friends

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I miss my friends! I had such a good group of friends back in Holland that would indulge my movie madness, my crafting obsessions and my love for juicy bits of news and fun anecdotes. I wouldn't dream of trying to name them all, but you know who you are. Basically, if you have ever spent an evening with me at a movie theatre, or in my house over some yarn and a pot of tea/plate of baked goods, or just stopped for a few minutes to listen to whatever crazy thing happened to me that day, then you are who I am talking about. I love you! I miss you! You are (and I use this word sparingly for fear of being called too Americanized, and out of respect for its actual meaning) AWESOME! I am one lucky girl to have gotten to know the wonderful people I have, and I am sorry if I have made anyone of you feel like I've forgotten about you since the big move across the ocean. Because I haven't. Not even a little bit, and this blog post is here to let you know that. I am very, very, very bad at staying in touch with people, or remembering birthdays and other special events. I have a rather nasty case of ADD and my brain simply doesn't do well with these things that require structure and memory. I hope I haven't ever offended anyone by not calling, emailing, writing, or posting on your wall. I believe true friendship crosses over obstacles like time and distance, and I was so happy to see that in reality just last week when some dear friends dropped by for a visit. 

That stunning blonde standing next to me is Whitney, who I met and got to know a little while she served an LDS mission in Holland. In case you can't tell by looking at her, she is an incredibly warm, fun, and bubbly girl and even though we've never had much of 1 on 1 time, I totally consider her my friend. It was so fun to see her again! Then next to Sander we have the notorious Jordan. We got to know him the same way we got to know Whitney, and have since been able to see him a few times and reminisce and get to know him even better. He's so funny, and is somehow more in-the-know on my hometown ward these days than I am - I don't know how he does it! Thanks to  being the political polar opposite of Sander, they share the funniest banter on Facebook, trying to get eachother riled up. Only real friendship can overcome something like passionately opposite political views!

Then last but not least, the girl in purple holding Elliot is none other than my Helen. I call her that because I would truly love to have her for my own. Rarely have I known someone who is so optimistic, hard working, realistic, fun and selfless. Being British she has the best accent to boot! I got to know Helen through our mutual friend, Hellen. Note the difference there. Helen. Hellen. Try not to get confused. Hellen is another amaaaazing friend who I miss sorely. Hellen served a mission in the UK, where she got to know Helen, and they quickly became great friends. Helen then decided to change things up in her life and move to The Hague, where I got to know her. We have a love for music in common and along with Hellen and her equally amaaaazing sister Alice, we would sing a capella close harmony preludes in church, and every other chance we got. We sounded pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! By the way, mister Jordan has some impressive musical talents as well! Helen is also the children's favorite, as she is the only person I know who will spend over an hour on the ground with them, playing spiderman/hide-and-go-seek until everyone was sweating profusely, and listening to Lara tell her jokes. Ah yes, it was a good visit, filled with reminiscing of adventures past (like when Helen wore my wedding dress for an impromptu Halloween outing, and then freaked people out by holding Elliot, who was then just a few months old, who would suddenly move or produce sound while others thought he was just her prop), and excitement over adventures future.Thanks for making the trip! And come again ANYtime. Really. That goes for YOU too!