The Bonds of Friendship

Every year in January, five beautiful young ladies gather for the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.  Each may or may not bring her "feller".  A companion can be a daughter, son, or sister.  But it happens every year like clockwork.

As the group makes their way to the rodeo, many great memories are rehashed, new ones made and stories of the past revisited.  It has been over 46 years since these bonds of friendship formed.  There are many memories of childhood, dating, marriage, babies, grand babies, death, and disaster.  But whether the memories are good  or bad, happy or sad, old or new, the bond among these five remains strong.  

This group together can withstand anything. It doesn't matter what the tragedy, the celebration or the incidental action, the five stand undivided.  Their bond is beyond strong, woven together with the toughest of fibers, and yet at times stretched to the thinnest of thin with the demands that are put forth on them.  No matter the test, the bond holds true.

You may not like one of them, two of them or all of them, but they are a package deal.  If you make an enemy of one, you make an enemy of all.  Their loyalty is fierce, their love for each other surpasses the tallest building, and their zaniness hits an all time high when in the same vicinity.  

They may go days or weeks without seeing or speaking to each one individually or as a group.  They may play phone tag at all hours.  They may drive within 5 miles of each other with no time permitted for a meeting.  Regardless of the space or distance, this group is tight.

They are my sweet dear friends.   They are Ya Ya's, Yum Yum's, and the Cashmere Mafia.  They have seen me at my best, and supported me at my worst.  They are frightfully honest, unwaveringly open, and not afraid to tackle any conversation.   I am blessed to have them in my life.  Thanks for the memories.  Looking forward to many more!

In honor of Amy, Carla, Dana and Gayla!  

Six Degrees of MK

Last night Ray and I celebrated the wedding of Miss Mary Katherine Dickey to Mr. Wesley Jones.  As we moved through the ceremony and reception I realized that meeting Mary Katherine brought together so many people I knew at different times in my life.  Mer, as her little brother affectionately calls her, has a way of celebrating life to the fullest, and she did so last night at her wedding.  I am so honored to be included in her circle of friends.

I met MK through her mother, Kelley, when she served on the board at De Leon ISD.  Later as Ray served as Superintendent there, we got to be friends with her parents, Howard and Kelley, and just fell in love with Mary Katherine.  MK became friends with all of us at the Fort Worth Club when she became a member there.  Doc and Patty thought she was just delightful and we enjoyed kind of adopting her when she moved to Fort Worth.  Doc and Patty, Larry Don and Lori, and Ray and I traveled to Las Vegas one year to watch her run a marathon.  

As we became friends of the Dickey's, we got to know other friends who were at wedding also.  Peter and Susie, Nancy, and so many other folks from De Leon.  Shirley and Larry Simpson have been good friends with not only the Dickeys over the years but our good friends, Larry and Debbie Dyer from Granbury who now live in Hot Springs, Ark.  Such a small world!

It was also fun to run into our friends, the Millers, from White Settlement last night.  Mike Miller grew up down the street from MK's mother.  Jake and I attended church with the Millers when we lived in White Settlement.  Jake and Shayla Miller attended Brewer Middle School together.  Shayla and Laci lived together in college, and Shayla was a bridesmaid in Laci's wedding.  

As MK met and begin to date Wes, we discovered that Wes was a youth minister in Mansfield at the Church on Rush Creek.  Oddly enough, Kari Blankenship works as the children's minister at the same church.  Kari's mother, Susan Brooks Blankenship, was one of my childhood besties growing up in New Boston.  Susan's dad was the preacher at our church, and I spent a large part of my childhood at the parsonage with Susan.  I was Susan's matron of honor at her wedding when she and Vince married and was at the hospital the night Kari was born.  

When MK and Wes married, his parents and many of their friends also attended the wedding.  Wes' parents now live in the little town of Eldorado, Texas where our dear friend, Dr. Larry Blair grew up and later served as Superintendent of schools.  So many folks at the wedding last night know Blair and were excited to catch up on him and his family.  

I realize this story is a bit convoluted but what a fun night I had with so many people from so many different points in my life.  From my special friend, Pattycake,  and her connection to MK all the way back to my childhood with Susan was a special journey last night down memory lane while celebrating the union of Mary Katherine and Wes.  Besides the six degrees of MK, the wedding was beautiful as well!  And if you are on twitter, follow the trend at #weslovesmk.