My sweet friend, Sarah!

My sweet friend, Sarah, and I are having our 10th anniversary this year. We met in the summer of 1999 when I was her counselor at the Summit in TN. During counselor training, I had heard a lot about her from her older brother who was also a counselor. The first night she was very chatty and I had to go to her room a few times after small group and well after lights out. I, being a rule follower, needed to get my girls to bed under any circumstances.

As it turned out, Sarah and I started chatting in the hallway. We stood there talking (not so quietly, as you can imagine if you know either of us) for quite some time. I believe it began with our discussion of Mandie books (I was convinced that Sarah and Mandie were form the same town in NC) then we moved on to discuss Janette Oke books and I am sure we eventually covered the Thoenes. I knew God had made us kindred spirits from that moment.

This was a picture of our small group in 1999 after we got roses from one of the guys' groups.

Sarah, me and Bethany (Sarah's roommate) at graduation.

Sarah and I stayed in touch all year and both returned in 2000 as counselors. This is us with Kristen (oddly enough, Kristen is now married to the guy in the background wearing the yellow shirt and has two kids) during counselor training.

I could keep going on and on and posting all sorts of fun pictures. Sarah is one of the most thoughtful ladies I know. I am so thankful to call her my friend. Ten years later we are still friends. Now we are old married ladies with kids living halfway across the country from each other. Knowing Sarah as I do, I should not have been surprised to find this box full of goodies on my doorstep:

Yes, it is a box full of cookies and other various sweets. It totally brightened my day to know that Sarah had thought of us in the midst of her hectic life with four girls. Thanks for being such a constant bit of sunshine in my life.

I love you, Sarah...now move closer!