“There are four bedrooms,” my mom’s excited voice rang through the speakerphone as we headed north in the Jetta, “so you girls can each have your own room!”
Kelli’s face fell a bit as she looked at me. “Mom,” I called out, “we might just drag an air mattress into the yellow room and all three sleep there together.”
“Don’t be silly! You’re on vacation, take your own rooms.”
“Actually, Mrs. Winter,” Kelli pipped in, “I think we all want to stay in the same room. We’ve done that since high school.”
And she’s right. My half a dozen high school girlfriends are still my best friends. I didn’t realize the rarity of this until two of my sisters pointed it out to me a few months ago. Neither of them are still close with friends from high school and I think that they are envious of this amazing group of friends – second sisters – that I’ve managed to keep for well over a decade.
And that night in Charlevoix, when three of us were crowded into a double bed talking and laughing like we were fourteen, the specialness of these girls and our unique friendship struck me, yet again. We’ve known one another for almost half our lives – from those embarrassing high school years to the newness and excitement of college. Through heartbreaks and weddings, moving cross country and moving around the world, we’ve managed to not only stay in touch but to maintain that closeness. Am I old enough to have lifelong friends? Future lifelong friends? Am I a nerd? Wait – don’t answer that…
This was a rather impromtu tribute, and ,surely, more sentimental than I normally am on this blog. I set out to write about our fun-filled weekend in Charlevoix, but the uniqueness of our bond was just so obvious the entire time.
Jenn Winter 
Sad that I missed the RS weekend – had a blast last night – so far it’s my favorite night of the entire summer! Probably cause I spent it with you all!
Don’t worry, Kendall… I’m going to post about last night when Henry takes his PM nap!