Day Four: Photograph of best friend

 I have been very blessed in my life to have numerous people I would call my best friends. Some came and went quickly as my life changed, and others have been around for a long time. My best friend in the world is my loving husband, Brett. He is the person I can count on to make me laugh no matter how I am feeling. He cares about what I need and want, and is the one person I can be around endlessly. I can't say enough how great of a best friend he is, I tell him my secrets, my dreams, my problems, my sorrows, and my triumphs.

 Then there are my children! They are the ones who can make me the craziest and the happiest. I love to play Wii with them, snuggle them, go out and do fun things with them. They drive me crazy half the time, make me proud, and give me a reason to roll out of bed each morning, even though it often happens far earlier than I would like.

 Then is my extended family. I feel so lucky because they are my very best friends. I have my sisters.

Becca- The one who I can fight with, laugh with, play with, vacation with, count on. She is the person I know to call if I really need something because she makes things happen. We grew up sharing friends, clothes, and stories. We did not always get along, and still don't, but she is the person I grew up sharing everything with, and we will always be close.

Juli- We don't see one another enough, but she loves my kids, I love hers. We can talk for hours, and despite the distance we remain involved, and a part of one another's lives.

Christa- Christa and I became friends later in life, mostly after I moved out and she was no longer the annoying little sister. Now she is someone who I can always count on for a fun time, or some juicy tidbit. She is full of life, and a good listener. 


Sara- I think Sara is the sister most like me. Because of our age differences we have never spent a ton of time together, and yet she still calls when she is having a bad day, borrows my clothes when she has a hot date, and makes me delicious caramel popcorn if she knows I am coming over.

Hannah- Because she is closer to my children's ages than mine we have an interesting relationship, where I am often the one in charge of her, rather than her friend, per say, but I love playing cards with her, going to the beach or pool with her, and watching her hang out with my kids.

Next is my parents. My mom and dad are always there for me. My dad was one of my closest friends as I grew up, and things have not changed much. He is still my sounding board, and the person I call when I have exciting news or information. My mom is my rock. She can calm me down when my kids have done something crazy, or tell me a funny story if I need a pick me up.

Then there is my other family, Brett's family. I could not ask for better relatives of friends. Betsy is Derrick's favorite person in the world, and one of my best friends. We play, we talk, we shop, we eat, we love to see one another. I know I can count on her, and I love having sister in laws that I like to be around.
Wendi is one of my best friends. We talk all the time, sometimes because Derrick thinks he has to call her every day a million times, but still. I love when she is in town, and will clear my whole schedule to spend time with her.
Kathy is the busiest person in the world, but still one of the greatest sister in laws a person could ask for. Then there is Cynthia. She is a foodie like me, and while maybe not my best friend, certainly my best employee. Haha. She and I have never really hung out outside of family stuff because we live to far away from one another, but she is pretty great!

 

Josie is a cousin in law and we have become close. We celebrate events together, talk about life, health, our kids, and the trials of being moms. Because we both have three kids, we sometimes go long stretches without seeing each other, but we remain friends none the less.

 

Loretta and I became the best of friends while pounding miles and miles of pavement on long runs on hot days. We talked about everything, our future, running, boys, school, religion, the list goes on. We snuck out at night to run on the beach. We had sleep overs with her married sisters, and crashed other school's parties. We laughed, we cried, we ran, we played pranks, we went to dances together. Now she is off in NY still running and being amazing, and I am here, but we make time for each other every year or so and go eat and play and pick up right where we left off.

 Kristian is...well Kristian. We do silly things together like make shirts for Jonas Brother's concerts, and fun things like vacations. We had weekly game night for 2 years. Life has a way of making people see each other less, but that doesn't mean we care less. Every time I see him it brings a big smile to my face! He is my favorite nephew, and I am his favorite aunt Rachael.

 This is Michelle. Michelle and I met in Pleasant Grove over nursing babies in the Mother's Lounge, and when we met I never thought we would be close. I was so wrong. Michelle is the friend who keeps me wanting what is best for me and my family. She is fun, and not afraid to try new things. She is smart, and a great mom. We grew close over fondue pots and babies, and have remained close with regular get togethers and phone conversations.

