This photo was taken eight years ago.

Every Christmas we would host a cookie decorating party at my house and smear globs of dyed icing on sugar cookies. It was great, messy fun.

I look at the young girls in these pictures and it blows my mind that the dark-haired beauties, those Payette girls, all have baby girls of their own now. And Marla married Maury, that guy that Kristin thought was cute at Youth Conference. And Amy was engaged to a guy for a while, but they broke it off and now he’s marrying someone else. And Dauna is pursuing journalism. And Kristin decided not to be an artist and is studying social work, and has left a trail of broken hearts in her wake; men who were ready to marry her, but she is following her heart and waiting to find her soulmate. And I married a fruit farmer and live in the Okanagan.

I wonder what each of these girls in the photo would have said if we were given a glimpse of our lives, eight years later. Would they be disappointed? Surprised? Excited?

In the past eight years we have all experienced our share of joy, pain, adventure and discovery. It makes me sad that I have lost touch with many of the girls at that kitchen table. A lot can happen in eight years. It makes me wonder where I will be in another eight years.