these friends of mine

About a month from now, an era will be coming to an end, and it's been making me both reflective and appreciative lately. For the better part of almost four years now, Beth, Charlotte and I have been best buddies. Our little family unit, for lack of a better term, has been amongst the greatest blessings in my life in Omaha. Of the four years that we've been hanging out, we've lived together now for a year and a half (really? is that all? I guess it is...), and I truly have never felt so at home.

Last night I came home to find Beth and Randy eating supper together and Randy said, "are you sick of seeing me yet?" I told him I wasn't, because I know that when I stop seeing Randy regularly, it will mean that I won't be seeing Beth as much, either, and that makes me sad. I am very excited for them to be starting their marriage and all, but I also can't help but be sad that our little family will be changing.

A couple of years ago, before we were living together, the three of us went through a phase where we always had dinner together Friday night. We probably did this regularly for a full year or even longer. We really bonded over those dinners. Since then, different life changes have kept us from keeping up with this (plus, we see each other often throughout the week as roommates), so we haven't done this for awhile. So this Sunday, after church, the three of us had lunch together and it was just so much fun. We talked about all of the girly things you can't talk about in mixed company. We laughed at Beth's mom's suggestion that Charlotte and I live in this house with Randy and Beth after the wedding (wouldn't that be quite the sitcom?). We talked about the upcoming wedding and the things that Beth is the most and least excited about in marrying Randy.

Then, on Sunday night, I had a very minor emotional breakdown. I'm not sure what triggered it, really, but I found myself with Beth in her bed, crying and talking. Soon Charlotte jumped on with us, and I just reveled in the moment of being with these dear friends of mine. It made me think of one of our very first nights in the house, when we all just plopped on Beth's bed after a rough day and vented and giggled and then went out for dinner on that Friday night. That doesn't seem like that long ago, and now one of us is already moving out.

Change is hard, but it can also be so good. I feel like our group here as a whole just keeps getting closer and closer. A couple of weekends ago, a small group of us went to a UNO hockey game. We've decided that going to these games is only fun if we can all ride together, because that's where the wacky conversations take place. So we all piled into Aleeta's dad's Escalade and headed to the Qwest Center. The game itself was pretty dull, but afterwards we ended up at this bar near our place called the Club House. It was me, Charlotte, Aleeta, Adam, Luke and Emmanuel. We all sat down with our drinks and Adam asks me, "Nicole, what's your biggest fear? And it can't be God-related." I gave my answer, and then asked my question. We just kept going around the circle asking probing questions and giving answers that helped us all to get to know each other better. I can't go into any more detail, because then I would be violating the "circle of trust", and that is punishable by death.

I absolutely love this hodge podge group of friends that I've found myself with. Now that many of us are dating, I feel like the walls that used to be up between the genders are breaking down. I think we're all much more real and open with each other about what's going on in our lives. We're becoming more comfortable and mature in our relationships with each other. Because there are several of us who are dating, the women are more privvy to what's going on in our brothers' lives, and the guys are more in tune (and supportive) with what's going on with us. It's been fun talking with Justin about his relationship with Morgan; it's been sort of fun letting Randy in on some of our girly drama since he's at our house so much and usually knows what's going on anyway; and it's been sweet to see all of the guys be protective of Charlotte now that she has a potential relationship blooming with her friend "Paul Rudd".

I love how God has given me friendships in anticipation of meeting mutual needs down the road, like with me and Jenn. Jenn and I started meeting regularly as accountability partners last April, before she and Tom were married and before Matthew and I were dating. And now that she's settling into her marriage (and is pregnant!), and I'm in this relationship with Matt, we're able to learn from and encourage each other in all new ways. Last Saturday I went over to her place to help her prepare lunch for all of the guys working on the deck of Tom's house. As we made the deviled eggs (which, in my opinion, are absolutely disgusting to eat but really fun to make), we talked about our struggles and our victories and I just felt such a peace to be with her.

And then there's Matthew. We're going through this relationship book together and recently read this quote, "love is friendship that has caught fire." I like that. I really love that we started this thing as friends, that we share mutual friends and have such a great foundation, and support, in this little group of ours.

Oh, and P.S.: change just keeps happening right and left. Since I last wrote, there was yet another new baby (Josh and Katie welcomed Charlie last week), a new engagement (congratulations to Angie and Mike), and a new relationship in the works. I can only imagine what might be next...