BFF

a few weeks ago we took a drive to crawfordsville, IN to visit my BFF, Erica. friends since birth, we grew up on dawkins court together in good 'ole okolona, KY, where big hair is always welcomed. this photo is from my 13th birthday party. erica was pushing 15. we were both pushing the fashion envelope. 

we did it all on dawkins ct. -- erica, me, erica's brother (jason) and a gaggle of patterson kids. kickball, hide 'n' seek, clubhouses, truth or dare, and a lot of barbies. my god, the barbies. 

some of my favorite memories come from our latchkey days. my 12th summer i had the house to myself every day. erica and jason, 2 houses down, had the same set up. i'd roll out of bed and head over to "erica's breakfast cafe" where she'd sit cross-legged on her mom's kitchen countertop and fix up some pancakes for jason and i. after breakfast some pattersons might show up and we'd plan our day -- find a ride to the pool, research what local youth group was planning a king's island trip we could join, tape songs off the radio. on rainy days, we'd watch a lot of Showtime. this photo also marks a safe place for me. since i can remember, being with erica has meant a place to feel secure and accepted, free and loved. erica has been through her own stuff so it seems our lives never shocked each other. (i think we've been through 7 divorces between the 2 of us, courtesy our parents.) i always looked up to her, wanted to be like her. until she'd start talking about entering the medical field. man, when science comes up, i shut down. period. 

we never attended the same school (well, maybe blue lick elementary for one year), but we downloaded every detail about our days to each other. i knew all the characters in her world, and vice versa. so when a social event popped up for one, the other would often tag along. skating parties, homecoming dances, whatever. 

this carried on even through college. erica was a phi mu at Hanover and i was an alpha gam at Murray State. we both ended up elected social chairman and living in the sorority house. these were pre-email days so we wrote a lot of letters. erica would write all over the envelope, "Alpha Gams do it with the lights on!", "Phi Mu rules, Alpha Gam drools," etc. my roommates would panic when they picked up the mail. "uh, kelly..." once i explained, the girls in my house would look forward to erica's letters, anticipating how she might insult us on the envelope and delight us on the inside. i can remember reading parts aloud b/c they were so hilarious and the girls in the house beginning to keep up with the characters of Hanover College. my sorority sisters would introduce me to friends from home, saying, "this is my 'erica'!" we made the drive a few times to our different ends of BFE, to witness the other's collegiate world. this was always such an adventure for me. erica is 2 years ahead of me in life so i was always getting a heads' up to what the future might hold. 

she's been like this forerunner in my life, going up ahead of me to "scope out" and then coming back to give me the "layout" and prepare me. before i enter a new stage of life, erica shows up at my door with some care package of goodies -- "everything i'm going to need," an obvious symbol of what the previous 2 years has taught her, a basket of wisdom.

summer before i started college, she appeared with a compact Webster's set and a cork board on which she had drawn "Murray State" and "Kelly." "you're going to need this for your dorm," she said. david and i married very untraditionally and therefore had no wedding cake. from somewhere in chicago, erica found a bakery in northern ky that would create and deliver the top of wedding cake on our first anniversary. "you're going to need this to celebrate year one." i received 3 of these survival kits when i became pregnant. the last she brought to my house with her 9 month old, reagan. mac was 3 weeks old? 6 weeks old? i can't remember. the mom cave is a blur. anyway, this basket's theme was breastfeeding 101. pads, books, and the like. these days it seems we have evened out some. both just a couple of 30-somethings, being moms and wives and ourselves. maybe when i'm 80, she'll show up from the "home" and hand over basket of everything i'll need at "Shady Acres." 

i could go on and on about the adventures of kelly and erica. i could tell the story of when erica "rapped" a rebuttal over the phone to a kid that dumped me in 7th grade. or i could tell the one about how my 21st birthday fell on Indy 500 day so erica and kent insisted i spend my 21st in the infield (some of this story is pure hearsay.) or i could start talking about twyla...

anyway, this tip of our friendship iceberg is simply a lengthy shout-out to a woman i love. these days she lays her head in crawfordsville, indiana. we finally managed to get the family up there for a visit. while some of our gaggles have met here and there, this was the first time both of our entire families were together. without further ado, behold our trip to crawfordsville...

we were just a bit early for the big festival. bummer. i was ready to get my strawberry on.

whether it's chicago or crawfordsville, erica has always been drawn to urban living...

we spent a whole day just hanging out at erica's house, with the exception of a nap time break. the weather was gorgeous and her backyard is a kid haven. it was easy. like their mom and dad, reagan, reese, and sam possess a huge gift of hospitality. it took all of 15 seconds for friendship to spark, shoes to come off, etc. 

erica and i find the best way to play catch-up is to talk continuously and simultaneously during our entire time together. 

kent put law on hold for a bit to join us for lunch. a heart for justice, an even bigger heart for friends and family. what a guy.

the boys were absolutely fried from the drive the night before and the "bouncing-off-the-walls-ness" of the hotel room, so we took them back to the hotel for a little nap. 

david and i hung out in "the other room" while they slept. ah, traveling with little kids...

we headed back over for grilling out and more festivities. we had such a super time just "being" with our dear friends for a while. it's such a blessing being kids together and then knowing each other's kids. i saw so much of erica in her girls -- good stuff. they're both great parents. i mean, look at kent's toes, for crying out loud. he chops wood, wrestles bears, and he's perfectly comfortable allowing his daughters to paint his toes. what a guy.

we left well past everyone's bedtime, but it was hard to say goodbye. it seemed like we had just scratched the surface. the boys did not want to leave. 

super awesome kids. there's actually 4 in this pic. but one you can't see, it's still cookin'.

the next morning we grabbed some breakfast and swung by The Practice to visit kent at his office.  

these hooligans were in the waiting room seeking legal advice. they got right down to business. it must have been important...

even though she's a cantaloup eater, i just love my friend, erica. and i love her whole family. look at her -- isn't she a button? and her girls are just as pretty, her baby boy is just as sweet. what a super trip. 

LYLAS. BFF.    2Good

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