Molly

Another lifetime ago, when I was still a college student, I had a job every summer at “The Perfect Party,” a party supply store in Colonial Square. My best friend was Molly Hansen, and we were inseparable. We were also in the same young adult singles ward, and all of the guys referred to us as “Molanie.” The running joke was also that, yes, we WERE the “perfect party” (in a very moral way, of course).When Molly left on her mission to New England, I really had a hard time with it. Again, our friends delighted in taunting us as a few of us saw Molly off before the MTC and at the airport.Since that time, we have both lived in different states, and have five kids between us. Molly and her family now live in China. We have stayed in touch over the years, but have not seen each other in a very long time.

So, I was thrilled when Molly emailed me to let me know that they were coming to Utah for a few weeks! We decided to grab take-out dinners and meet at a park with our kids. Ryan and Brigham are pretty close in age, so we hoped they would hit it off. They were slow to warm up to each other, but then wanted to spend every waking (and sleeping!) minute together for the next few days. Ryan announced that Brigham was “his best friend that didn’t live on this continent.” I feel the same way about his mom! :)Here are a few pictures from our evening at the park. We grabbed an innocent bystander to take pictures. Little did we know that she was a semi-professional photographer!The following day, Ryan and Brigham spent the day together, first for a few hours at our house, and then for a few hours at Brigham’s grandparents’ house, where Molly’s family is staying. We spent that evening at the Farmer’s Market with Molly & her family, Kristin & Abby, my mom, and Molly’s dad. We all sat on the Tabernacle lawn (all 12 of us!) and ate dinner together. It was a blast!I don’t know about Molly, but with the exception of all of the kids now with us, it seemed like the “old days!” It was so much fun to spend time with her again, and it was especially fun to have our kids develop a friendship with each other. Even as I was typing the beginning of this, Ryan and Brigham were texting each other. It was 8:00 pm here, and 10:00 am in China.

Come back soon!