Day Fifteen

Layne and me

Today I'm going to talk about some of the very good friends I've had in my life. Each one of them has impacted my life in one way or another, and helped shape the person I am today. I'm incredibly grateful for each of them.

Layne

Layne - She was my first roommate in college, and we lived together for three years of my college experience. Freshman year, she was the only girl on my entire floor who I really connected with. We had similar taste in music, movies, and TV shows; we had the same kind of sense of humor; we both quoted movies in everyday conversations; we even liked some of the same boys (which, of course, lead to trouble a time or two). She even helped me get a job at Carol's Copy Center, where I worked on and off for several years. Layne was my very best friend in college. On 9/11, she was the one who saw the news and called me from work right away to let me know. She spent the entire day with me, and let me cry on her shoulder. We went through a lot together over the years, good and bad. And I love her a lot.

Minna and I with our dance partners

Minna - I met Minna my sophomore year of college. It was random chance that she happened to be living in the same dingy basement apartment that Layne and I decided to rent. But I'm pretty sure it was fate that we became roommates. Minna is all of my favorite things about myself times 100. She's quirky, funny, completely weird, and up for any kind of fun. One time we made a parody of the show "Becoming" on MTV, where normal people got to "become" their favorite musician for a day and make a music video. So we made a video of Minna "becoming" Will Smith, and filmed our own version of the "Men in Black" music video. It was awesome. I love Minna so much!

Minna (and me, and Layne, and Laura P)

Ashley and me

Ashley - Ashley was a friend of a friend who was going to room with Layne, Minna and me, but who then changed her mind. The friend changed her mind, that is, not Ashley. So Ashley was stuck with us. But when we were rooming with Ashley, it was the most fun year I had during my entire college experience. Our other two roommates were cute and fun, too, but Ashley fit into the crazy "Layne, Minna, Cassie" group like a glove. She was always a little less crazy than the rest of us, and sometimes we made her blush like crazy with some of the things we talked about, but she definitely brought her own brand of crazy to the party and made everything more fun. And whenever one of us was sick or sad, Ashley was the mom who got us back on our feet. The beginning of that year of school was a rough one for me, as I had just been dumped by a guy I thought I was going to marry. I stopped eating. And even though Ashley didn't know me that well yet, she was the one who fixed me soup and coaxed me into eating it. I'm grateful for her, and I love her.

L to R: Raquel, Megan, Layne, Ashley, Me, and Minna

Laura P and me

Laura P - Laura was the friend who was going to room with us, but didn't. I think she got engaged and was living at her grandparents' house to save money? Something like that. Anyway, thought we were friends at college, that's not how we met. We met when I was home for a semester. Her parents went to church with my family. She came home during the summer, and we ended up sitting together in Relief Society. We were commenting on how church is always better with candy, and how we wished we had some, when the Relief Society President walked in with a huge basket of full-size candy bars. We were pretty sure it was a sign that our friendship was meant to be. We went to dances together during our college years, we went on double dates, we had parties, we even traded shirts in a restaurant bathroom once to see if anyone would notice. We never had a chance to live together, but she was one of my good friends anyway. And yes, I love her!

L to R: Alyssa, Ben, Me, Heather, and PJ

Heather - I met Heather when I was engaged to Ben. She and Ben had gone to high school together, and her boyfriend was one of Ben's good friends. Ben and PJ (Heather's sweetheart) even served in the same mission. So, we all went to the mission reunion together. Heather was late, though, and in her absence, PJ let it be known that he was going to propose to her. Naturally, I told her as soon as I could, because I'm terrible at keeping secrets. She was thrilled, and it cemented our friendship. She and PJ got married about a month after Ben and I did, and for the first year of our marriage they were our next-door neighbors. Our apartments shared a wall. We hung out a lot, and when I found out I was pregnant with Evie, Heather was the first person I told (Ben wasn't home yet, and I had to tell SOMEONE!!!). During my pregnancy, she got pregnant, too, but miscarried. I felt horrible, and guilty somehow. It wasn't fair that I had a healthy baby when she had lost hers. Had our positions been reversed, I'm not sure I could have kept hanging out with her. It would have been too painful. But Heather is a better person than I am, and she not only stuck around, she came to my baby shower and she and PJ bought us a crib so that we wouldn't have to use the broken, second-hand one we had been planning on. And now she has two gorgeous kids of her own, the older of whom (Jack) Evie plans to marry. I would be honored to have my daughter marry her son, because she's one of the best people I know. I love her.

