small town. Placing my child into the hands of a lifelong, dear friend, and the security that comes from knowing she will be well taken care of. Every week so far, Madison's behavior report has been great, and recently, when asked how she liked her teacher this year, she said, "I love her so much, I wish there were two of her!" I guess all that practice playing school really paid off for Tatum. I mean, Mrs. Reed.

the blue in me

There was a time when March Madness was important to me. There was a time when Hornet Basketball was on my short list of priorities. Basketball is not a big part of our lives right now. At this stage, March is all about celebrating our baby's birthday. As far as sports go in our family, March is a time to scout for new football players for our team. My husband sets the DVR to record the college combines while he is gone to work so he can study the athletes in the evenings. He spends any TV time on the NFL channel. While I am confessing his addiction, I may as well tell you that he also he pores over http://www.arrowheadpride.com/ every night. And not just leading up to the draft but pretty much all year round. So, usually there is not much talk of basketball around my house yet.

This morning Jaron wanted to wear his Atlanta shirt. I noticed Megan's hornet shirt in the top of her drawer and could not pass up the opportunity to dress all three kids to match. Of course, since all of my kids matched, I could not pass up the opportunity to take their picture. Somehow this photo just floods my mind with memories. It makes me think of Hornet Pride and March Madness and work and sweat and tears and friends and hugs. What can I say? Maybe March brings out the blue in me after all.

Happy Birthday, Tabitha!

I consider a lifelong friend among life's greatest blessings. I am a person who thrives on the familiar. I have lived within a twenty mile radius my whole life. College years included. I married my junior high boyfriend. I have been working in the same job for seven years. I get excited about planning things out. When one of those plans works out like I imagined it would...it makes me happy in an almost unnatural and juvenile kind of way, like when a kid gets to have cake and ice cream for breakfast or something. I like to try new experiences, but when I am my most content and satisfied with my life, I am surrounded by the familiar. Every time. That is why I treasure my lifelong friends.

Take my friend, Tabitha, for instance. There is not a time in my life when I did not know her. Our first meetings were in diapers. There is very little we do not know about one another. I love that. For many reasons. I didn't have to explain the milestone event that was my taking a group of girls to the Princesses on Ice at the Sprint Center in Kansas City a couple of years back. She knew I had never even driven alone in Columbia until my doctor visits with Madison's pregnancy required it. She got it. And she was appropriately proud and encouraging. I don't have to tell her what wonderful and caring people my grandparents were. She knew them. And once in a while, she tells me. She knows the significance of LYLAS and blue shoes and Hoosiers and A League of Their Own. She was enlightened, as I was, that hindsight is 20/20 and some people don't know the difference between their butts and a hole in the ground. And of course she knows rule #3 in the Handbook of Life, "Life is not fair." She does not give me a strange look for saying things like, "I hear talking!" or "Riiiiiiiight" and she knows all of the songs that I know. And doesn't make fun of the ones I don't. We were born when we were born, people! There is a very significant and extended time in my life where you would be hard pressed to find any photos of one of us without the other. Because we were always together. Together we have worked, played, laughed, cried, prayed, yelled, sang...and it is not over yet. She is a lifelong friend.

I appreciate how she gets me, but I love how I get her, too. For instance, I am proud of the strong woman of faith she has become. I am not surprised, but I am proud. After all, I was there when she invited me to revival, and when she led our team in prayer before every game. Her beauty never surprises me, either. Or when I see her dazzling smile reflected in her sweet boys. After all, I watched her compete in Miss Missouri. I have always known it was there. When I look at her hard work and dedication to her family and her community, I am like a proud mama. But I am not surprised about that, either. After all, I was there at camp after camp and tournament after tournament and open gym after open gym where we learned all about hard work and dedication and commitment to each other and to our goals.

Somewhere along the way we stopped talking about sports, teachers, clothes, and boyfriends and started talking about husbands, potty training, doctor visits, low cal snacks and black coffee. I look forward to whatever we will be discussing next. As I think about Tabitha on her birthday, I know she has become the kind of wife and mother and friend that can really set an example for us all. She impresses me on a regular basis. Sometimes I seriously get the urge to get out a pen and paper and take notes. After all of the time I have known her, she inspires me that much. I am thankful for my forever friend. I am glad our children know each other. I hope they all grow up with lifelong friends that are as loving and loyal as mine! Happy Birthday, Tabitha! You will have to let me know what 32 feels like!

