That Petri Chick...

Four score and six hundred years ago

So long ago that I can't really remember when it was, I was the Business Manager at a local children's camp for a summer.  And one day while I was working at my desk the sister of one of the other people on staff arrived amid a chorus of excited of 'Petri is here!' exclamations. 

I had no idea who Petri was so I just kept doing my work - until I overheard this Petri chick say something about having just 'finished' college in a small town in the south.  That peaked my interest because I have a Red Haired Cousin (RHC) who lives in that same small town and I knew that it is a REALLY small town.  So the first chance that I had, I asked Petri if she knew my RHC.

Her face lit up and she said "YES!  Oh my word!  RHC and RHC's wife!  I LOVE them!"

Well, Petri just happened to be in luck, because wonder of all wonders, RHC and his family were in town that week visiting their northern family and I managed to set up a time for them to connect here in our REALLY small town.

And that my friends, was the beginning of a friendship that has spanned four score and six hundred years.  Or maybe more like 14 years?  I honestly can't remember.  We have just been friends forever.  Long before grown up bills, husbands and anything having to do with us being responsible for children.  I know her dirt.  Remember when I said 'finished' with regard to college?  If I have any, I'm sure she knows mine.  We have driven each other nuts - she's carefree and fun.  I'm not.  We've gone camping all by ourselves because we are amazing and totally knew how to 1) haul a 24 foot camper, 2) park a 24 foot camper and 3) unhook said camper from the truck while being watched by a group of very unhelpful neighbor camper type men who apparently thought we were in the entertainment staff.

Okay, we probably were...

Eight and a half years ago she was instrumental in helping TDM pick out an engagement ring for me, and then within a day or two of TDM proposing to me she became engaged to her friend who was forever 'JUST a friend and she was NOT in love with!"  Except that when he moved to Florida she went on a hunger strike and cried all of the time.  Ahem.

Anyway, they managed to fall in love, he scrounged up a ring, she said YES! and several months later the two of us were knee deep in planning weddings that took place EIGHT days apart.  We were in each other's weddings - which just made things interesting - and I can't even remember how many times we laughed about the fact that we were getting married and couldn't be trusted with details or important stuff.  People that we encountered probably thought we were drunk.

So, we both got married and she moved to Florida with that guy she didn't love (ha!) and we have lived happily ever after.  And every now and then we manage to get together even though it's very random and seldom planned.

Wednesday night we had the chance to get together while she is in Michigan visiting her family.  I was working out of town earlier this week and we had to figure out another place to meet up rather than one of our usual haunts.  And it worked out wonderfully.  We found a small town that was EXACTLY the same drive time for both of us to meet up, hit up a McDonald's for a while, letting our kids play together while we caught up on the details that make up life, grabbed six ice cream cones and headed to a playground to let the girls use up some energy before we had to get back in the car. 

It was incredible.  And just one of God's sweetest blessings lately.  I'm so glad that God put us together all those years ago!