Phases like the moon.

When I was 12, my parents got me a subscription to (the now defunct) Brio magazine. Every so often, they would have forms that you could fill out, send in, and get a pen pal. I sent in for maybe 5 altogether, but as you grow older you stop writing. I still keep in contact with 2 of them, and they have become dear friends.

My second pen pal was Callie. We started writing at the very end of 1999 (like as in between Christmas and New Year's), and to this day we still write letters, as well as being friend on Facebook and following each other's blogs. It's been over 10 years, and we still have not met face to face. It feels like we've grown up together. We used to write about Lip Smackers and the latest movie we watched, and now we write about life, our dreams, our men, and God.

Callie got married in 2008, and she just found out that she is expecting her first baby!! I am so excited for her and her husband!! I really wanted to go visit her this winter on my Christmas break, and that might still happen, but if that doesn't work then I'm for sure going down there once this new person makes his/her grand entry into the world!

My fourth pen pal was Suzanne. I believe we started writing when we were 14, so 7 or 8 years. We bonded over music and writing. I was the one who introduced her to our teenage obsession, Josh Groban. For a while we were pretty consumed by him :P In the summer of 2007 I went with my mom on a road trip to NY, and we met for the first time! Because we were both massive Grobanites (at the time) we decided that would be a good time to meet, because Josh Groban was having a concert in her city. That was the best trip ever. I met my friend Suzanne and we saw Josh Groban together.

Suzanne has been working on a ranch in Arizona for the past couple years, and she just got engaged 2 weeks ago to a man that she met while working there! It was very funny how similar their story and our story is - we both started dating in February, and Suzanne and I had both never had boyfriends before!

So my one friend is having a baby, my other friend is getting married, and I am in love for the first time, and entering my final year of school. We sure have grown up a lot, and I am blessed to have these women as long lasting friends.