Remember When

This last weekend my childhood friend and her family were able to stay with us. I loved it- except the reason why she was visiting wasn't very happy. Her grandmother passed away and they were here for the funeral.
Megan and I have known each other since the 2nd grade, when my family moved from Sacramento to Ripon. The next year (3rd grade) her family moved kitty corner to my house in Ripon and the rest is history! Megan used to hop the fence (without telling her mom) to come hang out with me. I remember a few times getting Mrs. Ho at our front door wondering where her daughter had dissappeared to. What was so great to me was it was really hard to find good friends outside of church, and I had found that in Megan. We played on Ripona's, our elementary school, basketball team together. At Ripon High, freshman year, we again played on the same team. I remember the JV coach calling us 'two peas in a pod'. He had to decide between us two and another girl, who was going to be bumped up to JV. He chose the other girl, but I'm grateful he did. Sadly enough, high school is high school and people choose different paths. We weren't very good friends by the time I moved to Idaho Falls in the middle of my junior year. A year later due to family tragedy, she moved to Utah to live with her father. I had no idea how to get in contact with her.

Almost two and a half years ago my sister got an email. I hadn't spoken to Megan for five years and was constantly thinking about her. The email was from a BYU student named Jesse, but it was Megan. Turns out she was living in Provo (as was I) with her husband and 1 month old baby boy. To add to the great news, she had joined the church and been sealed to her husband. That day I went over to see her. I'm so happy that we have been able to pick up our great friendship and stay in contact since.

Megan, her husband Jesse, her toddler Nathan, and her older brother Jared stayed with us until this morning. I felt bad because Megan and I kept staying up late when she had to do things in the morning- but it was so much fun to reminisce over all our childhood memories. One of our favorites to talk about is our 8th grade graduation trip to San Francisco. We walked blocks in front of the rest of the class and had the time of our life together going to Alcatraz, Pier 39, Bubba Gump's and seeing The Phantom of the Opera. It never gets old. I'm so grateful Heavenly Father directed Megan to the gospel and she has accepted it and ran with it. She is such an example to me and I am so lucky to have her and her family in my life. You know a great friend when you never run out of things to say!

Megan and I in August