Sunday, March 15, 2009

An Incredible Friendship




Yellow Creek lake has been my favorite place to spend any summer day for all the years I have been alive. For somewhere around 80 years, my family and another family, sleeping just two doors down, have spent our hot summer days coming and going from each cottage, playing endless games of Marco Polo, singing songs passed down to us from those generations before us, and solving the problems of the world by the campfire roasting marshmallows. When my mother and Laura both discovered that they were pregnant within weeks of one another, they were beyond excited for the next generation to grow up together in the sand. Amanda and I were born around six weeks apart in the spring of 1980, and our mothers and grandmothers shared in the excitement. I looked so forward to seeing the Farber's pull down the drive for the weekend at Yellow Creek. Amanda and I, like our mothers before us, stayed in touch during the colder months, and a friendship grew. This friendship is not like most, it is a hard one to explain. We are family. We are two people who have probably seen about all of each other. When we both headed off to Purdue ten years ago, and discovered that we were assigned rooms across the hall, this bond was sealed. I won't share all of the stories, but trust me, there are a bunch of them. In 2007, Amanda and I both became pregnant. We were due very near our own birthdays. Amazing! We would have our chance to continue the legacy. Meemaw and Grandpa Pete would be so proud. Wyatt was born just around six weeks before Trevor, and Amanda and I shared in every bit of the pregnancy, and motherhood. I seek her opinion. We have cried, and laughed. This weekend we celebrated Wyatt's First Birthday! We had a wonderful time at his lovely party. I can't wait for this summer, to watch these two boys play together, and get to know each other. I know that they will be friends, and Amanda and I will be able to teach them all of the dirty tricks that come with spending the summer at Yellow Creek. God is truly amazing, and I am sure that our mothers will be smiling from the swing as they witness the next generation of such a wonderful friendship. I love you, Amanda! Happy Birthday, Wyatt!

3 comments:

Amanda said...

I love you too. That was such a nice post. I love your little guys as well, and am also very excited to watch Wyatt and Trevor play together this summer. Love ya

Anonymous said...

Katie, what a beautiful words. I cried while I was reading it. i have loved watching you grow into the sweet young woman that you are today. I love you, your children, Mom, sister, and your Grandma and Grandpa Pence very much. I can't wait to sit in the swing along with your Mother and watch those wonderful boys grow up. Love, Laura

Zesty said...

I am so grateful for the friendship we have shared with this family...a friendship with a familial bond that now spans 5+ generations! I am just so happy that you have the opportunity to raise children with Amanda...just as Laura and I and our parents experienced. I am so excited to sit on the swing... and watch these boys grow up together on YCL - donning skis, jumping off piers - catching crawdads...
HI LO EENIE MEENIE!!!!