Day Two Hundred and One

The Dinner Surprise

"What draws people to be friends is that they see the same truth. They share it."

-C.S. Lewis

It's not often you find people like them. People overflowing in generosity and kindness, sincerity and love. But when you do find them, hold on for dear life. They're a rare bunch, and incredibly, God's blessed me in abundance. It wasn't a month ago that the four of us enjoyed our first 'girl's night out.' I can't even tell you the last time I did something like that, but ever since, an overwhelming amount of weight has been lifted from my shoulders. It sounds pathetic, but I was literally desperate for honest, fun, and deep connections with other newlywed women. Women who love the Lord, and who see friendship in the same light as I do. Thankfully, God saw my need and responded quickly. When I leave Jupiter in 2 days, I'll be saying goodbye to some incredible women, each who have spoken so much truth into my life. They've opened my eyes to the kind of friendship that lasts forever, and I'm so thankful for their beautiful smiles and joyful hearts. Gosh, they're great. I'm really going to miss them.

As a sort of "final farewell" (even though I'll see two of them tomorrow!), we all met up (husbands included) for a delicious barbecue dinner at the Bozzo's home. Gosh, we LOVE grilled food! Lara made an exceptional salsa hamburger recipe that I'm excited to eventually make on my own (once we're allowed to have a grill)! Seriously, professional-style. Mmmm. 

And then, to cap off such a sweet evening, Channing and Amber surprised us with a gift I'll always remember. Channing saw an idea on Pinterest and tackled it like a pro; she designed a sort of dessert-tower masterpiece. It was so cute. So good. But better than the treats, were the pictures.  They scoured our blog, looking for monumental photos of the Conley journey thus far. They printed the pictures and toothpicked them into the dessert, and when I saw what they'd created for us, I cried. Their hearts are so pure. So thoughtful. And I have a lot to learn from them. I'm so thankful to call each of them my friend, and can't wait to spend more time with them when we return home. Love you, girls. Thank you for everything.