Our family is so blessed to have some of the best friends! In fact, these friends and how we became friends is the reason I know God has our family in the church where He wants us. We started attending CenterPointe Christian Church when I was about six months pregnant with Lyla. We met a few people in the beginning but it wasn't until Lyla almost three months old that our lives changed forever. In August, 2007, a massive flood did some terrible damage in the midwest including a city called Findlay, Ohio. Our pastor had some ties there and felt called to take a short-term mission team there to help with some clean-up. Once it was announced, Seth immediately turned to me and said "I think I am supposed to go on that trip." My parents and grandmother were coming to see Lyla that weekend so I wasn't too nervous about being left "alone" for the weekend and did not stand in his way...or, more importantly, in God's way. It was on this trip that Seth met the people you see below. He worked with them, got to know them, played basketball and badly sprained his ankle with them. :)
All they knew of me was that I made good cookies because I sent a couple batches with them for the trip. Seth became such great friends with these people. It was really cool for me, the extrovert, and the one who had always made friends and then tried to force Seth to be friends with them, too, to see what was happening. Let me stop here and clarify that Seth wasn't some nut that had no friends. We had just always had "his" and "hers" friends and I could see that we might actually have some "couple" friends. Not only that but HE was the one to make the friends first. People like to say that I can talk to a brick wall and Seth, especially, likes to point out that I have so much to say, I don't really need him there sometimes. I will not argue either of those points but I do prefer people to a brick wall. Let's be clear about that.
Over the past four years, we have become so close with these three couples. It's really an extraordinary thing. Erin & Dave recently moved to Nashville. As Dave has been finishing up at UK's Orthodontic School, we knew they would leave...one day...but not so soon. Here are some pictures taken over the past several months. I bet you can see how much we really do care for each other and how much fun we have together!
Erin made arrangements for us to have professional pictures taken together.
It was gray & cold and Lyla was fighting a cold.
We had a great time, though, and got some great pictures!
The girls: Rachel, Suzanne, Lyla, Me, Erin
The boys: Dave, Shane, Shawn, Dylan, Seth
Eating pizza before packing up all their stuff & moving it to Nashville
(What Erin calls "Seth's good side.")
All loaded up!
Empty and Clean.
We had their house in Nashville pretty well set up after about 6 hours!
Before going out for dinner and dancing!
We were line-dancing masters! (Bahaha!)
The Wild Horse Saloon.
We threw them a surprise party!
We kept it a secret really well but they got suspicious that day.
My friend, Vicki, made the yummy cake.
You can check her out on facebook by searching PattyCakes.
Dylan and I called each other about our shirts.
Yes, I realize it looks like Lyla belongs to me and Dave.
It's just how we stood with them.
Pretty funny, though.
We had all the guests sign the back of some cornhole boards as a gift for Dave & Erin.
They loved them but fear Tennessee fans won't want to play with them.
Their last Sunday at CenterPointe.
Dave is on the far left playing keys.
Erin has been so instrumental in teaching Lyla about prayer.
A couple weeks later, Lyla went to our church's prayer room to look for Erin.
It was so sweet and also sad.
Our worship band.
We are sure going to miss these two but have already planned a visit!
We love you, Dave & Erin!
