Anniversary of Sorts

All photos were taken by my friend HM, a talented photographer in The Woodlands, Texas.

This time six years ago, we met.

After sorority Rush at our university- a sweltering August in Texas week of whirlwind parties, cuts and favorites or "prefs" were established, the dust settled and we had each other.

This time six years ago, these girls and I were in a room, looking at each other and thinking:

These are the girls who are supposed to be my best friends.

It's strange to look at someone and know that you were somehow intended to meet. I entered college thinking I had plenty of great girl friends and left four years later wondering how in the world I would have managed without the girls I met there.

This weekend we were united again. Just like last year (our first reunion, making this one our second *annual*), girls are flew in from all over the country and drove from Dallas, Houston and Austin, Texas to be together for two days. Some girls I had not seen in a day, some I had not seen in over a year. We were missing others, to be sure, but when 18 or so of your favorite people are in the same place, you manage quite well.

I rode down Friday night with my roommate KS and our friend EM. For a while it looked like it might be a guy's reunion, what with the Cowboy's game on, Rock Band blaring from another room and people playing ping-pong. Someone finally found Toll House cookie dough to get things back on track.

Many of us spent the night in bunk beds- my friends CC, EM and KS stayed in the same room both nights and KS was distraught to find her bunk mates up, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on a Saturday morning. Rubbing her eyes and hair all over her pillow, she threw her arm over her face when we turned on a lamp and said "I forgot I was staying with superheroes who wake up at 7 on Saturdays and make their beds."

Superhero is a new one- I'll take it though.

(And for the record, it was 7:45.)

The landscape of the group had changed a bit since last year, there were a few more married girls and our friend KM was there, who is expecting her first child with her husband around Valentine's Day. Since our life stages currently span everything from awkward first dates to first babies, we discussed both and all in between while lounging on the dock, in the sun and the shade. A few ambitious souls took spins on the Jet-Skis, pulling a tube and two other girls along as well.

A price was paid- any and everyone who took a spin on the tube, bouncing over the lake at speeds of 35 mph had difficulty with arm function the next day. Monday even, come to think of it.

Dinner Saturday night was fajitas and margaritas. No make-up or hair-dryers; just hammocks, a sunset and star-gazing by the lake.

I'm trying to think of how to describe my friends in a way that doesn't sound cliche. I hope I never take for-granted the fact that I have these wonderful people in my life. People who will talk and listen and share and encourage, as they have for the six years I have been fortunate to know them.

We left tired and smiling from staying in the sun for hours and staying up late crammed into hammocks while chatting into the early hours of the morning. I think we all needed it- a respite from a busy summer of work, for many of us, and gearing up for the beginning of school yesterday for the teachers among us. We spent Sunday drinking coffee and getting on the road to the many cities we call home. Trips were made to both major Dallas airports on our end, and KB joined KS and I for brunch at La Duni before hopping on a plane herself.

Next August's weekends... will be kept open.

She is hard to impress because she has already seen the sun rise today, and it doesn't get much better than that.

-Unknown