That Place

I hope that you too have a special place. Where you know exactly how many miles as each exit sign passes. A place where the exit off the interstate gives you goosebumps. Where you can still walk down Minnesota Street and see the same friendly faces from years prior. Where the smell of stale cigarette smoke floats through the bar and it brings you back to nights of warm Jameson and more awkward dance parties than you could ever truly put a number too.

This weekend we got to celebrate Brooke in our special place. I think back to when I first toured St. Ben’s. I cried. I hated the tiny map dot town so much I never could imagine myself there. I didn’t even want to get out of the car and go on a tour. My mom always reminds me of that now because that little map dot stole my whole heart. That town brought me some of the most amazing women, who are now my sisters. That town brought me memories that I wish to relive daily. That town is where we are going to bring our future families and share those experiences with them. It is where we found ourselves, our core group of friends, and a path. I don’t think any of us had any clue when we decided to be Bennies that we would be getting all of this too. That town molded us to be servants to those who need, to be kind and honest even when it hurts, and to truly hold a faith that there is something more to be had.

This weekend held a lot of memories that we got to share as the first of our lovely crew gets to become a Mrs. These memories are never going to fade or erase. They’re never going to be the same. They’ll never have the chance to be relived. This was the first of many and I’m so grateful that we got to share such a momentous occasion together in our favorite place.