Filled to the Brim

When Savana was a mere 8 months old, we moved to Albuquerque. Previously, we lived in Loma Linda, CA near my sister Lori and her husband (at the time) Gary, which was all kinds of fabulous. However, we worked in the public school system and, as our first three years were spent at Campion--an SDA boarding school--we longed for the idealism a boarding school offers. We had good friends, Debbie and Carlos, who worked at Sandia View in ABQ and they told us of an opening for a pe teacher. Roy and I mulled over the idea of applying for that job but we were so torn: we loved living near Lori and Gary. But we missed the perks of boarding academy. We missed the lifestyle, the mission, the living and loving and working all rolled into one.

And so, we applied for the job and stopped by for an interview on our way to visit my parents in Oklahoma. They called us on our way back to say -- We Want You! and so, we loaded up and moved on a hot July day. Hugging my sister goodbye in her Loma Linda driveway will forever be etched in my mind.

But our heads were filled with idealism and hope and excitement and starry-eyed dreams as we headed off for red skies and desert mountains. We moved into a cozy home there on campus and immediately met Estee and Ruth--two incoming freshmen who had been best friends since the early days of elementary.

And we fell in love with those girls.

Estee was one of four kids raised by totally deaf parents. Her story was fascinating and she had a wisdom beyond her years. She also had ringlet curly hair and one time for a banquet, I ironed it straight. With an iron and an ironing board.

Ruth came from a close-knit family with strict parents who adored her. Ruth was a loyal, sweet girl who wormed her way into our hearts effortlessly.

They both babysat Savana and she adored them. Estee spent time teaching Savana how to speak in sign language before that was even a "thing" that parents did with their babies. Savana knew cat, dog, mama, daddy...I can't remember them all now but Estee used to patiently work with her and I can still see Savana's chubby little hands creating those words while her big blue eyes looked up at Estee's.

Estee and Ruth spent evenings and weekends at our home and we stayed up for hours giggling and talking and dreaming together. I was practically a child myself -- only 25 years old -- and I loved those girls. They were with us through my pregnancy with Darian and her first few months of life, helping me navigate motherhood with two as they willingly changed diapers, soothed fussing babies, and helped me juggle. Those girls lit up my world.

And then, two years later, the powers-that-be closed the school. Roy and I were devastated. We loved Sandia View, loved the terrain, the weather, the mountains. Our faculty and student body were close knit as we were a small bunch -- less than 50 kids (thus the reason they closed). We worked hard and played hard and loved loved loved. Those two years will forever be engrained as two of our best as we made lifelong friends and memories and so much goodness from our time there.

But hands down the best thing that came out of ABQ?

Estee and Ruth.

Ruth helped us pack up our home, even slept on our floor our last couple of days there when the beds were undone so that she could spend every last moment with us before we headed to Wisconsin. We begged Estee to move with us as we feared for her future a bit. Ruth was headed to boarding school in another state, but Estee's future was a bit more precarious. She had fallen in love and she saw stars while we saw struggle. But of course, she was only 16 at the time and we were like overprotective parents, stepping in when we should have stepped back.

Thanks for being our guinea pig, Estee Marie. I was a better mom to my teens because of you.

In those early days of Wisconsin, Ruth came to visit a couple of times. She did our heart good as she was one of our kids. And then she grew up and married and now has four kids of her own.

But Estee? We lost contact.

And then one day out of the blue she came to visit us when we lived in Missouri. My girls were teenagers and of course Jace was just a little guy running the hallways when she stepped into our home for the first time in over 10 years.

And it was like no time had gone by. The connection was instant with all of us. My girls fell in love with her immediately. It was Estee all grown up -- but still Estee Marie. That same girl we loved at 14 with that silly little giggle and that wisdom beyond her years and those ringlet curls.

When Savana got married, Estee flew out and coordinated the wedding for her.

She was a life saver.

And she is now a regular part of our life--stuck with us. We will never let her go.

I host alumni events around the country, flying out monthly to a new location. Today I am flying to Albuquerque and staying with Estee Marie. I am joining her family in celebrating her birthday and meeting her two adult children that I already love because I know who they are. I am throwing my arms around Ruth's babies and I am going to be 25 again, surrounded by these two girls that will forever have my heart.

Life is filled with blue jeans and beetles and sunsets and candles and laundry and packing lunches and Netflix.

And then there's the people--the people in our lives that bring it all home, that make us laugh, that fill it up to the brim.

Today? Well, today my heart will be overflowing with life's goodness.

And I can't wait.