Childhood Friends

I've known Sarah since I was about 8 or 9 when we both took ballet together. A year or two later, I switched ballet studios and we lost touch.

Flash forward to 1988. I had switched school districts that year and was attending a brand new school for 8th grade. There are few things worse than your first day at middle school--and not knowing a soul.

Home room was miserable.

First period was miserable.

Second period was PE and I expected that to be miserable, but I lucked out. I will never forget walking into the gymnasium and quickly scanning the bleachers for a place to sit---and seeing a familiar face.

There was Sarah.

And I couldn't have been more thrilled...or relieved.

I remember her waving to me to come sit with her...and the rest is history. Of the few friends I have actually kept in touch with from middle and high school, I've know Sarah the longest.

Disneyland 1990
(with our other good friend Angela)

We lost touch for a bit during the college years, but thanks to modern technology (YAY for email, Facebook, and blogs) we got back in touch.

This past Labor Day weekend Sarah got married, and the the kids and I drove up to Stockton on Sunday for the reception. I was so glad I did. It was so great to see her so happy and to spend some time with her and her family.

A few pics from the evening. They were all taken with my phone, so the color is off on the ones with low lighting. :(

Thanks Dad for chopping off the top of my head. :)

I don't know if she could look any cuter.

Hannah actually sitting still for a moment.

Sammy and Helene dancing.

Oh, how I wish the lighting was better in these next two pictures.
They are just adorable!
How did these three grow up so fast?!
Seriously...it's killing me!!

Sarah and I
September 2010

Sarah and I
June 1993
(yes, I know it's a terrible pic, but it worked for my photo montage...and it shows how we haven't aged a day. Right? Just different hair color now...)

So glad we've been friends for 25 years!
(wow...we are old. :) )

Flashback Friday: Family Reunion 1978

OK. Seriously. How awesome are these photos?? Nothing better than the late 1970's for a good laugh.

This is my family reunion at Yellowstone park for my mom's side of the family, in the summer of 1978. You can click on the picture to make it a little bigger. I am right in the middle, sitting on my mom's lap. I was 2 and a half.

And is it just me--or does everyone seems really grumpy? It looks like maybe 4 people are actually smiling. Maybe the sun was just in their eyes...

And this was taken right around the same time.
This is me and my cousin Laurie.

Yep, we're pretty adorable! :)

Flashback Friday: San Diego Wild Animal Park

I have a few friends who have done this on their blog (check out here and here) and it really is so fun! Since I didn't have this blog until 2007, I missed out on documenting a lot of when Hannah and Sammy were younger, so I am going to do a few flashbacks just for my own amusement.

This was a trip we took to the San Diego Wild Animal Park in May of 2005. Sammy is almost 15 months in these pictures.

I loved that stroller.
Yes--it was a behemoth and took up the entire trunk of my car, but it was such a smooth ride, very padded and comfy for Sammy and had tons of storage underneath.

He loved the kitties even back then!

I love this picture.
I love how little, yet mobile Sammy is
(he was walking at 10 months)
and I love how skinny I am, plus the long straight hair...
and I don't look like I've nursed 3 kids for 6+years.
Yep--I said it.
Because it's true.

Waiting in line for the tram

Tram ride!
Helene makes this same face all the time
and looks exactly like Sammy.

One year old!

Love the two bottom teeth!

OK...can you tell that this was our first kid? I seriously have over 100 pictures from this trip-- and they are all just Sammy and pretty much nothing else. Love it!