squirrels and macaroni and cheese and staplers

This is Gracie being held by my longest friend. We're talking she moved in two doors down when I was four and she was three. She and her older sister Emily are the ones I built nests for squirrels out of lawn clippings and filled them with acorns with. She's the one I taped cooking shows making macaroni and cheese and peanut butter sandwiches with. They're the ones I was going to start the Kid's Cafe with where all the neighborhood kids could come eat (probably macaroni and cheese and peanut butter sandwiches and fruit roll-ups for dessert) and we started by making aprons out of material scraps. We used a stapler because it was easier than sewing. They're the ones with whom we decided that going door-to-door to sell lemonade might make a bigger profit than just sitting on the sidewalk, and we were right because NO ONE turned us and our little wagon full of cups and a pitcher down. I still have her phone number memorized (See? XXX-XXXX :). Every so often a wedding or a holiday will bring us back to the same neighborhood where we grew up and we make plans for lunch, which we had last Friday. This was the first time I had a daughter to bring along, which sweetened an already exciting afternoon. It was fun to hold my little girl while I caught up with my friend from when I was a little girl.

My 5th birthday party. Cousin Kenny, you're in there too.