Mike and Dwayne's friendship was formed during a game of dodge ball. They were game time leaders for AWANA. I think they actually enjoyed game time more than the kids some days (as they were trying to pelt each other with the dodge ball)! Before long we were sitting by them at church every Sunday. I remember one Sunday where I realized that they were sitting at the other end of the pew with Cedric (a baby at the time) and we were at the other end with the three other kids fighting for our laps!Dwayne & Rene started a Bible study in their home on Sunday nights several years (and kids) ago. It was during this time that our friendship really grew. When the Bible study started we were the only childless couple. We'd be the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave. It was Dwayne that convinced Mike it was possible for us to build our own home. He's a dreamer (like Mike) and they loved planning the build together. Dwayne was an invaluable resource to Mike during the build. Not only did he help with the work, he brought entertainment for those long days (in the form of kids!)
When I got a deal on Denver Bronco's tickets, Dwayne and Rene dropped everything to make a last minute trip to Colorado with us. They have a love for the mountains like we do and Mike and Dwayne were always searching for property to buy out there where we could build a mountain retreat. Instead, Dwayne's parents bought some land. Mike went out there one weekend to help Dwayne work on the log cabin he was building for his parents. The next year it was complete enough for both of our families to go for a long weekend vacation. This was before they adopted Kaleabe and Kidist, so there was room for all of us (and Brody) to ride in one suburban. I was amazed that Brody's crying (the ENTIRE trip to CO) didn't even phase their kids (or them). I guess they'd been there before.
Mike and Dwayne spent weekends cutting down trees for firewood...and also planting trees! One year they decided they wanted to buy 1,000 trees to plant and maybe even have a Christmas tree farm (remember I told you they're both dreamers). Rene and I put a stop to that one. They still bought several hundred trees...but not the 1,000 they dreamed about. Rene always told me that she was nervous when it was just Mike and Dwayne hanging out. She said that they were dangerous together and she never knew what plan they would hatch! Mike is really going to miss Dwayne. They worked together, prayed together, played together, and dreamed together. We're also going to miss watching their precious children grow up...and getting to know the new additions (Kaleabe & Kidist...no clue if I'm spelling their names right!!!)
It is very hard to think about leaving this dear family. Rene doesn't blog (like Teri does), so I'm afraid that we'll lose touch easier and that I won't be able to keep up with what's going on in their lives. I do know that we'll always remain friends and hopefully we'll get to spend many more weekends at the cabin in Colorado together!
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