Ode to my Readers

Blogs are fun cause they're like journals and you can write whatevers going on in your head or in your life. But what makes them different than journals? Comments. I love the mutual connections of reading about each other's lives and sharing thoughts and insights (and making me laugh). I love that blogging has given me a way to "talk" regularly with friends I don't always see. It's so great to hear people's voices through their words.


So on this Thanksgiving holiday (my FAVORITE holiday) I wanted to say I'm thankful to those who have read our blog and taken an interest in our lives. Here is an ode to the top ten commenters from the last six months:

Kelly, Kell-el, Kelly belly, Kelly of the Morning... I love this sweet sister of mine. She's six years younger than me but I don't even notice the age anymore. One word can describe Kelly as a kid: happy. She always had a smile on her face and was so easy to get along with. She kept herself entertained changing her clothes several times a day, pretending she was catwoman, sitting on the bathroom counter singing to herself in the mirror... She's so much fun. As an adult she's still very happy and very independent (and sometimes I still catch her singing to herself in the mirror). Kelly's a great listener and offers such great, thought-out advice. She ponders things deeply and analyzes the world and people around her. She's up for adventures and still so easy to get along with. One of my favorite things to do with Kelly has been to rent weird movies that nobody else would watch with us (astrid, I'll be back in an hour! delft.). Even when they're awful (which most of the time they are) we still laugh so hard and find some way to make it entertaining for ourselves. She's driven and passionate and has so much strength in her. I'm excited to see where her life will take her. In the meantime, she is truly one of my very best friends.

Les! My BFF. Will you appreciate the third picture above? This is Les in high school when she was student body president of the WHOLE HIGH SCHOOL and I was just a measly sophomore and yet, Les still made time to sign my yearbook. She's kind like that. And oh so much cooler than me. I tell you, I looked up to this woman tons. Still do. But somehow we became roommates and BFFs and girl scouts and as of late, domestic divas. Leslie's incredible. She has so much love in her that she freely gives to everyone (okay, except that guy at best buy). She has an ability to make people feel like they can do anything because she believes in them. Not only that but she's by far one of the funniest people I've ever known. She makes normal situations hilarious (driving through clouds). Les and I made the great leap from singlehood to engagementhood to marriedhood together and I think that alone ensured our bond for life (leaping as we lived our life with arms wide open because today was where our book began). Leslie is passionate and creative and compassionate and inspiring. She makes my life so much more fun by being in it. I love her.


Rachel and I met at EFY in 2002. We were roommates up at BYU-Idaho for one of the weeks we were both working as counselors. That same week my brother Peter and our cousin Isaac came up for EFY. So I kept finding them and hanging out with them. Then we discovered this other counselor named Ben who happened to also be related to us (we have the same great-great-grandpa) but he's one generation up from us so we named him "Uncle Ben." Well Rachel thought it was unfair that the four of us had family connections and she didn't so she named herself our Grandma. When I first met her I kept thinking her name was Leslie instead of Rachel so her title became "Grandma Les." And all week at EFY we kept taking "family" pictures of the five of us. Rachel made me laugh so hard. She's from Arizona and has got this funny sense of humor and attitude. Since EFY we lost track a bit but luckily the blogging world brought us back together. I love reading her blog and seeing updates into her current life. She's married and still lives in AZ. She has so many GREAT and cheap decorating ideas for her home. Holy cow, I'm so impressed. I visit her blog a lot to see what creative projects she's working on and if I can copy them. Also, she's still making me laugh all the time. Thank goodness for EFY families.

