Girlfriends

Friday afternoon I took off and drove five hours to Wichita, Kansas for a sleep over/baby shower with some girlfriends from college. I had the TIME of my LIFE.

The drive up to Wichita was pretty uneventful, except for when I went through Tulsa. To get to Wichita, you take Hwy 412 until you get to Stillwater, OK and then you go north on I-35. That's it. Sounds easy, right? Well, what I didn't know ahead of time was that there is MAJOR construction in the Tulsa area. And with that construction comes a BIG detour through downtown Tulsa. Parts of Tulsa that I know are bad and a tad scary. I followed the detour but the more I drove the more I felt nervous. I had NO IDEA where I was and the signs I saw didn't match what my yahoo maps said. So I called my cousin Jack, who lives in Owasso (a suburb of Tulsa). His first question was "Where are you at???" My answer was "I have no idea!!!" It ended up that I was on the right track, just had to follow the detour. Let me tell you though, I've traveled by myself a TON in my life. Never before have I felt so lost and scared. I am so very thankful that Jack was on the other end of the phone and that he was the calm voice I needed as I drove through there. Thanks Jack!

I had no problem finding Jeff and Jennifer's house once I got into Wichita. Jennifer had sent Jeff and their three boys to Jeff's Dad's house for the night. It was going to be a true GIRLS NIGHT!

Let me say here that I had not seen these girls in 14 years. Yes, 14 years. The last time I saw them, I was a new single Mom, who had to quit the private Christian college we all attended due to my unplanned (and unwed) pregnancy. I was very disappointed in myself and knew I had let these girls, along with others that we went to school with, down. Through Facebook though, we have been able to reconnect again.

I was so stinking excited to go to Wichita, yet nervous too. I wasn't sure what to expect. There was a time, as a I was driving that I wondered if I had made the right decision to go.

When I knocked on Jenn's door, I was almost shaking with nerves. She opened the door though with a HUGE smile on her face and a HUGE hug. Oh my it was great! I walked in and there was the guest of honor, Terri. She too had a HUGE smile on her face and gave me a HUGE hug, saying how glad she was that I was able to make it. Soon, Lisa came around the corner with a HUGE smile and a HUGE hug. Next was Tonya with the same thing.

It felt so good. So very, very good to see these girls. I'm smiling now just thinking about it. I knew instantly that I had made the right decision by going.

There were two other girls that were there, Heidi and Kerrie. I didn't know these two girls before that night. They had gone to MCC after I did. By the end of the night though, I felt like I had known them all my life and I fell in love with both of them. They are great girls.

We had a nice dinner and then just sat around the table talking and catching up. We talked about everything from kids to life back in the day at MCC. We laughed so hard we cried and yet at the same time, we talked about serious things too.

As the night went on, we moved from the dining room table to the living room floor back to the table and then downstairs to the family room. At one point we got to watch a video of the Skype conversation Jeff, Jennifer and their boys got to have last week with their son, Zeke (22 months old and has Down's Syndrome. He's so stinking CUTE!), who is currently in an orphanage in Taiwan, waiting to come home. It was one of the most touching things ever.

We ended up staying up until 1:30 Saturday morning! We were all so tired and yet didn't want the night to end. After looking through old photo albums, laughing at our big hair, talking about things we used to do in the dorms and remembering old classmates, we decided we really did need to go bed.

Saturday morning we picked up where we left off at 1:30. We had breakfast and just hung out for a little bit. I ended up leaving around 10:30 to head back to Arkansas. None of us wanted to leave and we decided that one night was definitely NOT enough time. We said we'd definitely do this again, only next time, try to have a weekend instead of just one night.

It is an understatement to say that I had the best time. It was so nice to see and catch up with these girls. And I loved getting to know Heidi and Kerrie! I remember when I left MCC (Manhattan Christian College) that I really felt like an outcast. I mean after all, I was unmarried and pregnant (by a guy that none of these girls liked and they told me over and over to get out of the relationship). It wasn't an ideal exit by any means. My life was totally different from theirs. And now, we're all married and have kids and at similar places in our lives. I can 't tell you how good it felt to be "one of the girls" again and to realize that these girls loved me all along. Sounds kind of cheesy, I know, but it's true.

I can honestly say that I prayed almost the entire way home. I thanked God for these girls and for the great night that I'd just been blessed to be apart of. I prayed for these girls and their families. I prayed I wouldn't get (or feel) lost in Tulsa again! :)

We were so busy talking Friday night that I didn't get any pictures of us. I got one of the gang on Saturday morning, but we all still had our jammies and no make up on so I promised I wouldn't post it on here. :) Jenn took one of us Friday night and as soon as she sends us a copy, I'll post it.

Girls-thank you so much for such a great night! Can't wait for the next time! I love you all!