The N.E.C.K. club

A very close friend of mine has recently been affected by the economy and downsizing and has lost her amazing job. But, in spite of that, she has made the brave decision to start her own business in this crazy economy. I greatly admire her in this amazing endeavour that she is starting!

Katie, I hope that this new chapter in life and adventure that you are about to embark on finds you nothing but peace and happiness.  I am in awe of this path that you are heading on, and believe that you are going to reap an amazing life from it!

In honor of Katie (and others mentioned in this story), ttonight, I wanna take the time to tell you a lil story about some special people in my life...

Once upon a time, about 27 years ago, I met this young girl (well baby) and we instantly became friends. You see she had a sister who was my age and she was the age of my younger sister.  The four of us young girls became instant friends and so did our parents.  Us four girls were inseparable, we did EVERYTHING together, or so we've been told!

From the time the younger sisters were in diapers, the four of us would play together all day long, with barbies, dolls, ride bikes, swim in the swimming pool whenever we could, play dress up, jump on the trampoline, walk goats on leashes like they were dogs, chase onrie chickens around the yard, play softball, and the list goes on!

A few years after we were all out of diapers, we created a little club in the tree in the front yard of the house that I grew up in, called the N.E.C.K. Club.  Man if that tree could talk, the things that it would say...we had so many conversations about life and boys up in that tree.

The four of us girls spent so much of our growing up years together we often referred to ourselves as sisters, heck we often fought like sisters, but we mostly loved and lived like sisters. 

When we all started high school our relationships started to take us down some different paths...the four of us never really went to the same school (except a brief time in Elementary school), but before high school that had never changed our relationship...somehow, high school did.  I know all relationships change and grow, but looking back now, there are definitely things that I would of done differently during the high school years that probably wouldn't have changed our relationships so much at that time. 

Although things changed in high school we were always there for each other, graduations, holidays, birthdays...anything big happened, you name it, we were all there for one another!  After high school, we all four dabbled in college of different sorts and some of us dabbled in numerous different colleges (and probably will do for the rest of her life lol). 

Although none of us went to the same college (except for me and Liz) we all kept in touch. A few years after college, I was given the opportunity (at different times) to re-strengthen my relationships with my friends and create new memories.  As we got older, it was fun to reminisce on life and what it used to be like, the crazy things we did as kids and how we thought we'd be doing different things.

Today, all four of the girls are still friends and "sisters" and although they don't get together as much as they would like, when they are together, it is like the time apart never happened and they just pick off from where they left off. 

I can't remember a time from my childhood that didn't involve all four members of the N.E.C.K. club. I am extremely grateful for these ladies and for the memories that we have all created together. I love you all and I look forward to creating new memories!

The members of the N.E.C.K club, and where they are today...
N - Natalie is living in southern California with another close friend of mine Heather, working as a youth pastor and in real estate. She is enjoying life and horribly misses having me as a roomie too!
E - Elizabeth (Liz) is living in SW KS with her hubby and her crazy sister and bro-in-law who live a few blocks away.  Liz works at a community college and loves spending anytime she can with her wonderful sister!
C - Charity is living with her silly hubby in SW KS too. She is working as a RN at 2 diff facilities and really enjoys what she is doing. C is growing each day as a person, learning to be still and enjoy her life!
K - Katie is living in southern CA,  teaching part time at community college, enjoying spending more newly free time with her long time love Josh, taking pilates classes and as of the other day starting her own business! But, she horribly misses having her friend Charity around!