Best Friends

I've had a lot of amazing friends in my life. In fact, when I start thinking about it I am overcome with gratitude for all the amazing people in my life.

So so so many "best friends" over the years. Friends from when I was in diapers, friends from elementary school, friends from high school, friends from college, friends who also happen to be family, and the list keeps going on and on! 

I'm a lucky girl. 

That's why it makes me so happy to see Lydia already starting our her life with such a good best friend. These girls really do love each other!

Aren't these girls the cutest? And of course, the handsome Carson loves to play with them as well. Ashley gave Lydia this little outfit that matches Elsie's for her birthday. They have two outfits that match and it is so fun on the days that we just happen to dress them the same. (Although, we aren't above dressing them the same on purpose.) Lydia and I are lucky to have best friends like Elsie and Ashley. 

(Note to self: Next time we are together... take a picture! It's not just the little ones that need pictures.)

Ashley has been such a lifesaver to me over the past two years. I can't express how grateful I am for someone who doesn't judge my messy house, or my bad hairday, or my mistakes that I make on this journey called adulthood/motherhood. We try to get together once a week or so - but we do talk on Gmail chat on a regular basis. We share good articles to read, stories about our crazy kids, or whatever else strikes our fancy. It's such a nice touch of reality after a day at home with just Lydia to keep me company. Last night around nine I was finishing up some wedding announcements when Ashley said something. David heard the computer beep and asked "How is your best-friend-Ashley doing?" It's hard to find the words to express how grateful I am. 

And while we are on the subject of best friends... one of my very best friends from Morgan High, who later became a roommate at Utah State, got married this week! Natalie Nicholas is now Natalie Montez.  (She is pictured above as a bridesmaid at my wedding.)

I was so sad that I couldn't attend the wedding and we almost weren't able to attend the reception. It was on a Friday night and we had two other things that we had to do at the same time. I was visiting with Ashley earlier in the day and was telling her about how sad I was because Natalie has been such a good friend to me and I really wanted to be there - but I didn't know how I could make it work. After I left her house, I called David and mentioned how I was feeling. He immediately said "Lets just do it. We can make it work." I was so grateful for his willingness to drive to Morgan just for the evening. I helped David's mom with some things that she needed, did wedding announcements, then at six o'clock we went to a neighborhood recipe book party (I had invited a lady from my ward to attend with me and volunteered to bring something, then the date got changed, but I felt like I still really needed to go). We stayed for exactly 45 minutes, then got in the car and drove to Morgan. We made it for the last half hour of Natalie's reception and it was beautiful. 

I'm so glad that we were able to go and see Natalie on her special day. She has been such a good friend to me and I think I would have always regretted not being there for her. We've been through a lot together, from reading all the Harry Potter books before the 7th book came out and learning to speak with a British accent to her being the first person we told after we got engaged. As David told me recently "The great thing about best friends is that they are always there for you. It's important to be there for them, too." I was also really glad because we were able to stop at my parents house for a couple of hours before we headed home. It was SO nice to be with them. (My dad had called on his way through Lehi a couple of days prior to stop by to see us, but we just happened to not be home and I was so sad to miss him. So I'm glad we were able to go up there and visit.) 

I really have been blessed with such amazing friends. I hope that Lydia is as blessed as I have been. (I'm even more blessed to be able to be married to my best friend of all!)