My friend Steph

My high school graduating class had 41 students in it. And, hands down, my favoritest classmate from the GHHS class of 1996 was Steph. Her family moved to Holstein when we were in grade school, and we became fast friends. Which was unfortunate for each of our parents as we lived on the opposite sides of the school district. Meaning that any sleepover or playdate was followed with an hour drive to take someone home, with a half hour of that ride spent trying to calm two friends laughing manically in the backseat of the car. I'm talking full-on cheek-cramping, pee-your-pants, belly-laughs. We thought we were the funniest two people alive.

And after high school, I enrolled at Iowa and she at Iowa State. And then her parents moved away from the area, meaning that Steph spent holidays somewhere else. And in the whirlwind of college, we somehow lost touch. Sure, we got to see each other at the random classmate wedding, and we'd catch-up in the few hours we saw one another, but then we'd return to our respective towns and fall out of touch again. Tragic.

But then, through the magic of the Internet, mostly this blog, we were able to reconnect. And able to learn about each other's kids and husbands and towns and extended families, all without spending hours and hours on the phone. Because, seriously, who can spend hours on the phone anymore? I'm lucky to get 15 minutes to concentrate on a conversation, and that's only when Sesame Street or Yo Gabba Gabba is on.

And when I announced that I was coming back to the farm this week, Steph managed to rearrange her schedule and make a quick trip up from Kansas City with her kiddos. And I can't even explain how excited I was to see my old friend. And when she, Brady and Elly arrived at the farm yesterday morning, it was like we hadn't skipped a beat. Which meant that within five seconds of us reuniting, each of us had giant smiles plastered on our faces and were belly-laughing so hard we scared our own children.

And it was so wonderful to meet her kiddos. They are so sweet and have so much personality. Living proof that Steph is an awesome mom.

And to see our children together was absolutely precious.

And after lots of catching-up, lunch and some serious playtime, Steph took Brady and Elly back to Sioux City. And then, later into the day, the two of us met back up in Holstein, sans children, and we drove around our old stomping grounds, knocking on a few doors, meeting up with some more old friends, and laughing, LAUGHING, L-A-U-G-H-I-N-G until we each had tears in our eyes and some seriously sore cheeks. Thanks, Steph, for making the drive up to see me. You made my heart smile bigger than my face.