You know what's fun? Finding an old memory card with a bunch of photos you forgot you even had. These were taken in 2011 at a summer barbecue. For reference, when these were taken I had just finished my freshman year of college, and Emmie was just a baby.
Sooo many things have changed in the last three years.
Ray and Kathy are history. Well, I should say Ray is history; Kathy's still my mom's sister, so she's not really going anywhere. Their divorce was not surprising. Bethany (Kathy's daughter/my cousin) was thrilled. For some reason, she always hated Ray.
Speaking of Bethany--
Even though she's 11, here, wow... she looks SO YOUNG to me! You should see her now, at 14-going-on-15. You wouldn't even recognize her. o_o
Awww... Levi! (Gus's nephew.) He's four, now, and just a bundle of energy. Can you believe Gray and Jaemie STILL live with Gus's dad? They're trying to have more kids, too. I adore Levi, but smh.
Haha, omg, look at my dad! I forgot that he tried to grow a beard that year. FAIL.
Kacey! Kacey and I are still friends, but we don't hang out as much as we did back then. I went to college right after high school, but it took a while for her to decide what she wanted to do. Now she's trying to become a travel agent. She wants to travel to all kinds of exotic places. I want to stow away in her suitcase.
One thing that's changed since 2011 is that Caitlin and Oliver have their own bedrooms, now. When I was a junior in college, Gus and I, and several of our college friends, decided to rent a house together. My parents were really angry with me about that. They thought I should live in the dorms, or at least get a small apartment with another female. But I did what I wanted and it worked out great! And I graduated college with a 3.67 GPA, thank you very much.
But when I made that decision, my parents decided to eliminate my bedroom... or, at least, my bedroom as I knew it. They hired contractors to put a wall down the center and add a second door, and now Emmy has one of the smaller rooms and Caitlin has the other. Upstairs, the twins' old room got divided, too, and Oliver sleeps in one of the rooms and the other is now a playroom.
Suffice it to say, I was really upset when my parents did that. Especially since it meant that when I came home for visits, I had to sleep on the couch. :(
Caitlin and Oliver are in second grade now. Oliver is quiet, serious, sensitive, curious, and tries to please everybody. Caitlin is talkative, impatient, whiny, a little bit lazy, and is always trying to boss other people around. They're both very smart and love to read and draw.
D'aw, Mickey! Mickey is doing great, despite being a Senior dog. When we rented the house near campus, Mickey got to come live with us! Gus and I are debating whether Mickey should get a little brother or sister pup. I want a Poodle or an Old English Sheepdog; Gus wants a Chihuahua or a Collie.
And what about Gus and me? How have we changed? Well, I think I'll save that for my next post.... :)
XOXO,
Ella
