Farewell to a Festival of Friendship

"You only meet your once in a lifetime friends... once in a lifetime."
- The Little Rascals

Last night, Jolyon and I bid farewell to two of our dearest friends.

As I write this post, Dan is cruising up I-95 in his blue Fit with Buster, a playful if not slobbery mutt, towards a three-year stint at Cornell Law School. Kaleigh is driving "the best packed truck in the nation" (thankfully, the laughs outweighed the boxes) in pursuit of the Fit and their new life in Ithaca, NY.

I was wrestling with how to best write about this friendship; it's deserving of a public display in the finest gallery so that others can create replicas and enhance their own lives.

Or maybe it should be quietly preserved in a box, wrapped with a pretty bow, and tucked away in our private memory shelf.

Or maybe these pictures will be enough to convey how much these two crazy kids impacted our lives in a relatively short period of time (9 months; "Thanks for bearing my children." -Dan).

"Delicious."

Christmas Cookie Craziness, 2009

Fishy smell in Disneyland

Jolyon tries for a hug in Disneyland.

ShelLy and KaLeigh

The Icing Incident of 2009.

Celebrating Buster's birthday.

With Danleigh's housewarming gift.

Boys and their toys.

Celebrating for Buster.

Disneyland in California

Unforgettable

Hollywood, CA

Lovely lady legs.

Fun mirrors, or too much theme park food?

Hollywood ladies

Late night dinner in CA

Water park fun

A relaxing Sunday at the Sasse residence.

Definitely going to miss days like these.

Horseshoe show-down

Slumber party

Signing the pact.

The Pact

A goofy bunch

Epic Wii battle on their last night in Orlando; Jolyon wearing his "I Love NY" shirt in support.

Jolyon finally gets his hug.

Final moments.

An unforgettable foursome.

"The tender friendships one gives up, on parting, leave their bite on the heart, but also a curious feeling of a treasure somewhere buried."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry