Our Annual Tradition

This would be a much better post if I still had our slide show from last year and all our pictures of us updating the blog and reading Calvin and sewing skirts, etc. But, I deleted the blog and we here in the Blog World all agreed to not mention that as part of Talk Time, remember? So, moving on out of 2008 and into 2009: Our Annual Tradition.

Since the Freemans moved to Georgia and the Blairs moved to North Carolina (6 years ago) we have made it an annual tradition to spend a week together each summer. We alternate homes so last year Lily and her sister, Sarah spent the week here and the year before Leah and her sister Sarah (very confusing, let me just tell ya) spent the week at the Freeman's house. Oh, and we have millions of memories of all those trips. It's been so much fun to laugh about all the things we've done together during our week in the summer and also to look forward to it each year like it's never happened before!

This year (in September) Lily and I have been best friends for 10 years.

Lily, I love you so much and am so thankful to our gracious Father in Heaven, that though we are separated by a few hundred miles and only see each other a couple times a year, that He has preserved our friendship and caused us to walk with Him in all our ways together. When I met you 10 years ago in the park at the Greenville Seminary picnic I never would have imagined all the things that we would do together; all the phone calls on Saturday mornings; all the "motherly" things we did together; all the sleep-overs we would have; all the e-mails we would send; all the things that you would tease me about that would (and still do) make me laugh; all the blog posts that I would do on your behalf; all the cards you would send to encourage me and brighten my day; all the epistles you would let me send to you; all the sermons we've listened to together. Lily, I love you so much! I wouldn't trade these 10 years for anything. You're dear to me.

So, this year, our parents were very sweet and gave us permission to celebrate the occasion by spending 2 weeks together, back-to-back. We're just a little bit excited.

Part of the tradition is that we meet in Greenville (the half-way point) and make the switch. So on Saturday morning Leah and I will meet the Freemans in Greenville and then go with them to Georgia.

Leah and Sarah are doing a Regency Sewing Camp this next week (Monday - Friday) so they will be gone all day sewing. (we are going to try our best to get lots and lots of pictures).

Lily and I are planning on book-clubbing together (Hidden Art of Homemaking is next for those of you who don't read the side panel); "talkin' about the issues"; making some skirts (lots of pictures, Lord willing); organizing all of Lily's sermons; and talking and talking and talking.

Since the girls are doing the Regency Sewing Camp and since we ALWAYS watch Jane Austen movies during our week together we're planning on watching a Jane Austen movie every night: Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Pride and Prejudice. We might have to throw in another one to make it 5 nights :) We'll try to get pictures of that, too.

Then on Saturday Lily and I will drive back to Charlotte (listening to Ligoneir Conference cds all the way back - I can't wait!). Lily, by the way, we're having one of my favorite dinners that night: Seired (how do you spell that anyway?) Tuna with Wasabi, Rice, Stir-Fried Broccoli, and Avocado Salad.

Lily and I will go to Redeemer on the Lord's Day (the highlight of the week). Leah and Sarah will have been learning all the dances from Pride and Prejudice during the sewing camp and then on Saturday night they'll go to the Regency Ball. On Monday we'll drive to Greenville and pick them up and then Lily and Sarah will spend the week with us until Saturday. Lord willing, tons of pictures to be posted in the next two weeks.

We have all kinds of fun plans for the blog while we're together but we may be talking too much to get around to posting anything. That's what novelteatalkers do anyway, right? However, we're gonna try really hard to get our second annual slide-show together (and I won't delete it this time...stop mentioning that. We already said we're not bringin' that to Talk Time, remember?). So, there are the Novelteatalkin' details on our (new version) of The Annual Tradition.