May 15

Today was dedicated to visiting friends, both mine and Abby's.

Following the usual morning coffee stop, we embarked upon the journey to Lovettsville, Virginia, where Abby's friend Anna and her family live. It rained on and off so the weather could've been better, but it was a pretty drive through green rolling hills. The hardest part of the trip was navigating the long, partially paved, one-lane stretch of road that leads to her house, but we finally sorted it out and had a great time munching on chicken salad sandwiches while we chatted with Anna, her mom, and her sister (and even her brother for a minute). And the giant white rental car is now caked with dirt from the adventure, and a crusty-looking rental car always means a good time was had, right? Right.

From there, we headed east on I-70 to join my middle school friends for dinner at Lib's Grill in Columbia, where we've met up several times before. It was --as it always is-- a total hoot, and it was an extra blessing to invite Sonia to the ranks for the first time, too. Our little group has gotten larger over the years, and I'm so thankful for the continued friendship we all share and for how easy it is to be together. We laugh and talk about both the lighter and less lighter sides of life and then we laugh some more. It's truly good for my heart and I enjoy every second.

When we got back to grandma's house, I spent more time going through photos, and found a few more sweet ones from days gone by. It's bittersweet to remember, but I'd say the sweet is much stronger than the bitter, and I'm grateful for that.

So that's today. I'm pretty tired from all the driving, but I feel content. And that's a blessing I don't take for granted.