Oh how time flies

Ten years ago this fall I spent a weekend in the mountains with 3 good friends.

We stayed in a cabin that was stocked with every board game you could imagine, had no tv and where the owners left a plate of warm brownies on the table and a fire roaring in the fireplace to greet us upon arrival. We explored the area, visiting a few small towns, going to a vineyard for a wine tasting, checking out the gorgeous views and enjoying each other's company.

Fast forward to last weekend. The same friends gathered, at my friend's (relatively) new house on the Eastern Shore for another fall weekend together. Only this time the group included four kids, ages 5, 3, 2 & 2 months.

The four of us have hung out since that weekend long ago, though much less frequently since two of us moved away 5 or so years ago. I see all of them individually fairly frequently, and in pairs on occasion, but this was the first time in a decade all four of us spent a weekend together. And though the dynamic was certainly different with the kiddos around (case in point, none of my friends would have ever woken me up at 5:48 in the morning with a "cockadoodle doo!" but a certain two year-old thinks that is hysterical!), at the same time, it wasn't really all that different.

We easily fell back into pace in conversation, and activities. We all stepped in and did what needed to be done with the kids, and as soon as they were asleep the cards came out and the laughing picked up. The four of us are pretty different, but as a group we really work well together, and it was nice to be reminded of that and have the opportunity just to hang out.

I've known for a long time that I'm pretty lucky to have such great friends, but this weekend made me appreciate them even more.