The Story Of Us

Each of us would have a different way of telling this story. This is my version.

And it begins in a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Laura and I were four. I remember right after we walked in to get lunch, my mom saw one of our family friends (Mindy's mom) who was there with her four year old daughter. Now, keep in mind, I was four years old but I remember the conversation going something like this:

My mom: "Girls, come here. Say Hi. This is Kate and Laura" And we sheepishly walked over to her.

Mindy's mom: "Hi Kate and Laura. This is Melinda" (It's possible she said "Mindy" here but I swear it was "Melinda").

silence

My mom: "You girls will be going to kindergarten together."

silence

Mindy's mom: "Well, it's nice to see you all!"

And that's the first time we met. The good news is we did start talking in school and thus began the friendship of 3/4 girlfriends. Mindy was an adorable four year old with this adorable Kool-aid mustache. She introduced Laura and me to green peppers and oreos and bon fires and the Internet.

Years later in ninth grade, I met Karissa in Biology class. She already knew Mindy because they played basketball together and as we transitioned into high school, the four of us became really good friends. We joined student council together, we attended football games and spent a lot of time at Outback.

We didn't dub our group "Girlfriends" for quite some time but we've shared a lot of memories. We visited each other at college and took vacations and celebrated weddings and a baby together. 
Even though we've been separated by distance over the years, we've grown closer in our friendship. And I know this is just the beginning...

The end,

Kate