Fishing with Friends

Me & Travis with Vince & Julie at the wedding reception.

(Back) Madalynn (8), Alex (10)
(Front) Dawson (4), ???, Justis (7), Haley (7), Lila (5)

Lila and Dawson (same age) and Alex checking out the lake.

Vince patiently helped Jillian cast her pole (which she had NEVER done before). Thanks, Vince!




It's a small world!

Travis and I have been friends with Vince and Julie since college. We were introduced through mutual friends and we ended up getting to see each other this summer through our other mutual friends' wedding! Travis and I, however, did not know Vince and Julie knew the bride and groom, and vice-verse!

A few months before the wedding, I noticed Julie's e-mail address in an e-mail the bride sent out. I, of course, jotted and e-mail to Julie, excited we both knew the bride and sharing in the joy of the fact that we all knew each other. Of course, missing the wedding of our friends was not an option for either Travis and I or Vince and Julie, so we got to see each other at the wedding. What a wonderful time we had visiting with them.

We know God divinely placed Vince and Julie in our lives in fall of 2000, when we were expecting Madalynn. Our friends, Justin and Gi, knew Vince and Julie and introduced us to them. Not only are Vince and Julie just awesome individuals who love the Lord, God has also taken our two very similar situations and ministered to us through them. Vince and Julie, like Travis and I, met at K-State and expected their first child before they were married. Vince and Julie had been married two years when we met them, and the fact that they visibly loved each other and were lovingly parenting their then two-year-old daughter Alex was, in itself, visible hope that God could make the most of Travis and my unorthodox situation.

God has continued to parallel our families' lives in many ways since we met Vince and Julie. They have four kids, we do too. Julie is a home schooling, stay-at-home mom and wife, and so am I. Vince and Travis are both managers and leaders in their jobs. We found out Vince and Travis were even regional FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) officers together in high school! They didn't know it at the time, but Travis and I realized Vince was one of about 15 students pictured with Travis in their regional FCA high school pic when we ran across the picture in Travis's memory book!

You know how it is with good friends. No matter how long you've been apart, when you meet up again it's just like you pick up right where you left off! For Vince and Julie and Travis and I, it was no exception.

Our children even seemed to know each other, even though none of them (except maybe Alex) are so young they would have no recollection of each other since we've last seen their family. Alex is 10 years old, and she and 8-year-old Madalynn chummed around together. Justis and Haley, both the adventurous types, are both 7 years old. Julie and I remembered Haley being tiny when I saw her at Gi's wedding. It was July 6 and I had Justis July 23...so the two are not too far apart in age, at all! Little Dawson and Lila are both just a few months apart, as well.

Julie and I had a BLAST sitting chatting and having fun at the bride's "personal shower," and the day of the wedding, our two families took a picnic up to a mountain lake and enjoyed some talking and fishing. We chatted so long we were almost late for the wedding, but we got their just in time to get to all share in our friends' wedding TOGETHER, which was so special and fun. Travis and I and Vince and Julie had a blast chatting and watching our kids play together during the reception. We then went back to the hotel, put the kids down, and (I'm sure) annoyed our hotel "neighbors" by sitting in the hallway talking until about 1:30 a.m.!

Sharing about parenting, joys, struggles, hobbies and just what has been going on in our lives was so much fun, refreshing, and encouraging. We are so blessed by them, and hope they are ALWAYS part of ours lives!

Oh, and HAPPY 10TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY this month, Vince and Julie. God has many more years of passion and fun for both of you!