Cheaper and more fun than therapy...

18 years ago this fall (I'm so old) I drove out to BYU with my mom and dad to start my freshman year of college. I arrived at Stover Hall in Helaman Halls and knew NO ONE! Needless to say, I was a bit nervous. But it took a total of about 2 days to find friends that I somehow instantly knew would be my BFFs. Kjirsten was my roommate and I will never forget her walking into our dorm room for the first time, and we just hugged and there was no question that we were paired together for a reason. And it didn't take long for us to find more amazing friends -- Kelly and Kari from Georgia, Liz and Becky from Utah, and Lindsay and Amy from Chicago. After our fantastic freshman year, we all moved into 2 apartments across the street at "The Riv", which was our beloved home for another 1-3 years.

Here are the 8 of us in our full, early-90s glory! Ok - my hair was large, but I swear the wind made my awesome spiral-permed hair look even bigger than it truly was. That's at least the story I'm telling myself...



This past weekend was the first time we have been able to get together with MOST of us since we started to go our separate ways after our sophomore year. We missed you, Kari and Linds! And although much time has passed and we have had so many significant life experiences, it was like we were just as close as we were back in our Provo days. I love these girls. They knew me before I was Drew's wife or Scott, Charlotte and Trevor's mommy (not that those are bad things...). I'm sure you can imagine our weekend was filled with talking, laughing, shopping, a little sleeping, more taking and laughing, eating, sightseeing, followed by a lot more talking.

So much has happened to us all over the years... Between the 8 of us, our experiences include marriage, 27 kids, careers, divorce, autism, illness, lay-offs, and even the death of a child. As much as we laughed during our days together, I mostly just was in awe of my amazing sisters and how strong they each are. And I would add that they all look fabulous! I came home with new ideas and a renewed motivation to be a better wife, mother, sister, and friend.

I can't wait to do it again next year! Right, girls???

And I must add a big thanks to Drew for being Super Dad while I was away... The kids clearly had a fabulous weekend and didn't miss me much. I think this was a WIN-WiIN-WIN!

Apt. 10: Kjirsten, Kelly and Stace

Kj, Amy and Kelly

Crashing a wedding at Pebble Beach

Super cool matching Target PJs