Then and Now

Over the last week or so, I've been lucky to spend some time with people who were such a strong presence in my life growing up (and still are). I think that what's special about having childhood/very close family friends is that these people know you over a long period of time; they've witnessed your growth and increased independence, but will still always remember you as the little girl with long flowing locks (down to my hips in my case) or the missing front tooth.

With all of these meetings and milestones, I've been feeling pretty nostalgic lately. Take last night, for example. We visited our really close family friends who have two daughters. I started babysitting for these cuties when I was eleven. In fact, I accidently locked this one in her bedroom on one of my first jobs ever (Jules had to come bail me out by swiping a credit card through the door). Luckily, she was asleep at the time and had no idea what was happening. Therefore, the little trooper (and my guinea pig in the babysitting world) suffered no lasting psychological damage from this experience. The incredibly scary part? She is now eleven herself.

On Friday, my childhood best friend's older brother got married. Laurie and I met when we were four. I'll spare her the picture I'm tempted to post of us at my sixth birthday party (I am wearing a hideous daisy dress, she is sporting a purple tank top with shorts pulled up to her stomach and a thick yellow 90s style headband). Many frightening fashion choices later, here we are just a few days back.

If I'm talking milestones, it's worth mentioning that I was at Laurie's ninth birthday party when Joey was born. I didn't find out until after the party, when her family drove me home and she was by my side as I welcomed my new sibling into the world ("Wait, his middle name is Giovanni? Seriously?" I exclaimed to her). In the same way (though not), I am honored to be a part of her upcoming wedding next year. Our drastic height difference does nothing to our shared values and experiences.

 Someday, there will be more graduations and weddings and kids and jobs. But for now, I'm just relishing in some touching memories with those who are special enough to continue to stick around for the ride.