So just over a year ago, me and my 3 best friends from when I was in high school connected on Facebook.  We all were in the same youth group at Flushing Free Methodist Church where my dad was a pastor.  We saw each other at least twice a week, Sunday School & Church on Sunday, maybe Sunday night, too?, and youth group on Wednesday…then there were lock ins and car washes and bible quizzing, rollerskating and all kinds of other events that brought us together…and when we were apart we were busy writing letters to each other, trying to outdo each other in the number of pages we wrote.  There was also a lot of drama between the four of us, of course, because we were teenagers.  But in the end (not that this is the end, though), now, we are back to being friends on a new level.  It’s kind of a different kind of friendship than I have with anyone else…and I am so glad we are back together (that sounds weird to me, but didn’t know how else to say it).

So, after some messaging back & forth on facebook, we created a Group for ourselves and decided we needed to get together.  We did that last summer when we were at the Otsego County Fair in Gaylord.  We were up there doing the pirate show, and everyone came to visit for the day.

After we got over the initial shock of how we all looked (it had been almost 20 years since I had seen any of them!), it was a blast to hang out and catch up on each other’s lives, & of course, relive the old days a little bit.

This was us in high school.  Just thought I would mention…we did not actually own these hats…or wear hats like this.  We were on a mission to find something that identified our group to wear to IYC (1985).  This picture was just us being goofy.

Then this was us last year at the fair…

On Saturday, we got together again.  This time we met at Covenant Hills Camp where Beth was camping.  We hung out for the day, Beth made us lunch & we took the kids to the lake.  For dinner we all headed over to Zoie’s Chop House in Swartz Creek, which is Bill & Teresa’s new restaurant. They seated us all together at one big long table.  It was good food and a lot of fun.  Bill & Teresa were just like I remember them…and Bill called up Laurie and had her come over.  (Bill & Teresa & Laurie were our youth leaders, back in the day.  Teresa & Laurie took us to IYC, and we had a lot of great adventures together!)  It was so fun being all back together.  Here are some pictures from our day.

Shari and Carla on the swings…finding we don’t fit into these swings quite like we used to!

The whole crew at the restaurant.

Me with Teresa & Bill and their daughter Angie…who was just a baby back then.

Me and Laurie.

us girls with Teresa, Laurie & Bill.

me and my BFFs.

The whole crew…

Back Row (L -> R) Shari, Gene & Beth, Sam, Bill, Roger(Carla’s finace), Tylor (Carla’s daughter)

Middle Row (L ->R) Savannah, Me, Laurie, Teresa, Carla

Front (L ->R) in order of their heads, Karson (whose you can’t really see) Jasmin, Max, Jessup, Dakota & Loran (last three are also Carla’s kids).

Somehow Heidi (Beth’s daughter) Alayna (Heidi’s baby) and Josh (Gene’s son) didn’t make it in the picture…they may have left early I think, but they were also with us most of the day.

Anyway, it was a lot of fun to see my girls again…I wish we could all hang out just the four of us sometime, that would be a blast!  We are thinking about an extended time together without kids for next year…we’ll see what happens.