BFFs (Best Friends Forever)

This is me and my friend Todd. I took two other pictures of us and he was actually smiling in those, but this is my blog and I chose the one I look the best in! How's that for vanity? Todd and I went to high school together. I have mentioned him here before.... he is someone who taught me how to trust people, and to trust in true friendship. I was his best person at his wedding. Tonight he and his wife and their two children were in town visiting his wife's sister. So I got to hang with them for a while. They got married just over 8 years ago. We talked about that tonight. He and I shared a hotel room the night before his wedding...it made for a fun story. Anyway.. he and his wife now have two beautiful kids, a 4 year old and a 4 month old. (Almost 4 months.) I had seen Todd in March, when mom had her surgery, but had not seen his wife and older son since their older son was three months old. I got to read two books to their older son before they put him to bed and got to hold the baby for a while. Then Todd and I went to the lobby to visit so that his sons would go to sleep.

It is so surreal to me that Todd is a father. I am sure he is a good father, but my memories of Todd, of course are from high school and college... and we were not always the most mature back then... our Mario Kart marathons did not seem to align with parenthood... but it's cool. Both Todd and his wife have red hair and both of their kids do as well. Todd and I vowed that we would never grow apart... our late night conversations around the fire pit in his back yard when we were in college covered so many topics, including our determination to stay close. But things haven't worked out that way... we are still friends, obviously... and we are still there for each other. The closeness is not what it once was, but I think that is a natural progression. He has a family, I don't. We live three or more hours apart... so it's tough... I value him so much. I know if we lived geographically closer we would spend time together. I am glad I got to see him tonight. I hope to maybe stop at his house sometime this fall on one of my trips to see my parents.

I wanted to make sure to post this picture for my mom... she always had fun watching Todd and I together... She liked the silliness we shared and enjoyed Todd's charade skills. We both agreed that we look pretty good for people who have been out of high school for as long as we have. He thinks I still look young... says I could pass for someone in their 20s... not sure I agree with that, but... I was out last night and in the midst of a conversation with a complete stranger... she had made an assumption that I was in my 20s... so... perhaps I do look a little young... I'll take it!

This is a picture that was recently emailed to me by Melissa... this is a grop photo of some of my other friends, who I mention often on here... Matt & Melissa and their son Tobias, Me, and Sara and Phil... This was taken on a late summer day after having a great lunch together. I really love the friendships that I have with this crew... and I attribute that to Todd in part, because he really was perhaps the person who taught me the most about friendship... so it's cool to post these pictures together.