15 years later things look a little different

The night before BK and I got married

Just so you know, when I say 15 years later it makes me feel a little bit old. Yes, 15 years ago, around this time, I moved into Colby Hall at TCU with Carkel (on the right). Mollypoo (on the left) didn't technically live with us, but she might as well have considering all the time she spent in our dorm room, including a not-so-brief stint on a queen size air mattress that easily took up every inch of floor space we had. Our freshman year was the only one we spent not as a formal trio, moving into an apartment together after that and remaining together.

Carkel and I even continued to live together after we both moved separately to Austin, then back to the metroplex, where we were reunited for a fifth year of living together. We went potluck as roommates at TCU, and later in the college years when I would see other girls who lived on our hall, they would ask, "Are you and Carkel still living together?" Yes was my reply, and surprise was their reaction. Yes I know, it's strange when your potluck roommate is the only person you've lived with, outside of your parents and husband.

I was actually advised against living with Mollypoo prior to both of us going to TCU, due to all of her "ups and downs". It was thought that she might be a tad too dramatic for the two of us to be successful together. I took this advice, probably believing it because the first time Mollypoo and I met at the age of 15, she cried over a boy for the entire plane ride from Texas to West Virginia (I think that's where we were headed...somewhere in that general vicinity). Good times.

At Mollypoo's wedding

How the years have changed us. Majors changed, friends cycled in and out, boys came and went, the three of us have had our ups and downs, and now careers, weddings, babies...but through and through the three of us are still here together. We don't talk every day, not even every week, but each of us knows that the other two are waiting in the wings when something happens- good, bad, or otherwise. When they're on my mind, typically a Friends quote will come through on our group text message, starting a convo, not long, but there.

There are a million stories I could tell about our adventures together. But BK sometimes reminds me when the six of us get together (us + husbands), we're really just doing it for us, so the three of us can reminisce and laugh about random stuff that happened before them. The night also typically includes the three of us quoting Friends endlessly and laughing about those too.

It's near impossible to get a good picture of five kids, age five and under!

The eight of us (us + kids) got together over Labor Day weekend for a swim at Carkel's, with many observations being made about how different it was from our pre-baby lives, as the late afternoon included scheduling around nap times, bottles, sippy cups, kid-friendly food, one-piece bathing suits, floaties and just a little bit of wine (as opposed to a lot in the past). I think I would have laughed if someone would have told me that this was what us getting together would look like some day. And I still find it amusing now.

Fun is still being had by the three of us together...it just looks a little different now.