Old Friends and New Toys

Over the weekend I got the opportunity to visit with an old friend. By old, I mean throughout the entirety of my childhood she is included in my memories. I am not trying to imply she is joining the ranks of the elderly or anything. We went outside to let the kids play in the leaves. They ran and dove into that mountain with reckless abandon. It was a beautiful day to be outside. I can still hear the laughter mixed with the occasional, "Make sure he can breathe!" when we lost sight of someone for too long. It was such a priceless intermission from the housework that consumed the majority of my weekend. My friend and I speak regularly on the phone but it was wonderful to see she and her handsome little men in person. Every time we get together I can't seem to understand why we don't find the time to visit more often. Oh, and by the way, this friend I got to see is my wedding photographer friend. And thanks to her I have an awesome new camera that I will be playing with on a regular basis. I am not sure if I am smart enough to use it properly or not, but it is so much fun to zoom in on my little subjects, and it makes all kinds of cool noises when I push buttons. Brace yourselves. You only thought I took lots of pictures before! I am just getting started.

Close in Heart

There was a time when basketball was just about the most important thing in my life. I loved to play. I loved to play but I especially loved to play with the same group of girls I had played with all my life...or at least since I was in 5th grade. I loved that my teammates were most of my best friends in the world. I knew them like sisters. Some of our families went to the lake together in the summers. Our dads went hunting together. I visited their brothers and sisters as babies when they were born. I went to the funerals when their grandparents died.

Outside of game time, we had sleepovers and team meetings/movie nights. We had team camps and summer tournaments and practices and open gyms and fundraisers. I hadn't thought about how much time we spent together growing up in a very long time. I miss playing basketball, but it's not about wanting to relive those old glory days and being all trim and fit again (although trim would be appreciated these days). It is about spending time and keeping up with those people that I worked and sweat and cried and played with all those years ago...and for all of those years.

Atlanta had their big Sesquicentennial celebration over the weekend. They wanted to honor any alumni athletes who have been honored at the state level over the years. At the last minute they asked if we had anything we wanted to share. I could not come up with a summary in that moment for what my athletic career meant or represented to me. I thought about it some over the rest of the weekend. What would I say if I had to say something about that time in my life? What are the most important things that I have taken from the experience?

I came to the very swift conclusion that of all the wonderful trophies and medals and memorabilia that I posses to represent that time, what I treasure the most are those people that I shared it with. My teammates. Our families. Coach Roberts and his family. I have dear friends who were never my teammates, but most of my best friends to this day were there with me every step of the way. I am not talking about friendships from back then where we would plan our hairdo's and wardrobe for big events. I am talking about the people I called when I got engaged. The people I called when I found out I was having a baby. The people I called from my hospital bed to share all the details about the tiny fingers and toes. The people I called when my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. The people I call when I feel inadequate or overwhelmed as a wife, mother, or daughter and need some reassurance or encouragement. The people who call me for a lot of those same reasons. Reaching out to these lifelong friends or having them reach out to me, whether it be joyous or sorrowful, is one of the most wonderful elements of life that make it worth living. My calendar had a quote for the day that said, "True friends stay close in heart even when far away." Yes. There is something about maintaining those lifelong friendships that feels like home. I hope we can manage to keep things this way for many years to come.

and then we got married

We spent Saturday--and I mean ALL of Saturday--at a slow pitch softball tournament. I thought Kevin had to have a cheering section. I went prepared. I had blankets, pillows, lots of Gatorade, coloring books, reading books, a tractor, a four-wheeler, and of course the bag chairs. The kids spent all day playing hard. As always, it was fun watching the kids play with Shelby and Kynleigh. We have known their parents all our lives and use to double date with them in high school. It is amazing how their mom and I have gone from, "What are you going to wear? Are you wearing your hair up or down?" to "Surely that nacho chip wasn't on the ground too long before they ate it." I love gaining new friendships through the years, but nothing compares to spending time with friends you have known all your life. It is just so comfortable that it feels like home.

I did discover that there was one thing I was not prepared for when it came to our almost 4-year-olds. Shelby excitedly came over to report that she had kissed Jaron. We asked if this kiss was on the lips and she proudly said, "Yep." Their heads were bobbing up and down as Jaron chimed in with, "Yep. And then we got married." We got a good laugh out of those two. You never know how things might turn out. I started thinking about how young I was when I chose my husband. He bought me a Mountain Dew at our Jr. High basketball tournament when I was in eighth grade and asked me to be his girlfriend. Our first kiss was on my 14th birthday. And then we got married.