Amigas

This past June was filled with visits from long-time friends of my school days.  Catt King and I went to high school together in Stuttgart, Germany when I was a freshman and sophomore.  We've been friends for over fifteen years.  We were on the soccer team together as well as in Harmony Express, our uber-cheesy show choir (think sequins and jazz hands).  We traveled all over Germany for soccer as well as to London with the choir.  I attended Youth Group with her and most of the other Christians on base, since we were all friends and had the basics in common (Jesus, etc.)  She is one of my favorite people in the universe...warm, loving, open-minded, down-to-earth.  I was thrilled that she was able to attend Aiden's baby blessing while she was in town for her work with Nestle.  

I got to give Catt a tour of Temple Square in SLC and give her the low-down on us weirdo Mormons (she's Baptist).  We compared doctrinal notes in the Visitor Center women's room while I nursed Aiden- the perfect place to share my testimony, right?  After a couple hours discussing nearly every detail of my religion, she asked for a Book of Mormon.  It was nearing 9pm, when the temple grounds would close. I thought for sure of all the places in the world to be able to find a copy of the BoM, this would be it.  There was not a missionary in sight!  I raced to the Visitor Center front counter and peeked behind it hoping to find a healthy supply of brand new books, but no luck.  Only a well-worn copy in French and one in German, which would've worked because she sprechens sie deutsch pretty well, but I figured they were for display only and the temple grounds probably wasn't the place to become a thief.  SO, I remembered that there was a Deseret Book right across the street at City Creek, so we power-walked over just in time to see the shopkeeper letting the final customers out and locking the door behind them.  Mimicking a scene from The Graduate, I knocked on the glass windows, caught someone's eye, and made a frantic pleading gesture, hoping the likely-recently-returned missionary would take pitty on a poor young mom with a baby stroller in tow.  He opened the door (reluctantly) and I asked him if they by chance had any free Books of Mormon.  He told me they weren't free (the nerve), but that I could buy one for a couple of bucks.  Just my price range!  Long story long, I bought it in the nick of time, wrote a short message on the inside cover and am planning to send it to Catt when I get my ducks in a row.  She insists that I remember to send it to her.  I promise, Catt!   

Shortly after Catt's visit, Lydia drove into town from West Yellowstone, where she had spent a few days with two of her med school friends celebrating their recent graduation.  Dr. Lydia Irwin, M.D. has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?  I could not be more proud of my best friend.  My brain cannot comprehend how much work it takes to get through four years of such a rigorous curriculum.  SO much information.  Go, Auntie Lyd!  One of our first stops was at the Park City Medical Center to visit Molly, who had just given birth to baby Zoe June hours earlier.  She looked amazing (both of them), and I fell in love with Zoe's red hair and perfectly formed lips.  It was a beautiful NYC girl's reunion plus Victor and baby (whom she was pregnant with and didn't know it at the time).  

As true Bachelor fanatics, Lydia and I reinacted the crater-dive segment from Ben's season, minus repels, one giant tool/bachelor, a bikini, and excessive spray tan.  Basically, we swam around in the Heber Crater enjoying the mineral bath and reveling at the beautiful dancing lights reflected on the crater wall.  We sang some Roaring 20 songs in harmony despite some fellow bathers and planned a future Roaring 20 reunion in Park City which will include the hot springs.  Who's in?  

Auntie Lydia fell in love with my boys, and they with her.  She is such a natural substitute-mamma and I could NOT have survived the week while Wes was in Mexico without her help.  She read stories, changed diapers, put babies to sleep, rode in the car with two screaming boys, picked boogies, made lunches.  She certainly got a taste of my day-to-day and I kept telling her that now I need to spend a week in the hospital with her to experience her day-to-day.  Both have their ups and downs, I suppose.  

I cried the day Lydia left.  I am not kidding.  Like a baby.  I miss seeing my bestie every day!  Aiden was not happy either as is evident by the photo below.  Whoah, whoah, WHOAH is me!  Auntie is planning on coming back to visit in February, boys.  I know, it's almost too long to wait.