It’s been 3 years.
Bike rides around the cul-de-sac.
Barbies have been played with and now retired to the attic.
AG dolls and Our Generation dolls.
Stop motion.
Goofy selfies.
Self-directed/acted movies.
Crafts.
More crafts.
Sleep-overs alternating at each other’s houses.
Trips to the local pool.
Running through the sprinkler.
Filling buckets with water and sitting in them.
What a gift it’s been for Audrey to have a best friend in our neighborhood. We don’t live in a neighborhood that’s connected to any others. There’s no way to bike from our house to other neighborhoods in the area without crossing a busy, two-lane road with no shoulder.
So, God brought to Audrey (and the rest of us), a friend. 5 houses away on our street.
Audrey and Adrienne have clocked miles running, walking, and biking between our houses.
After 3 years, we packed in as much as we could in the last 5 days for our girls.
I’ve felt a lump in my throat since the day our friends announced their plans to move. It’s only become harder to ignore as the summer days sped by.
Here’s the truth of it all.
It’s not just Audrey’s friend that’s moving. It’s Addison who was Isaac’s friend. They played and argued liked brothers 🙂 It’s Steve and Melissa who were friends to Nathan and I. We joined each other on walks through the neighborhood. Nathan and I would sometimes stop at their house to chat when we would be walking by and saw them outside.
They have modeled family and friendship and we’ll forever be grateful.
This post instantly took me back to middle school and how close you feel to your best girlfriends at that age <3 I hope Audrey is able to make another connection just as strong, and maybe even keep this one alive.