Happy Birthday Lori!

This girl has stood by my side for 13 years now!! Holy cow! We met back in Sociology class in 1997 at Morningside College, and life has never been the same since. (ha ha, wasn't it simpler back then??) Anyway, we have walked with each other through so much since then; meeting Mr. Right, engagements and marriages, the excitement of new pregnancies, the loss of miscarriage, job changes, financial hardships, doing our taxes (usually together!), and countless hours of scrapbooking together. If you call my phone and it's busy, she's usually on the other end and we are cleaning house together or folding laundry or making supper. She's my 'just blurt it out and get it off my chest' person, never judging me, always loving me. And willing to tell me what I need to hear. I am so thankful for her friendship. Here's a little look at our life together through the years. :)

This is from February or March of 1997, when we first met. (see? she hasn't changed one bit!) We really liked to shop back then, when we were rich college kids. :)

hanging out in her room talking about boys.

This is from the next year, About a month before Rob and I got married. We had gone to a wedding in Lincoln, NE. It got a little silly on the way home. :)

And this was taken on Rob's and my wedding day. Lori was my maid of honor, I had no idea how important our friendship would remain at that time, but I'm so glad she was!

Sadly, I don't have any photos from her wedding a few years later. I was hurting my brain trying to think about why, but then I vaguely remember doing a wedding scrapbook for her, and giving her the remainder of the photos. Maybe she'll scan a pic of us and FB it to me?? It would complete the post. :)

This is quite a few years later (we have lived hundreds of miles apart for most of our friendship!) in Branson, MO. This was the fateful weekend that God called us back to school and upended our entire life! :) Such a good weekend. Very cool that Lori and Jay were a big part of it.

Met in Sioux City for a double date one Christmas.

Mini golfing with our boys.

Playing bunko at our house in Illinois.

Shopping with Kimmie in Illinois. (somewhere there's a great photo of us shopping in Walmart in AR, but I can't find it this morning. bummer too, because it's hilarious!)

pretending to be sisters.

Sharing a house for a few months.

laughing it up in my red kitchen.

pretending to be supermodels.

enjoying Galveston beach on my birthday last year.

and finally, during my Iowa trip last fall. love this gal. Here's to 13 more years!

(just for laughs, this post could also be titled 'the many hairstyles of Anna', notice how Lori is pretty classic and rarely changes her hair!)