I had the chance to spend the day today with my college roomies. We all hooked up in Rome, GA, since it's a fairly central location for us. Jeff and I are staying with our brother and sister-in-law tonight. The kids are so happy to be back with Carrie Beth; they are begging to stay longer. I hate to pull them away so quickly, but I keep trying to convince them that a weekend together is better than nothing at all. So far they don't seem to be buying it.

From left to right in the first picture are Kathryn, Susie, me and Amy. We actually lived together all four years of college, an accomplishment I'm pretty proud of. Susie and I didn't know each other at all before the Lord put us together our freshman year at Samford, and it was a perfect fit. She is wild and crazy and loves Broadway as much as I do. She sings like an angel and is completely unintimidated by what folks might think of her. I love her dearly.

Kathryn married Ray right out of college and moved to England. She lived there for eleven years until moving back Stateside in 2006, where she landed a job doing all of the print advertising for the Biltmore estate in Asheville, NC. I'm so proud of her. This is the first opportunity we've taken to all get together since she's been home. It's been far too long coming.

Amy lives in Rome and has always been a treasure to me. I get to see her more than the other two since we have a reason to come to Rome every now and then, but definitely not as often as I would like. Her little ones are 3 and 5, and as adorable as their momma has always been.

It's hard to believe that between the four of us we have seven sons and two daughters. When we get together, it feels like no time has passed since we were living in Cripple Creek Apartments in Birmingham, AL, and yet the many children tell a different tale. Susie's oldest will be 11 next month, on the downhill slope to adulthood. It's breathtaking.

Moments like these remind me how quickly the time passes. When I realize that Bradley is now closer to his college experience than I am to mine, it is a stark reminder to make the most of each day. Maybe I can apply that to these early days of potty-training and they won't drive me as crazy!