**Warning! Gush Fest**

Disclaimer: I feel compelled to share my feelings and gush a little on the women who have helped me during such a dark time. Please note this isn’t a brag, it’s a tribute to those women who have have consistently been there and to those who continue to lift me up.

This post is about F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (Like my reenactment above. HA!) This topic has been on my mind a lot lately and was even more so before my back injury.

It was inspired by Celia Fae’s post on ‘Homies’. She cracks me up with her sharp whit and fabulous definitions. She has a classification for pretty much everything! In her post she defines different types of friendships. I would classify myself as the Friend Collector.

According to Celia, “Friend Collectors don’t acquire friends willy-nilly. They are deliberate. Friend Collectors find people who are very interesting or excel in one area, and then they befriend them. “

I wouldn’t say I “collect” friends per se because I’m loyal to the core when it comes to friends. However, I am very deliberate and selective in who I choose to let into my life. I do try to choose people who have characteristics that I wish I could have or ones that I am working on developing.

I usually have terrible luck in life, but when it comes to friends I’ve been very lucky. Lucky in the fact that I’m surrounded by so many incredible women that I cherish and love to be around. Many of them probably don’t even know how much they mean to me.

First up is my sister Lisa. She brings out the “fun Laurie’ and we have the craziest moments together! We talk at least 3 times a week and nothing is off the table. She already sees me as the person I wish I could be and for that I’m so grateful.

My Angel in life is Wendy. She has been a fun friend and is always up for participating in my crazy antics. But for 12 weeks she took such good care of me and scheduled child care, meals, and mothered Drake at least one day every week. All the while eliminating my guilt and allowing me to heal properly. The service she performed for me and my family is unmeasurable.

Chanda & A.J. bring beauty and joy into my life. A.J. insists that I’m her friend not Chanda’s which totally makes me melt. I adore our adventures and play dates. Chanda is always up for a good time and I am too, so it’s a great match.

Christina was Davis’ 3rd grade teacher and we’ve remained close friends. She came and visited me every week while I was recovering. We share a passion for reality TV and watched the Bachelor together religiously. We have great conversations and she completely over looks the fact that I’m a non-recycling, SUV-owning, Republican, Mormon. 😉

HA! I have no idea what she sees in me but we have the best time together. She adores my boys and I absolutely adore her. I don’t know who has the bigger crush on Christina; Davis, Dylan, Drake or Me. hmmm?

I think the easiest friendships to maintain are the ones who have kids your kids ages. I have such a strong bond with Wendy, Laurie M. and Tricia. We have vacationed together with our families, spent summers together on the lake, carpool to Scouts, holiday events, dinners, etc. They are amazing women in their own right and I really appreciate the family bonding times we have together. I’ll come up with any excuse to see them. 😉 Yes, I’ll even bring my kids. They can actually put up with all of us. {{cheesy grin}}

Lisa is another Angel and a friend just like Wendy, Laurie M, and Tricia. Lisa fed my family and mothered my little boy every week for 12 weeks. I’ll always cherish her service and friendship. Jason and I love to double date with Lisa and her man as well as hang out together as families. She’s so easy to be around and has a big heart not to mention the most amazing cook!

Celia has also defined the Types of Church Friends. These are a few of my church peeps. I feel so blessed because I love these women and choose to hang out with them because of who they are, not the callings we’ve shared. Each one possesses an inner strength that blows me away. I feel like a better person when I’m around them.

I’m also blessed to have Blogging Church peeps. HA! These are the girls that share my passion for blogging and are deep in the throws of motherhood. They are so much fun to chat with and keep me entertained during those mandatory meetings. Even though my youngest is their oldest’ age, they make me feel apart of their group and young again.

Due to scheduling conflicts, I had to drop out of Book Club & Mavens. {{teary}} I know the sacrifices we make for our family. I’ve missed these girls so much the past couple of months. I feel a little bit of an emptiness now that I don’t get to see them regularly. (Sadly, not everyone is pictured but you know who you are!)

Each one of these ladies is an amazing woman in her own right. This group is so diverse and every person brings a completely different personality and style. These women were my first really close friends when I moved here. They’ve consistently been there at least three times a month with birthdays and movie nights. I value their friendship and the influence they’ve had on my life.

I hope they know that they can call me at any time. I’ll be there for a girls night out, movie, a shoulder to cry on or laugh at (I mean with), food, child care, whatever. They mean the world to me. {{hugs}}

I’ve been so impressed with these friends who have traveled to see me several times while I was laid up in bed. We aren’t neighbors and so their drive and sacrifice to visit me meant the world. I honestly feel like they have given so much of themselves that at times, I feel completely undeserving of their friendship. Their souls are so giving and alive that I straight up just feel blessed that they let me come hang out with them. {{teehee}}

We have such an open and honest friendship and one that is completely different than many others. It’s such a breath of fresh air. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for these amazing women and I hope they feel my love and admiration for them. I got your back!

Then there’s my Park Glen friends. Dude, they know how to have a good time!! Any excuse to see them; count me in. I tried so hard to buy a house in their church boundaries but no such luck. Talk about a disappointment.

However, the PG Sista’s haven’t held it against me and still invite me to birthday dinners and holiday parties. Thank heaven!! I love their company and energy. Talk about a fantastic group of women.

Melissa and I were friends in Katy and then became even closer friends when she moved to Utah. I think it was because we had to schedule in the time to talk and see each other. We’ve taken some crazy fun trips. But most importantly, she’s helped me grow in ways and experiences that I never thought possible. Because of her influence I’ve taken a course on Real Estate and found a passion I didn’t realize I had.

Lisa and Melissa are “vacation friends” and so between the 3 of us, our trips always turn into an adventure! She has recently moved to Houston and I’m looking forward to the day I can stand to sit for 4 hours to go visit her. {{hugs!}}

I’ve traveled to see my dear friend Diana at least 6 out of the 10 years that I’ve known her. We met at BYU and have been close friends ever since. We celebrated our 10 year anniversaries together and had a blast! She knows how to have a good time. 😉

She has yet to come visit me in Texas. I think I should start campaigning now for her to come visit me this summer. What do you think?

These are my Life Sentence Friends. It sounds like a negative but these are some of my favorite people in life. You know, the ones you were friends with during a significant time in life. For me, these are my friends from Katy when I was a new mom of 2 boys. When I struggled with Davis’ diagnosis of Autism during Dylan’s terrible two’s. These women probably have no idea how much they mean to me or how valuable their friendship was and still is during such a difficult time.

I have their picture in my room and therefore I think of them often. Those pictures are a reminder of how hard life was and that because of their encouragement I survived. I hope to do the same for others.

I adore all these women in my life, and those I don’t have pictures of, and I hope you each know that I’ve chosen you deliberately because you are amazing. I’m hoping that your specific character trait which I admire will rub off on me in one way or another. Bless you for being in my life. I consider myself a better person because of your influence.

xoxo
Laurie