Two months ago, my friend Ann-Christel and I finally found a weekend to put on the calendar as our Apple Hill weekend in Sacramento. She and the kids (Aubrey and Brayden) drove to Sac and we spent Friday afternoon at The Grace Foundation visiting the horses and animals. The kids had a great time! Went out to dinner, then baths and bedtime. First thing Brayden said in the morning was, "Where's Cheri?!"
Saturday morning we headed to Apple Hill and boy did we have fun. I loved seeing the expression on the kids' faces as they picked apples, checked out the pumpkins, rode the horse, tried to scare me in the hay maze, rolling down the grass hill, eating their candy apples, etc.
The time flew by much too quickly and my heart was a little sad as I said goodbye to my friends as they headed home. But as I look over the photos from our time together, I see that the kids were smiling and happy and having a terrific time. And while I may have failed in other areas of my life, I know this much. I've made a positive difference in the lives of some very special children and that is one of my happiest thoughts.
The last time I visited Portland, Oregon was in 1996 for my best friend's wedding. Well, it only took me 14 years, but I finally made it back to Portland for a visit.
Marnie and I met in 1994 while attending college in Utah. We became inseparable and did everything together for two years. I knew immediately I was blessed to have her in my life as she made me laugh and try new things (like an all day horse-back, cattle herding adventure in the middle of nowhere Idaho). See the picture of us above right taken in Fairview, Utah for just how young we looked! We spent a month together in San Diego before I got married and had a wonderful time. Marnie married Thane, a neighbor and friend from our college apartment complex and while I never thought anyone would be good enough for Marnie, Thane came pretty darn close. He and Marnie have a wonderful family of four young children, whom I already adore and claim as nieces and nephews.
So this weekend, on my first visit back to Portland since their wedding, I had an incredible time reconnecting with my friend. We watched movies, toured Portland, went for a trail hike, had pizza, watched football, visited with her horses, played with the kids, experienced VooDoo donuts (it's a Portland thing), made mint-chip ice cream (our fav). And while it had been 14 years since my last visit, being reconnected with my friend felt like not a minute had passed. Love you, Mo. (And Thane. And Ethan. And Emma. And Braxton. And Lydia. And Domino. And, well, maybe even the frog, too!)
