Paybacks

Last night my phone rang at 1:30AM. I was instantly concerned. What was going on? "Hello," I said. And the rest of the conversation went something like this. Hey whats up? We are so drunk and were thinking of you and Earl. Wake Earl up we want to say hello. My cousin Kelly, the responsible party of introducing Earl and I, just had a win after a 6 game losing streak so he was celebrating. He coaches the highschool boys basketball team in Craig, Alaska or BFE.

I say paybacks because while I was in college I decided that him and Jennifer (his wife) were my designated drivers, that meant they were on call Wednesday through Saturday night. Oh and I guess the occasional Tuesday too. They were also responsible for making sure I was properly fed, that my laundry was done, and the good ol' Honda was running smoothly. I in turn provided them with childcare so they could get their party on, that is until I turned 21.

After we hung up the phone I couldn't sleep because my brain was flooded with all the great memories. They probably remember guiding me through all my college drama. I remember-- Trips to Boise to school clothes shop with a screaming baby! Playing basketball with Jacob's hoop for shots, excellent meals, Friends nights, and meeting my husband.

I can still remember the first time I met him. It was in the entry way of their trailer, and remember just because they lived in a trailer park, didn't mean they had to act like it. Earl and I hung out there as friends for the summer, fall, winter and finally in the spring he asked me to go snowmobiling with him. The rest I guess is history.

Except that Kelly and Jenn, and their adorable kids, Jacob and Kaitlyn moved away after Kelly graduated in June. We miss having them here.

This was me during that time....

Coming tomorrow: Me Today!