Old friends

Hi again...

Last week while I visiting Knoxville I had the great pleasure of catching up with some very special people. I've always loved my life-long friends but in the past few months I've become even more aware of how magical it is to be connected with people who share a history.

Here are a few of my special Knoxville people...

Karen and I have been friends since 3rd grade. She's one of the most constant people in my life. I know I can count on her no matter what! I've known Brent since 1st grade. When I was little he (and David) had to pick me up so that I could get a drink from the water fountain. I hadn't seen Brent in more than a dozen years. It was fantastic to spend time with them.

Anita (to my right) was my friend and classmate from 1st through 12th grade. I hadn't seen her since graduation and was thrilled that she came to the party. She's such a sweet person. Debbi (to my left) came to our school in 5th grade and we were instantly great friends...well, most of the time! We still laugh about the squabbles we had in elementary school. We've maintained a lovely friendship all of our adult years and it's always a fun time whenever we're together.

Eddie (in yellow) and Scott - still sweet after all these years

Phil (in blue) volunteered to man the grill and did a great job of it. David (in brown) generously opened his home to us!

David's parents joined us. Mrs. McC was a room mother for most of our elementary school years. It was impressive that she recognized us and remembered all of our names. It's been a lot of years since she's seen most of us and we've...um...changed! David's dad is a riot! Guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in their family!

In their "man cave" (or in this case...man porch)
L->R David, Dan, Phil

Here we are...and the tall ones are still in the back row...just like our class pics from elementary school.

I had such a great time. These are people who share my childhood memories (good and bad LOL). Having time with them is one of the best things about going "home."

Of course, I should be really careful about leaving my camera unguarded. Joe (Karen's husband) is a practical joker so I consider myself very fortunate that this is the worst he did with the camera! Never a dull moment when he's around, that's for sure.

There were some really fantastic spouses and children who attended the "reunion" too but I haven't posted pictures of them because I'm not sure how they feel about having their pictures made public!

I also got to catch up with my friend Donna. Donna is another one of the people in my life who seemed like a life-long friend from the moment we met!

Everyone who knows me knows that my aunt Nancy is one of my most favorite people in the entire universe!!! Always has been. She's my mom's baby sister but has been more like a sister than an aunt during the past few months. I don't know what Karen and I would have done without her. Her husband, Jack, is really special too!

Here's my "niece" Mandy. My sister hates having her picture taken so I'm not posting one of her here but it was fun spending time with her too.

As you can see, I'm very lucky to have really spectacular people in my life. I may not see them as often as I would like but I always know they are there for me as I am for them.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit. I hope you're life is filled with people who make you smile.