 I look terrible in this picture, but this is David, or as my kids call him, Davin. He lived with us for 4 months, and is one of my best friends. We talk on the phone every week now, even though he lives in California. We bonded over Jane Austen books, old movies, English grammar, and game night. We ran together, talked for hours on end, played every game imaginable, and shopped. David was the one who took me out for my birthday when Brett had to work, and came over to watch movies when I was bored by myself.

 This is Claire. Claire was my very best friend when I lived in Ramona. We did everything together. Her family was like my second family. I could not have been closer to someone. She was more like a sister than a friend. We ran, we shopped, we talked, we swam, we ate and ate and ate. Our lives took separate directions, but I still love seeing her, and staying up to date on her life.

 This is Sean and Collette. They are our couple best friends. Sean and Brett worked together at Chili's and we became best friends with them. Collette and I were pregnant together, and now share stories about the mishaps of rowdy two year olds. Sean is Dillan's favorite person in the world, and we love getting together with them.

 This is Nat! Nathalie is one of my best friends now that I am married, have kids, a job, a life, and no time for anything else. We have GNO as often as we can. We talk about everything, especially Vampire Diaries! We Black Friday shopped, we rock climbed for Nat's birthday. We are kindred spirits. We coupon, we bargain shop, we deal with kindergartners and more. I know I can talk to Nathalie about anything, and I do. This is why she is my best friend. She is fun and awesome.

 Brielle and Ambre. Ambre and I were best of friends senior year, and a lot of freshman year of college. We had a blast puddle jumping, talking about boys, double dating, and a million other things. We were like sisters. We spent every minute together. We are still close, getting together when we can, and watching our kids grow up too fast. Brielle and I always laugh that we do not know how we became friends, we do not remember meeting, or even getting close, but we are. In fact, she will probably always be one of my besties. She is fun. We love to play, eat, and of course TALK. She is engaged now, so maybe soon we can talk about BABIES!

 This is Amy, we were in the same dorm freshman year at BYU and we had way too much fun. We would make food all the time, shop, laugh, talk about toe nail clippings, boys, and life. We are still close, our husbands even get along, and we try to get together often. Amy is the kind of friend who will give up her afternoon to come and help me clean because I am tired and overwhelmed. Amy is my best friend because I always have fun when I am with her, and I know that I am in for an interesting conversation, and that she is going to be real. I just reread what I wrote and I am laughing at how cheesey it all sounds, but the fact is Amy will always be my friend. I just love her!

 This is Sheila, she is my friend Ashley's mom, and like a mother to me as well. I love her, and I consider her one of my best friends simply because I can't be in proximity to her without wanting to spend time with her. I would rather hang out with her than do almost anything else when we are in San Diego! She is the person I call when I make plans to go to SD because I always want to make sure we can fit a visit in.

These are my best friends from high school, and still some of my best friends today. Kenny, Ricky, and David. We ran cross country together for 3 years, and created bonds that time and distance can't break. We see one another once or twice a year, and it is like remember fest, we laugh about all the funny pranks and stupid things we did as kids. We kept each other in line in high school, and keep each other in our thoughts now. These guys will always be my best friends!  David especially.

 Colby and Jamie are the neighbors that everyone should be envious of. Since we moved in we have grown really close, getting together a lot, letting our kids play, making jokes, pulling pranks, talking and watching sports, having girl time, and more. They are fun and caring, and our best friends!

 

This is Dana and she is always smiling. I absolutely love having Dana as one of my best friends. Our kids are always together. If they go more than a day or two without seeing each other they go into withdrawals and I feel the same way about her. We bonded over the fence. She is an awesome mom, and the kind of friend everyone should have. She is always willing to help a person out, picks me up a Dr. Pepper when she knows I have had a bad day, makes the world's best cookies, and is pretty much one of my favorite people to ever exist!