After we left Unkey, we met up with our dear friends, the Sheffields. I have been friends with Jen since the first few days of our freshman year at the University of Florida.
When she started school, Jen knew absolutely no one at the University of Florida. I knew a few people from my high school. Even so, both of us were like deer stuck in headlights being away from home and on our own for the first time in our lives.
Jen and I met during sorority rush. She had gotten to know another girl, Kristi, who happened to be in the same rush group as me. Kristi lived on the same floor as Jen and she introduced us one night as we all were walking back from a rush party. On pledge day, Jen and I showed up at the same sorority. Since she didn’t know anyone else, we naturally gravitated to one another. We became buddies from then on.
As we embarked on our first professional jobs following graduation, we were roommates. After we both got married, we bought homes that were right around the corner from each other. We went to the same church; our kids have grown up together and our husbands are close friends as well. Looking back on it all, it seems the Lord brought Jen and me together that hot August night in Gainesville, Florida to be lifelong friends.
One of the toughest things I had to do when we moved to Hong Kong was leave my bestie behind. A friendship like ours, however, transcends space and time and we still remain close despite the distance. So we decided months ago to meet up and travel together to see some of the national parks in Colorado. We have vacationed together before, but never for this long and never road-tripping in a van with us and our families crammed inside. Regardless of how it all turned out, we knew the trip would be, if nothing else, memorable.
From Breckenridge, we headed southwest to our first stop, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
We took a boat tour on the Gunnison River.
We did some hiking in and around the canyon.
The weather wasn’t too cooperative, but the views were spectacular nonetheless.
The best part of all was the time spent with friends.
Nice story, Tala and great pictures. I remember Aida and I taking you to UF on that very hot August day. And, you had no AC in your building as I remember. Your kids are looking so grown up now. Here where I live in Anderson, SC across the street from Anderson University ( Baptitst Affliated Liberal Arts School) the upper class men meet the freshmen students when they arrive and off load all their goods to their new home away from home, and the parents do not even have to get out of the car. This is a new tradition they just started so the parents can have one last easy day with their student-kids.
Nice story, Tala and great pictures. I remember Aida and I taking you to UF on that very hot August day. And, you had no AC in your building as I remember. Your kids are looking so grown up now. Here where I live in Anderson, SC across the street from Anderson University ( Baptist Affiliated Liberal Arts School) the upper class men meet the freshmen students when they arrive and off load all their goods to their new home away from home, and the parents do not even have to get out of the car. This is a new tradition they just started so the parents can have one last easy day with their student-kids.