barnhouse reunion 2013

if you've been around this blog for awhile, the barnhouse reunions are something you've heard about.
if you're new, let me explain. eight of us lived together in college. in a house that was called, "the barnhouse." some of us are very similar. some of us are very different. in all kinds of ways. but we love each other. and we love to be together. so we gather as often as we can...usually every year or 18 months. sometimes babies get in the way :-)

we live all over the country. this time we gathered in dallas, texas. i love airports. it's a good thing because mary and i got to hang out in the airport for 4 hours on friday afternoon (our airplane had "mechanical issues" in texas and was delayed getting to virginia. then, when it finally got here, it was delayed further for more "mechanical issues." yes, i was a bit nervous to get on that plane. i was kind of thinking, "um? could we maybe try a plane that isn't having ISSUES?!?" but mary and i were catching up and i was getting to know her sweet baby evelyn and i was more focused on that than the mechanical issues/we might die possibilities. i did email pat and let him know of the heightened possibility of my death. and told him i loved him...A LOT.)

we finally got on the plane...and we didn't die.

it's always so exciting to know you're going away...to have a break from the kids and all that, but i got so SAD that morning! i left them sweet notes. and then i wasn't so sad :-)

we arrived in dallas, texas and this is what we were greeted with. christy's in-laws vacated their home and let us use it for the weekend. it could NOT have been more perfect. it.was.amazing. we were outside in this area except when we were preparing food or sleeping. there was a table to eat our meals at that overlooked a pool/hot tub that overlooked a lake. the weather was PERFECT (80 and sunny).
 

this is it. this is what we do. we talk. we share our hearts. we ask each other questions. we laugh. we cry. i'm sure there are many groups of woment that do this exact same thing. but whenever i'm with them, i think, "how am i this blessed? how did i get to be a part of something like this?"

we stayed up too late. and this was my view when i woke up. i know.

isn't she precious??

breakfast. and we had 3 new children to celebrate!! kate is having her first this summer...

we changed out of our pj's, into our bathing suits (around lunchtime :-)) and moved to the pool. we stayed there until dinner. not joking.

we celebrated ali's little girl that will be coming home from china this summer and michelle's little girl that will be born in july by the pool. now THAT is a fun shower, huh?

christy went overboard pampering us. she had these notecards set out for each of us. we wrote a note to each person in it. i read mine on the plane on the way home (what was i thinking?) and had to go to the bathroom i was sobbing so hard. she also secretly contacted our husbands and had them write and mail letters THERE for us to receive! so sweet! and every meal was so well thought out and yummy!

 

she even called her husband back into town on saturday afternoon to make us more guacamole :-)

i was still struggling with my stupid cold. it was making me feel pretty bad. the hardest part was the constant headache from the coughing. late saturday afternoon, my headache got pretty bad (combined with the sunshine and heat and thinking so hard about everyone's beautiful lives). i had to step back, lay on a pool chair and close my eyes for a little while to try to relax my head.

laying there, looking up at a brilliant blue sky, with the voices and laughter of the girls that have known me and loved me for so long...through so many stages of my life, i enjoyed just taking it in. i let the waves of thankfulness wash over me.

we decided to not go out to dinner as we had originally planned. we had enough food leftover from the night before for another dinner and chose to just move to the table and eat there.

hot tub for some of us later that night. we were all there, just a couple got in!

 these girls are such a treasure to my heart.

from left to right: ali, michelle, me, becca, kathy (holding mary's baby), mary, kate, christy

you wanted to see them again, right? good. because i did too :-)

i was completely obnoxious and made each of them take a picture with me. i'm so glad i did.

michelle and i - she is such a good communicator and asks the best questions. i learn so much about myself when i'm around her!

kate and i - she is about to be a MOM and i could not be more excited for her!! she is going to be an amazing one!

kathy and i - she is such a strong woman and so content with the life God has given her. i'm always encouraged when i'm with her.

becca and i - she is the FUNNEST! and is such a good listener. our lives couldn't look much different, yet she is so good at listening and caring.

mary and i - she lives the closest to me, yet we hardly ever see each other - boo! she is the sweetest, most gracious friend.

christy and i - we all learned that she is QUITE the cook/planner/hostess this weekend!! that is a gift that has grown in her over the last few years and she was amazing at it! she makes me laugh so hard. and she makes you feel like you are the most special, amazing person ever created. i love her.

ali and i - it was blurry, but black and white always "fixes" that :-) the paths our lives have taken have kept us close...and growing closer all the time. i'm so thankful for her strength and support and encouragement. i know that i can be "REAL" with each of these girls...but because ali and i see each other the most, she has seen and knows quite a bit of the "real" Courtney, and loves me anyways.

it was so good for me to get away. to have 48 hours where i wasn't thinking about if levi has gone to the bathroom in the last hour or not (should i make him go now?) or feeling my stomach turn into knots because dinner is almost here and every meal is so stressful for me or if i rubbed bailey's arm enough so that she feels loved. my brain was still busy and thinking and loving lots of people -which is what i feel like it does all day (and night sometimes!) long. but i transferred it from pat and my kids to these girls and it sure was nice!!

and i arrived home on mother's day which made my family SUPER excited to see me! that was so so fun!!!