Kates! Snarrlee (even though she's now Pricelee)! Do you know how hard it was to narrow down pictures of you to my favorites? I had the hardest time picking. And I spent a long time laughing at all the random pictures we've ever taken ("the man who mistook his wife for a hat"). I met Katie in seventh grade and she has stayed one of my very best friends consistently for the fourteen years since. Katie's always impressed me with her goodness. She ALWAYS does the right thing and treats EVERYONE like gold. Those are pretty impressive qualities. But trust me, I've lived with her and that's true. We've gotten along so well all these years I think because we have so many of the same interests. It makes hanging out so fun. I think one of my favorite chapters of my friendship with Kate was when we lived together up at Ricks. I couldn't stop laughing at all the pictures we took of things during that time (remember that man dressed like a panda with really bad breath? Remember when we thought we could walk home from Walmart? Remember when you made me a birthday cake and Tamara took the credit? Remember when we watched "The Emperor's New Groove" three times in one day?). Katie is level-headed and has been a listening ear to me through thousands of conversations when I've used her to help me analyze my life. She is so easy to get along with and makes me laugh so hard (hmmm, are we noticing a theme that the friends I've kept closest in my life are the ones that have these two qualities?). I've missed her lately now that we live so far away from each other (and don't have all night scrapbook parties anymore). Nonetheless, I love this girl like a sister. And indeed, she's convinced my dad to love her more than me. So there it is.

Emily! Emmers! Emily and I decided we were twins when we first met because we had so much in common (then later I learned she already had other "twins" in her life). But no matter. I love this girl so much that it's worth being just one of her twins. Em and I met in high school when she was a junior and I was a senior. Somehow we were intimidated by each other and only knew each other through Tyler and Willy. Luckily choir tour changed all that. We decided to merge our junior and senior friend groups and it was the best decision we've ever made. It led Em to B and I can't think of another couple that fits each other better. And it has ensured that I've kept two best friends for the price of one! Emily has one of the most clever sense's(?) of humor. She has an art to the way she tells stories and talks about things and they come off so hilarious. She is sincerly kind to so many people. If we're at a party, Emily's the one going around the room making sure everyone is included and feeling loved. She's so humble and quick to build others up rather than say anything positive about herself. She's talented and athletic and adventurous and smart. I've always felt awed that Em was willing to be friends with me (when she's clearly so much cooler). I'll take it though, cause she makes life so fun.

Steph was one of several of my "steph" friends in high school. She and I worked at a dry cleaners after school with our other friend Steph Lowe. Because we all had the same first name we went by last names on the schedule: Brownie, Lola and Tye-dye. That was by far one of the funnest jobs I've ever had because they made it so fun (we probably shouldn't talk in public about the things we did behind the counter...). Steph and I were also in Yearbook together and took art together (which were taught by the same person, good old Butch) which meant our senior year we had like four periods together. That makes for a hilarious time ("iiiiittttt's not my fault!"). Steph's another friend that's been close since junior high. We live in the same stake which means our parents and siblings are all friends too (we've watched our mom's plan girls camp and our dad's--the stk pres and bishop--buy motorcycles and drums to combat getting old). Steph is a peacemaker. She gets along with a lot of people and doesn't feel the need to draw a lot of attention to herself. Impressive. She is very talented and creative. She's recently taken up photography and has become really good in a short period of time. She's driven and accomplishes things she puts her mind to. I've loved that we've stayed close for so long even when we don't talk much. And I love that our blogs have recently made that easier.

Libs!!! Okay, first off, Libby why are the only pictures I have of you from Nat's apartment in Cedar City? We've got to correct that. Next time you're in town I think we should get someone (Nat?) to do a photo shoot of us so that I'll have more to pick from next time I want to do an ode to you. Libby's another Murray-ite who has stayed a good friend. We had fun in high school but our bond really solidified when we both lived down in Cedar City. Libby and I and Natalie would get together and talk about all the projects we wanted to accomplish to be creative and domestic. Notice, we never really did projects-- just plotted and talked about them. But in all that talking, we laughed really hard and that's one of the many reasons I love Libs. She has since relocated to Arizona and most recently Vermont with her husband and two children. I think Libby keeps her blog updated more than anyone else's that I read but I love it because I love reading about her life. She does creative things all the time with her family and makes ordinary stories sound like exotic adventures because of the way she tells them. I think Libby wrote for the school newspaper in high school. Makes sense, cause she's a fantastic writer. And incredibly intelligent. I like hearing her thoughts and opinions on things. She's got a funny streak of "realism" that has also appealed to me. She makes logical points that I've never thought of and they make me laugh (think Seinfeld humor). She is warm and happy and optimistic about life. She makes me want to be a better person.