L to R: PJ, Heather, Me, and Ben, the sexy pirate.

Laura H with her daughter and hubby

Laura H - A few months after I had Evie, Ben had an Honor Guard competition in California. I didn't feel good about leaving Evie alone for a week, but I figured I could be gone for two days and drive down for the competition itself. It was about a 16 hour drive, though. Lucky for me, there was another girl who wanted to drive down for the competition, too. She was engaged to the Honor Guard commander, but since they weren't married yet, she wasn't going for the full week. So, because we both needed to get there at the same time, we drove together. We were driving a stick, and she had never driven a manual transmission before. So I taught her along the way. It was terrifying and hilarious, but we made it there alive. And we drove back together with our men. And you can't be trapped in a car for 32 hours with another person and not end up either loving them or hating them. I loved her. We became really good friends. We lived just a few buildings away from each other when Ben and Robert were both stationed at Hill AFB, and were over at each other's houses all the time. We babysat each other's kids, and learned about life as a military wife together. We've lost touch quite a bit over the years, but I still love her.

Fabi, Laura and me at the zoo in our matchy outfits

Fabi and her son, Carter

Fabi - Fabi is another Air Force wife that I became close to. Her husband did Honor Guard with Ben and Robert, and they were also posted with us at Hill. Laura, Fabi and I hung out quite a bit. Fabi even dealt with some of the same anxiety I did when it comes to infertility. Hers didn't last nearly so long as mine, but there were several months where we both cried over not being able to get pregnant. She has three healthy kids now, but I still remember being able to cry on her shoulder and have her sympathize. When she and Adam moved to Enid, OK, they had trouble finding an apartment, so they stayed with us for a while. It was really fun having her there, because she had been in Pensacola for a year and I had missed her! Fabi is seriously one of the sweetest people I know. I'm lucky to call her my friend, and I love her a lot.

Ronda and her family

Ronda - I met Ronda here in Abilene. She goes to the same church that I do. And she has been one of my biggest supports as I've been struggling with infertility. She's dealt with all the same issues as me, and knows exactly what it feels like to be in my position. She's always ready with a smile and a hug and an offer to help me with whatever I need. She's one of the most selfless people I've ever met. When Ben and I found out that the doctor wanted us to do IUI or IVF, and that we would have to pay for it out of pocket, she immediately offered to host a Tupperware party and donate the commission to our baby fund. She and her family can certainly use the money themselves, so it was incredibly generous of her to do that for us. Ronda is truly one of the best people I've ever known in my life, and I love her so much!

Evie and Cammie

Shea and Cammie - These gorgeous ladies were in Spitfire Grill with me last May. As I got to know them, I was able to see what incredible people they are. Cammie is ridiculously good with kids, and Shea is the kind of mom that I want to be someday. They both have so much love in their hearts. And they're talented, too! Shea has a beautiful singing voice (and I bet Cammie does, too, although I haven't really heard it yet!), and Cammie dances and plays in her school marching band. They're the ideal mother-and-daughter duo, the kind that everyone wants to be a part of. And they're incredibly generous, too. I went out of town with Ben last month to see Les Miserables, and Shea watched Evie for the weekend. When I went to pick her up, Evie didn't want to come home! She had had so much fun with Shea and Cammie that she probably would have been happy to stay there forever. And I don't blame her - Shea and Cammie are awesome! I'm so blessed to have them in my life. I love them both.

Me and Shea backstage during Little Shop of Horrors

These are just a few of the amazing women who have blessed my life. Having lived all over the world, I could probably keep on listing friends and writing complimentary things forever. But for the sake of everyone's sanity, I'll stop here. But to all of you who weren't mentioned, that doesn't mean you're not loved. I appreciate every last one of you.

There's also one very important person missing from this blog post, my very bestest bff, but I don't have space for all the good things I have to say about her, so she'll get her own post tomorrow. You know who you are (*cough* Juleigh *cough*).

Thanks again to all of my wonderful friends! I love you all!

Minna, me and Ashley after Laura P's wedding reception