Day 20: Edgemere

Edgemere is the place I called home in my mid to late-twenties and played a significant part in shaping who I am today.

Oh, there were so many goooood times at Edgemere (there were hard times too but the good truly outweighs the bad!). It would take an entire forty days to write all the experiences that impacted me during my days at this haven -- so instead of trying to talk about all of them, I'll focus on the core -- the impact of my first three Edgemere roommates.

I moved into this home only 20 minutes from my parents but seemingly so far away. I knew my roommate Lisa as we had crossed paths for two years in college and somehow managed to stay in touch even with our diverse interests which amazes me still to this day! Lisa promised me an adventure and roommates named Julie and Pete. Julie was Lisa's sister and I had met her while taking trips to and from Des Moines in the previous years to watch Julie play basketball at Drake and while I didn't know her well, I had always been drawn to the entire Rittger's family and was sure we'd get along. The other roommate I only knew by name: Carrie Peters, but everyone called her "Pete" and all I knew of her is that she was friends with Julie and had planned to start med school at the U in the fall. So began our journey -- the "upstairs girls" (Pete & Julie) and the "downstairs girls" (Lisa and I) and a beautiful home on a street named Edgemere.

What do I remember the most about my time with these women? Standing in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal and sharing life together. There were so many other things that filled the time our paths crossed in this home including: parties (the 80s party is the most memorable), praise and worship nights, mowing and shoveling and other things to keep up the house, antics with the boys of Foss Road, watching football and basketball games and Thursday night TV, splitting up the phone bill, decorating for Christmas, making homemade pizza, great joy, heartbreak, and more.

But, the fondest memories are

roommate times

(typically between 11 p.m. - 1 a.m.)

standing in the kitchen

eating bowls of cereal

and talking about the past, present and future.

One by one these good friends moved away from Edgemere. Julie was the first to leave -- moving to Ohio to start a new job at Athletes in Action. She was following a calling and soon after met a tall man named Craig who would eventually become her husband. She and Craig now have two lovely boys and live in Des Moines, Iowa.

Pete moved away when she married a fellow-med-student who often visited Edgemere (he called it "the palace"). We all loved Carter -- and were thrilled when he won Pete's heart and we so enjoyed celebrating together at their Minneapolis wedding. Pete & Carter now live outside Minneapolis with their beautiful three children. It has been too long since I've seen them and am going to make it a point to visit them soon!

Lisa moved out of Edgemere to follow her life-long-dream to live in Oregon where she was sure life would be even better! And, indeed, she was blessed from the moment she stepped foot in this northwest state. She met great friends, found new roommates, was hired for a job that fit her perfectly and eventually connected with a man named Andy. She still lives in Oregon -- and the Lord has blessed her with an amazing husband and two gorgeous children. My friendship with Lisa was cemented because of the years we lived together -- she is still one of my closest friends and confidants. Her level-headedness, concern for me (and others), joy for life, love for God and deep wisdom are just a few of the things I love about Lisa. What a gift she has been to me.

If I could choose a season of life to re-live it would be the days of Edgemere. But knowing I can't relive them I'll savor the memories and attempt to share life with others like I did at Edgemere.