26E Reunion

Before I start, I posted over at Mississippi Women Bloggers on Tuesday about a new iPhone app that I'm pretty obsessed with!  So, head on over to check it out.  Also if you are a Mississippi blogger, you MUST register with us!  We are having so much fun, and I love how women from all over the state are sharing with each other.  You don't have to be a "big name blogger" to join.  It's free!  Signing up gives other Mississippi bloggers the chance to find you in our directory.  Who knows!  You may inspire or help someone...or you might find a new friend.  If nothing else, enjoy our daily posts, pictures, guest bloggers, and link-ups.  I promise it won't be a waste of your time!  We are always looking for guest bloggers too.  Maybe that could be you!?

Now back to the 26E Reunion...

26E.  Lots of things went down in that little apartment.  Lots of things.  26E was the home to most of my best college memories of all time!  Many of those memories are on video because both Kelly and myself owned a video camera.  And we used it.  What you should know about 26E is that this apartment was the home to Nikki, Kelly, and myself first.  Then, Nikki transferred to another college.  Kelly and I carefully considered who we would invite to move in.  Jennifer is one lucky girl to make the cut!  Ha!  Either way, we finished college with the three of us.

I could go down the line with memories, but I won't.  Like telling you about making pigs in a blanket while watching Home Alone and decorating our Christmas tree in October.  Or about our "downstairs neighbors" who became great friends and ushers in my wedding.  Or about celebrations and parties.  Or about hugging through tragedies and sadness.  I could go on and on about embarrassing times...and incriminating times.  But, I won't.

What I will tell you is that I treasure these women and their friendships.  God strategically placed all three of these college roommates in my life for specific reasons.  None of us keep in touch regularly like we should.  However, we can always pick up right where we left off whenever we're together.  That is true friendship.  Life has taken us in totally different directions...and not all of us experienced these changes at the same time.  But, we are all finally in a similar place again.  Now that I've finally joined the motherhood club.  I say similar because I am the "newbie" to this group of Kelly (mother to 2 and one on the way) and Jennifer (mother to three and one on the way) and Nikki (mother to two and one on the way).  In all the three-four years of 26E delving into motherhood, we have never gotten all our children together.

On Tuesday, we did just that. (Except for Nikki since she and her family are missionaries in Colombia.)

Millie Janalee loved this mirror

Millie Janalee and I traveled to meet Kelly, Jennifer, and all their little ones at Chik-fil-A in Oxford for lunch and a little playtime.  Our conversations have certainly changed...and our attention spans may have shortened a bit too.  But our laughter at the silly things and talking about anything unfiltered is the same.  I'd say our personalities are just like they were in college.

There's Kelly: the carefree and laid back one.  Her kids ran around Chik-fil-A barefoot from the playground to our table to the bathroom.  She never got stressed or up tight...nor felt the urgency to change a dirty diaper in the middle of his fun time.  Haha!  Boys are supposed to stink, right?

There's Jennifer: the organized and nurturing one.  She pulled juice boxes and straws from her bag immediately upon her arrival to keep her kids entertained while she ordered the exact number of chicken nuggets to split among her twin girls and oldest son.  Then she stood the entire lunch so that her girls would stay calm.  She says this strategy works best.  Ha!  (By the way, they were completely quiet and polite all through lunch.)

And there's me: the "teachery" germaphobe one.  I did not sit Millie Janalee in her high chair until the seat cover was in place, and I may or may not have shoo'd another random child from lingering at our table and talking to us about random facts.  I know.  I hope it wasn't your child!  I also got onto him for pushing Millie Janalee away from the mirror later in the day.  I'm gonna be "one of those moms".  I can tell!  In college, my dear friends would always make fun of my teacher ways - construction paper for homework, teacher wardrobe, and my teacher voice.  But, I would also like to point out that Jennifer also joined me in getting onto other kids in the CFA playground.  While Kelly laughed at us for doing so.

Kelly's oldest, Clark

Two of Jennifer's children with Millie Janalee

Kelly's youngest, Griffin, grunting at Millie Janalee

Cayden was so good to Millie Janalee!

Millie Janalee was taking it all in.  She loves seeing other "little people".  Eden and Adalyn weren't too sure about socializing with all these strangers, while Cayden brought his Batman in to share with Millie Janalee.  He also wanted to sit next to Millie Janalee during lunch.  He was so sweet to her.  Clark and Griffin were having their own fun...and not really that concerned with this little prissy girl who couldn't even climb on top of the slide and race.

Jennifer's three

Griffin...post diaper-change

Clark was not into me taking his picture.

All the mobile children could hardly wait to run and play in the playground, so Millie Janalee and I joined the group.  She quietly entertained herself until she got comfortable.  Then she decided to join in with yelling at herself in the mirror for a few minutes.  Before I took her away because of that boy (the one I got onto for pushing her away from the mirror, remember?). 

While the kids played and screamed and hit each other and met new friends, the mamas talked.  Kelly and Jennifer are due about a month apart I think, so they exchanged pregnancy and birthing stories while I took pictures.  Seeing as I was the only one with a camera!  I'm pretty sure they made fun of me for that too. 

Kelly and Jennifer

I can honestly say that I don't remember if we even talked about anything of much importance.  But seeing these faces and hugging these girls was worth the hour trip!  We never do it enough.  And we need to make it a point to do it again soon.  We decided that all it takes is for one person to throw a date and time out there.  

The boys

Cayden is such a good big brother...and the only one who would pose for me.

Clark REALLY didn't like me taking his picture!  Haha!

In the end, I can always count on Kelly to pick up my camera and take random shots.  Thankfully she did it again, so I have documentation of my attendance.

It was a short three hour visit and a busy one.  Probably about as random as our college conversations were.  Ha!  No longer are the days we can stay in our pajamas watching season after season of Friends or The O.C. with macaroni and cheese for dinner.  No longer are the days of sitting on each other's beds late at night talking about nonsense, boys, or God.  No longer are the days of making fun of construction paper homework in the middle of the floor while Kelly writes lengthy AP articles.

Lots of those fun times may be gone, but new fun times are here!  And our friendships are too!  Until our next 26E reunion...I'm thanking God for these relationships and memories.