Erin's Best Trip Around the Sun Yet

Today, 31 years ago, my best friend was born. Just 6 short months after I made my arrival, Erin entered this world too! I like to think that God planned it that way, for us to meet 10 years later, in 5th grade. Over the last two decades +, we’ve experienced a lot together. I mean that’s longer than most people have been with their significant other! lol. We’ve been there for the highs, the lows, and both celebrated and cried together through it all.

This past year, though, brought with it more happiness than tears. Though there were some tears, fortunately, they were tears of joy. You see, Erin has always wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. I was the kid growing up that wanted to be the “big sister” when I played with dolls, but Erin, she always wanted to be the “mom.” I watched her silently, and then not so silently, struggle with infertility a few years into her marriage. I prayed hard for God to make her a mother, like her heart desired. Though it wasn’t the way we had imagined it would happen, Ava was an answer to prayer, nonetheless, and has been everything we prayed for and more!

Though my heart ached for Erin through her struggle with infertility and I prayed desperately for her to be a mom, I couldn’t help but selfishly wonder what would happen to us, our friendship, and our blog. How would we still be able to travel, to spend evenings doing our nails and watching Netflix, laying out and floating in the pool, shooting blog content, and going to events? Our schedules were already busy and we often struggled to make time to do the things we loved to do because of the demands of our jobs. We were still young and had so much to do though, I thought. I knew that with my answered prayer would come a loss of all of these things that I loved to do with my best friend.

Except it didn’t…

Yes, life looks a little different, but to be honest, our friendship is very much the same. I was there the day Ava came home. I was there on her first birthday to take photos. I was there to celebrate her first holidays. She was with us for my birthday in Deep Creek. And I was there the day she was officially adopted and took Erin’s last name (and a lot of days in between)! Charlie girl has a new little friend and Ava doesn’t mind her puppy kisses. It has been an amazing year for Erin and so, it has also been an amazing year for me. ♡

That’s the cool thing about real friendship.

It doesn’t stop when life changes. It isn’t defined by your titles or your daily responsibilities. It doesn’t depend on the many hats we wear every day. It remains the same. It adapts and it molds because life is ever-changing. While the world around us changes, we stay the same.

Erin’s past year (and the story behind it) is such a testimony. We don’t always get the things we ask God for because His plan is always better than our own, what we think we need, and what is best for us. Erin was faithful and trusted completely in Him and I have never seen her happier and more full of joy.

We still spend time together, we still travel together, and our blog has never been more successful than it is right now. It has definitely been Erin’s best trip around the sun yet and I’m so happy that I get to be a part of it and I get to be “Aunt Ash.” ♡

In the words of Thomas Rhett…
“Ain’t it funny how life changes?
You wake up, ain’t nothing the same and life changes.
You can’t stop it, just hop on the train.
You never know what’s gonna happen.
You make your plans and you hear God laughing.
Life changes and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Happy 31st birthday, best friend. I’m looking forward to celebrating you today!! Love you always!

xoxo,

Ash