Exciting day

Yesterday we met up with my high school girlfriend and her family who moved to Australia more than five years ago. They are in the Netherlands for a first real visit since then and I admit I was quite nervous and excited to see them again!

We spent our years on high school together and biked to and from school every day. Mannn I still remember the storms we had to pedal through at times. But also the non-stop giggling like only teenagers can do.

As teenagers we also traveled together; in the Netherlands we had something called 'teenager rail', which meant you could travel by train for four days as from the age of 16 years. Our parents allowed us to travel to relatives and that's what we did. We had a lot of fun. We watched the film Fatal Attraction together in the very north of our country and had nightmares in her granny's house because of it (I remember screaming "That rabbit" in the middle of the night ;). We prepared cakes in the bakery of my (now) late uncle. She forgot her braces at my grandparents' so we had to go back to get them. I remember that when arriving at the house again my granddad asked her whether she had forgotten her denture ;). It's still a fond memory of my grandfather to me (he died in my early twenties). And I had my first Big Mac with her, in those years McDonalds was still quite rare in our country and of course we had to try. Oh the memories!

We also worked together in our summer jobs in the south of France as we were eighteen years old. It was hard work. Starting work at 7am every morning, working on the fields (in the hot weather - even at 40*C), in the green houses or in the shed sorting tomatoes, melons or cucumbers until 11am, then going to the house to prepare lunch, have lunch and clear away again, maybe a quick siesta and then we had to continue work again until 8pm. Preparing dinner, having dinner and clearing away. Shower time. And going out lol... but up early again in the morning. It was huge fun though. A great chapter in my life.

We went different directions after high school but found each other again afterwards. We both started lives with our boyfriends. Started working. We got married. They left for a year of backpacking and working Australia. We met up somewhere in their tour around Oz in Melbourne. They came back to the Netherlands. They had their daughter. Got married.
But deep in their hearts they longed for Australia. And so they left again. Now permanently. But fortunately there's internet!

And now they are back... for a visit! So cool :)
It was great talking and laughing again, I so enjoyed our get-together and I have very warm feelings of it! Thanks guys!