Friendalicious!

I have the greatest friends in the world, if you don't believe me, just read my blog comments.

This one is for you guys.

Note:

• These are in no particular order....at all....
  
• I regret to say that my descriptions are inadequate to describe the impact each individual has had on my life. I wish for a moment you could share my head with me and see what I think and feel for each one....
  
• Also this list is not all inclusive. If I left you off it was inadvertent.
  
• I'll talk about my family later.

Norma

I don't think Norma knows I even have a blog. Norma and I have been friends since middle school. When we both left for college we kinda grew apart. However, I still consider her to be one of my good friends and I am grateful for the sanity she provided me during those rough middle school and high school years. We had quite the time! We laughed and cried a lot. I never would have survived without her.

Chelsea

Chelsea was my first roommate after the mission. We only lived together for a year, but it completely altered my life. Chelsea taught me the importance of making your home a sanctuary. She also made me want to be a lady. (Not an easy task for a rough and tumble tomboy.) Chelsea showed me you could still be feminine and have fun. I'll never forget...I think we were at FHE and in true Chelsea style she turned to some one and said, "You got tickets?" I can't remember if the person even responded or just looked at her perplexed. She struck a pose and responded in her best show"person" voice..."to the gun show!" It still makes me laugh today. Chelsea made the transition back to life from the mission easy. I saw an awesome returned sister missionary who found balance. She managed life, spirituality, and fun. I know it wasn't easy, but she did it. I'll never forget coming home after work and school and Chelsea would have a plate of food for me in the fridge. Can't ask for any more than that!

Becky

I met Becky my freshman year of college in Spanish class. Due to Becky's extraordinary efforts of keeping track of me we have been able to keep in touch. It's been fun to see her transition into different stages and watch her family grow. I don't think I have ever heard a negative word from her mouth. She is always optimistic and upbeat...even after 3 natural (no drugs) childbirths.

Jami

Jami was my last roommate in Vegas. She was there for the ending of the Walter drama and the TJ whirlwind. She was always so patient and understanding even when my own drama caused her great inconvenience. I have never known someone so busy. She taught school, was working on a Masters, and went above and beyond the call of duty as the advisor to the Polynesian club. We spent many a night in the living room watching Grey's Anatomy and making costumes for her club. The kids did an amazing job as performers, little did they know how much it took for Jami to organize everything. Jami and I had a lot of similar experiences. It was nice to talk about the things in my life with someone who I knew truly understood what I was going through. Jami is responsible for my accessories. She was always flawlessly accessorized.

Jeff

Jeff and I met in my last ward at BYU. I can't remember exactly how it went but I think we were linked by cookies. I liked to make them and he liked to eat them. This sparked a fantastic whirlwind relationship between 114 and 104. There was this one night when my fantastic roommates (mentioned below) and myself were up late one night and decided to shred all the paper we could find. Somehow we convinced ourselves that we could "quietly" tape garbage bags around Jeff's apartment door and fill it with our shredded treasure. That way when they opened the door in the morning, the shreds would flood their apartment. However, we forgot about Jeff's insomnia and we got caught. So, then they came to our door to do the same and we got the great idea that we would soak them with buckets of water. We opened the door threw the water and it came back! They used the plastic bags as shields....it was fantastic! The great thing about Jeff is that he loves everyone. During a tough time in my life, Jeff came to Atlanta on business and we got to hang out. He has no idea how much that meant. Someday I'll make the trip back to the motherland...

Natalie & Josie

These are the aforementioned roommates. I will talk about them individually, but I thought I would give some background. In the land of Provolandia where 22 is old and 24 is ancient, I had one foot in the grave at the age of 26. Everyone who surrounded me was young. My old roommates were getting married and/or moving on and I was getting some new ones. I was super "excited" when I found how young they were (the author sarcastically typed). Plus, they were like best friends and I expected to be on the outside of many inside jokes. Even though I was five years or so older, they never made me feel old. I can't even begin to describe the amount of fun we had, I don't even think there is a scale sufficiently large enough to measure it. Plus they readily accepted me. There was forting and farting (not real farts, but arm farts). Refrigerator magnets and mini-me. Thousand Island dressing and 345, 982, and 565 were some of the really good ones.

Natalie

As a math major you would think she was dry and boring. SO NOT THE CASE! She is a creative genius and a fireball of fun! She has a sweetness (childlike innocence) and is easy to talk to.

Josie

TOAST! I can't even think of words to describe Josie. Laughter is one that comes to mind. There was lots and lots and lots of that. Josie and I were on the same wave length. It's hard to describe that. Amazing.

Moye (aka Katie)

I met Katie in the MTC. She was my coordinating sister. We were going to the same mission and she was always a great support. Although, we never were companions, we shared a troublesome companion. We served in our last areas together. What a blessing. The great thing about Katie is we can go months without talking and then effortlessly pick up right where we left off. It would figure that she would move to AZ when I moved to GA. Katie was my salvation on the mission. I looked forward to transfers just to be able to talk to her. She is one of my greatest cheerleader and can always empathize with me.

Lisa

Lisa was one of my first roommates at BYU and an original Manor Down Diva. We shared a room at Manor Down. Late Nite was much fun. Like clockwork she was out like 10 or 10:30 and up at like 6 or 6:30. I can't remember which. Shortly after falling asleep she would begin talking which made for some interesting late night conversations. I love Lisa. She is an amazing young woman with serious standard stamina.

Chante

I met Chante my first Sunday in the singles ward here in GA. We hit it off immediately and became fast friends. Chante has always supported and stood by me through some very difficult times. I am by far the greater beneficiary of this friendship. Chante is classy and energetic. She has been my anchor and I will forever be indebted to her.

Darrell

This is the most recent photo I have. You can't really see him all that great in the Santa suit. I don't quite know how to begin with Darrell. I wouldn't say it was love at first sight because love is a strong word. There was that instant connection as if I had known him for a long time. He teases me incessantly. He knows just what to say to get a reaction out of me. Yet he is supporting, understanding, patient, and non-judgemental. He has a quick wit and kind heart.