"Well we should definitely do the Hunger Games and baby Lincoln clinics... but not together."

This weekend was a trip to one of my very favorite places with some of my favorite people. I'd been looking forward to it for weeks and it delivered--memories, conversations, traditions, fun, new friends, and togetherness.

Alli and I left Indy at the crack of dawn, actually earlier than the crack of dawn, at about 5:45. I was excited to surprise her with her birthday gift, this time a craft that won't have to be nailed into her wall.

Before and after:

We drove all morning, hyped up on coffee, Diet Coke, and country music until we made it through the blizzard to dear old Hope College. I LOVE this place. Like excited voice, jumping out of the car, smile that can't be suppressed, squealing at every little thing kind of love.

This place feels like home, and it was my home for four incredible years. They weren't perfect by any means but I did grow up in this place and learned so much about friendship, about what my passions are, about the person that I am and the person I want to be. It was such a gift to settle into the familiar wooden pews with Alli on one side of me and Sara Nielsen, one of my oldest SIB friends, on my right. We walked through the snow covered Pine Grove and I soaked up this view. Alli and I toured the SIB cottage, went to a Psych class, walked through the bookstore and library and checked out all of my favorite spots on 8th street. I love this place.

To get out of the cold and take a break we went to JPs for a latte and blueberry muffin. Going to meet friends to talk or do homework together was always one of my very favorite things.

I got to meet with Virginia, my SIB gbaby, and Becca, one of the newest additions to our Sibological family. I love that being a part of the Hope community and part of this sorority gives us an instant connection. Virginia and I have only a met a handful of times but I think she is great--she cares about making others feel included and welcome, she gets involved and she wants to live her life with integrity. I already like Becca and can see that she is a person that is so full of joy and positivity.

Friday night I got to spend more time with SIB alumni. Lauren, Andrea and Meg are all newly engaged which is exciting and we got to hear their stories. It's fun to step back into this world for a little while with the people that made my time here so special. I loved getting to sit and talk with Sara and hear about her life right now and share my heart with her.

There were so many girls back for the night and I loved getting to laugh and tell old stories together. It's fun to hear about where they've gone and what they're doing with their lives now. The hard part about coming back is that it makes me miss my old Hope friends more than usual. I miss Fezzey's laugh, Jami's advice, doing everything with Kimmy, talks with Ruthie, adventures with Jenna, dancing with Gretchen, going to lunch after church with Kelly and Tracy, getting coffee with Lani and doing Young Life with Lauren.

I stayed with Katie, Nick and baby Lincoln at their farm house all weekend. I love being an aunt. I hadn't seen Linc for awhile and he just grew up. He can sit up on his own now and is just so alert and active.

Saturday morning Katie and Linc woke me up early because they wanted to play. We ate waffles and drank coffee and soon Zara, their niece, showed up to play for the day. Zara is almost a year older than Lincoln but they're almost exactly the same size.

Zara's favorite game was putting the crayons back into the crayon box. Lincoln's favorite game is being really precious.

When you say, "Zara can you show me your new teeth?" she makes this face. Oh my preciousness I can hardly handle it.

Back to Hope one more time, we visited Sammie's to get some initial sweatbands. Clutch.

I got to see Becca again and meet Brigid, the other new addition to our SIB fam. I loved getting the chance to talk to these girls who are the next generation. They're nervous and excited because they don't know what to expect from all of this yet. I got to tell them about some of my favorite parts and give them advice. But I love that although they'll experience so many of the traditions and events that I did their journey will be uniquely theirs because of what they put into it and the people they're surrounded by.

We spent the rest of the weekend back on the farm. Lincoln played Top 10 lists with Katie, Alli and I...

Alli got to hold baby Lincoln too, I think it was what she was most looking forward to about the weekend.

Lincoln's talents also include reading books like Snuggle Puppy and blowing spit bubbles.

Seriously, this kid got the reading genes for sure.

We did some crafting makeover on our old rocking horse, watched Breaking Dawn, ate Nick's special recipe chili and did hundreds of leg squats for Linc. I love getting to just be with my family and hang out. It's so great that they're closer now and these weekends can happen more often.

Alli and I drove back Sunday afternoon with more caffeine and more country music. We were exhausted but content, it was such a great weekend. When I arrived home I immediately went over to see Carolyn, Lesem, Emily and McSoley. They were in town for the weekend and it was so great to get to see them for a bit.

These girls laugh loud, they tell the best stories, they wear towels for fun, they play hide and go seek if I ask them too and they love to talk about camp.

When I finally got back to my own home I was thrilled to find letters and surprises from great friends. It really does mean so much that they took the time to sit down and write a letter by hand.

And the icing on the cake for the day was a visit from Coll and Rachie. What a pair. I love getting to sit and talk with them. They appreciate being real, being intentional, being honest, being vulnerable and I know that they've always got my back.