Day 26-What do you think about your friends

My friends mean the world to me. Being that growing up I was the only girl, with all of these brothers, I have always felt that from a young age I have thought the world of my friends. I think back on my life growing up and I know that I have always had a solid group of girls that I could always go to. So, because it will be fun for me, let’s go through a few of these lovely ladies shall we. :)

Jennifer Howard – Or, as my Mom so fondly refers to her, J.H. She and I were the BEST of friends. We literally did everything together. We loved that we had the same name, and that both of our Mom’s name was Cindy also. What are the odds right? She was not a member of the church, but even from a young age that allowed me to learn that religion shouldn’t let you judge others. Around about the time I went into 6th grade, I think, she and her Mom moved to Modesto. We tried as hard as we could to keep in touch, but it got more and more difficult. Eventually we lost contact completely, but I never forgot about her. She was ALWAYS in the back of my mind, and I was always wanting to find her again. One day, a year after I graduated, she called my parents house and left a message. Of course, when it got to the part where she was leaving her number there was bad reception and my Dad had just barely deleted the call log because we never really referenced it. I was SO sad that I couldn’t get to talk to her, however it was nice to know that she had been thinking of me as well. Finally, about 2-months before I had Tucker, she found me on Facebook. It is so nice to be able to be in contact with her again. We still don’t talk too often, but I love being able to know what is going on in her life. She will always be a dear friend.

Amber (Orchard) Morrell – Oh, Amber and I were enemies when we first met. She and her family moved into the ward and we just decided that we weren’t going to like each other. Much to our surprise we ended up becoming best friends as well. I have stayed in touch with Amber rather well. She lives in California near my parents, so any time I am down there I try to go and see her, even if just for an hour or so. When we were younger, I used to go over to Amber’s to stay the night, and come home a week later. One of the greatest things about Amber is that we can go months without being able to see or talk to each other, and then pick up as if it’d only been a day. I just love my little Amber. :)

Jamie (Elkington) Stauffer, Allison (Adams) Gillaspy, Amy (Isom) Tackett, Sara (Haycock) Simpson, Sarah (Christensen) Forman – These girls were who got me through High School. We did so much together. Sometimes all of us, and sometimes just some of us. But, we had some DANG good times together. Honestly, if I even tried to list all of the fun things that we did, and the funny things that had happened as a result, it would take a LONG time. We literally came up with about 2 or 3 pages of typed inside jokes. It is SO fun to go back and read through them. :) I love these girls so much, and I am still in contact with all of them. LADIES, next time I’m in Cali. I want to get together with as many of you as I can. We need to hit up the Olive Garden or something. It’s been WAY too long! :)

Lisa Dent – Lisa is actually included in the above group of friends. But, there is just something special about Lisa that allows her to get a paragraph of her own. I think it’s mostly because she and I have stayed in touch constantly. She was the Maid of Honor at my wedding, she’s one of the first people that I called each time I was pregnant, and each time I found out what I was having. She is someone that I know I can call about anything. One of my earliest memories of Lisa is when we were at one of our brothers basketball games. We were both bored, and her Mom and my Mom were talking, and they told us that we could go and play on some mats in the corner. I don’t remember how old we were, maybe 11 or 12. But we had fun. Again, SO many memories that I could list on here but no one else would appreciate them. Lisa is just an amazing person, and I’m grateful to call her a friend.

All of these girls are amazing. I am so blessed to have had each one of them in my life. I love that with all of them, one way or another, we are able to stay in touch with each other. I truly do love each of them. In my married life I have been blessed to know some AMAZING Women as well. I have found that, although I cherish my friendships with the women that I meet now and I always will cherish them, there is just something about a woman who has known you since such a young age, and is still around.

Thank you ladies for being such wonderful examples to me, and for always allowing me to be who I am, and obviously loving me for it, or in spite of it. :) I pray that you all know how much I love, and know that I am here for you always.