Kimmay, kimmay, bo bimmay... just kidding. I feel like we've dedicated a few posts now to the Mays because we love them so much. Why did you guys have to move to Nebraska? We MISS you!!! Kim and I became friends through our husbands. The first day I met Kim I was teaching relief society and Kim kept making the most insightful comments. I was so impressed with her and her depth (and grateful, as a teacher, that someone was participating in my lesson). My first impressions were dead on-- she is insightful and smart. Kim has a masters degree in English and taught at BYU. I've been impressed at how much Kim has accomplished in life even though we're about the same age. She's been another one that's been fun to "leap" into marriage with Les and I. It's been great to have the two of them around to talk to about things we're all going through because we can relate so well. Kim has impressed me with her dedication to obey the commandments as much as she can. She really listens to the prophets and does all she can to make her life match what they say. She's firm on her standards and because of that she always has a great spirit with her. I would love if I could make my life reflect these same things as well as she has. Kim's a great sport and has an easy humor. It's made hanging out with her and Joe so much fun. She's a dedicated mother and a hard worker. Can I just reiterate that we miss you??

Al! Allison was my roommate for the last two years of my single life. I think without Allison's stable presence in my life I might've gone crazy. She is so calm and mature and grounded. I liked talking to her about stuff because she was a great listener and would make me feel better about life. Allison is a fantastic artist. That's always a talent that makes me happy because it means we can do something we love together. Which we did. A lot. Usually while watching movies in our pajamas. That's the greatness of roommates-- it's like a never ending sleepover. Allison was a great "wingman" too as we went to parties and social events. One year for Halloween we dressed up as a pumpkin and his shadow. Something that's always impressed me about Al is her desire to serve others. She is very quick to jump up and volunteer and take care of those around her. Even thought she lived far away from her family she was constantly on the phone with them and doing things for them and driving up when they had sporting events or other important things. She makes people important in her life. And she makes the people that are important in her life feel very loved. I think she'll make a great mom someday because she's already nailed the nurturing quality. Allison got married earlier this year and now lives in Idaho with her husband. I've missed seeing her and talking to her regularly. But again, thank goodness for blogs because it means I can still be close and share life with her.

The last one was a tie! Jess and Bri. And how appropriate since these two are great friends with each other. They grew up in the same neighborhood and I think have been friends since they were kids. I met up with them in junior high and haven't let them get rid of me yet. They are both hilarious. I have funny memories of hanging out at their houses and playing games and talking about boys and having sleepovers and doing all the fun things that junior high girls do. We all stayed close in high school and have still seen each other a lot during college and since then. Brianne is a very hard worker. She pushes herself a lot and I'm always impressed to see what she does. She's talented (she teaches piano, how about that!) and funny and finds humor in a lot of things. She lives in Tooele now with her husband and two kids. Jessica is athletic and artistic and so easy to get along with. She is active and has always been really involved in life. She seems to be good at a lot of different things (remember our homeless poster in eighth grade that won first place? all you, jess!). She's a loyal friend and has always been consistently kind. She lives in Cedar City now with her husband and two kids and I'm sad that I don't see more of her. I think both of these girls are incredible and I feel lucky to be one of their friends. Even reading their blogs now I'm so impressed with the way they both live their lives and make things fun for their families.

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So there it is. Happy Thanksgiving. I wish I had the time (and energy) to write about every single friend I have and all you great ones that check our blog and leave your notes. I have been very blessed to have a life filled with people I love that make me a better person. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!! Thank you for being so great!