PEACE OUT TEXAS

Calli's best friend in 5th and 6th grade was Lauren Belk. Lauren had moved from North Carolina and after 6th grade went back to North Carolina….very sad time for us. Calli and Lauren were really good friends and spent most of their free time together. I loved having Lauren around. Her parents were great people and we shared a lot in common, most importantly our faith and parenting practices.

Lauren has visited Texas twice since she moved away because her aunt and cousin lives here. But only once were we able to see her on a visit. I have promised Julie, Laurens mom, that Calli could come visit but with all of our schedules and the additional fee that was required prior to her turning 14 made a plane trip expensive. Julie called me right after Thanksgiving and told me that flights were reasonable and United wouldn't require the additional fee if she was 14. So I booked it….and we surprised the girls the first week in December and let them know about the visit. I did a virtual hangman puzzle and called Lauren with Calli on my phone and had them do it together via phone. They were both excited.

2 days after Christmas, Calli boarded a plane, all by herself and flew to Charlotte North Carolina. I was able to get a gate pass and walk her back to the gate which was nice.

Once she landed, she had to make her way to baggage claim where the entire Belk family was waiting for her.

They walked around downtown Charlotte

Got their creative juices flowing with some pottery painting

Drove up to the mountains (I realize these aren't mountains in the background but I don't have any pictures).

The best time together was just the fun they had. According to Julie it was just like old times….they never missed a beat. One night she texted me and said that she opened Lauren's door to her room and the lights were off, they were singing at the top of their lungs into a flashlight and videoing themselves. She said they never even noticed she was there so she quietly backed out of the room and shut the door. Priceless. The next day she sent me 2 videos of them in the backseat of the car singing and doing arm motions to Let It Go from frozen and Your Love Never Fails.

There were LOTS of tears when they dropped Calli off at the airport

Alli

Bryson

and Lauren but she wouldn't let her mom take her picture.

And LOTS of hugs when she landed back in Texas