It's hard to define what a best friend is to me. I feel like my friends are constantly evolving, just as I am. There are days when I am closer to one friend than the other. There are some friends that I feel like "we are exactly the same" and there are other friends that we have very little in common... yet, I love them & value their friendship. That's the funny thing about friendship; I don't think there is one way to define what it is. For some crazy reason two people click on some level & the bound is strong enough to last for a moment in time. Sometimes that moment of time is a chapter of life; other times its a lifetime.
Each of my friends bring something in life that I cherish ...
Kate:
I met Kate in the middle of our high school careers, although we had known of each other for most of our lives-- our moms are good friends. Kate & I had a mutual friend that we started hanging out with at the same time. At some point around senior year we started doing stuff together, and now here we are... friends. So easy to talk to, laugh with, vent to, be with. Our minds are on the same wave length and that makes our friendship easy & refreshing. We have done a lot of growing up together and I pray that we continue to share life's ups & downs together!
Michaela:
Again, I met Michaela sometime in the middle of our high school career, although we had attended the same church for awhile. My first memory of hanging out with Michaela was at her senior prom. I went with a few mutual friends & we all ended up going as a group. Michaela & I spent most of the dancing portion of the evening sitting at our table laughing at our peers bumping and grinding inches a part from one another. When everyone left for "real college", Michaela & I were the only ones left at MCC. We spent a majority of our time together at school, work, and church. There pretty much was not a day that went by we weren't together. We think the same, we do a lot of the same things, we work together, we are pretty much the same people. It makes our friendship easy & hard. The perfect mix.
Alyssa:
Oh Alyssa... my comic relief, my "go to bitch fit" girl, the life of the party! . Again, I had known of Alyssa for most of my life. Our lives intertwined from the very beginning. It wasn't until Kate & I became close friends that Alyssa popped into my life on a more permanent level. We are so different but secretly similar. I adore her craziness, her humor, her ability to listen and give the most unexpected, hilarious advice. When nothing seems to be going right, a simple text from Alyssa makes the day seem fine.
Sam:
I knew from the moment I met her we were destined to be friends. We were at the Willis twins' house. Everything about her screamed crazy & hilarious! I remember telling everyone that night as she left "I just met my new best friend" ... now here we are 5 years later roommates!!! We do a lot of great things together but the best and biggest thing is laugh ! Laughter is the foundation of our friendship & nothing can alter it. Meeting your family & falling in love with all their craziness was just the icing on top of the cake!
Ben:
I've known him for 12+ years. We met when we were in fourth & fifth grade. Growing up together doesn't even begin to explain how much things have changed. We are different people from when we first met. It's been quite a journey together. Some of my hardest life lessons have come from or been experienced with him. We don't have to talk every day or week, but when we do talk it's like nothing has changed. It's t taken me a really long time to figure out how to be a friend to him, but after all this time, I think we figured it out and its SO worth it! I'm so blessed to have someone so honest & up front in my life. Most of my favorite memories in life are shared with him & I pray I can always call him friend.
Katie:
Growing up she was always the girl that lived around the block. She was "Abby's friend". I heard stories about her and laughed. I was secretly afraid of ever meeting her. In the last year or so when we did meet I became incredibly thankful for her refreshing outlook on life, her passion to speak her mind with intelligence, her desire to help and serve, her humor, her vulnerability... everything about her is real & genuine. She has courage, bravery, and strength that I seek to follow. She may be only a few years older than me, but she feels like the "mother Teresa" of my life.
{I wish I had a better picture}
Kimi:
Another one of "Abby's Friends" ... one of the many face I met at country thunder a couple years ago. It wasn't until I started going to NIU that we became friends ... partners in crime. I can't imagine my NIU experience without her. She has made this crazy transition so much easier & happier. She is encouraging, sweet, friendly, inviting, and a great wine buddy. It's only been a short time that I've known her, and I feel like we are life long friends. I pray even after NIU we continue this bond we have
There are so many people that I am blessed to call 'friend'... so many in fact, I can't even begin to list them all. The love I have for them, the memories we share together ... they all hold a special spot in my heart. The have defined me as a person, they have given me a strength when I need it, they have made me laugh when I wanted to cry, they have showed me I don't know everything, they have given me opportunities and outlets in life I never dreamed possible. Each and every friend has made me ... me.
The one person who each and every day I call best friend is Abby Sue. I often think "if we were never neighbors we probably wouldn't be best friends" She is 3 years older and we are completely different. Yet, at the end of the day she is the one I call my "older sister"; the one I share good news with first; the one I confide in, in bad times; the one I can't wait to hang out with. If it wasn't for the fat chance we were neighbors while young I feel like my life would be completely different. And for that I am SO thankful... because without her I wouldn't have the inspiration I have, I wouldn't know that everything is going to be okay, I wouldn't have anyone to look to when I didn't know where else to look, I wouldn't have some of the friendships I have, I wouldn't know how to deal with some of friendships I did have... I wouldn't be Cayla without Abby.
Abby:
While my parents were starting out their lives together they moved into this small nasty house on Madison street. Next door was a 3 year old girl who was friendly as could be. When I came along she was instantly my best friend. And thats it. Thats how we met. That's how we became best friends. That simple. There wasn't a day that went by for eight years that I didn't see Abby. There isn't a childhood memory I have without Abby apart of it. We were creative, imaginative, and youthful. When I moved life seemed odd without her a hop and a skip away. But through church and just a love for each other we stayed close. I remember when I was in that awkward junior high phase of life ... I had just gotten an MSN messenger account. I was so excited to be finally entering the "internet world" ... I called Abby and asked her for her user name so I could add her. Now I look back at that and laugh at such a silly thing to do... but I was so excited to be able to do something "old" like Abby could. I was and have always strived to be like & do what Abby was doing. It was kind of that "annoying little sister" typing thing going on. There was definitely a time in our lives where we weren't as close. She was a young adult and I was still stuck in high school. We were learning, growing, and changing and couldn't really relate to each other. But I knew if I ever needed to talk anyone or ever needed anything, she would be there in a drop of a hat. And I never once stop looking up to her. Now we are older and although our lives are in completely different stages we are still able to share a friendship and a bound. She will forever be my best friend, my older sister, my inspiration, my role model. I'm excited to share all our happy and maybe not so happy moments together just like we have for the last 21 years!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment