smashing summer friends.

have you ever noticed how the most unlikely people make the best friends with the best advice?? it is so funny how the Lord really gives me things that i don't deserve and will never even hope to deserve, but his love and grace is so free and generous that he gives it anyway. he has blessed me so much this summer with a few girl friends (!!!!). i know i know. shocker right? =)

gwen isn't a new summer friend, but the Lord has really shown me this summer what a blessing she is to me. she is one of those unlikely friends. we are so much alike that it seems like we shouldn't get along...but we do! so well. and this summer more than ever i have been so thankful for her and her honesty towards me. i love the fact that i can call her up and declare girl time and know that a good gushy movie will happen and lots of chocolate will be around. or that i can just go over to her house and crash on her bed or round cushy chair and just sit there and talk till my mouth falls off or just sit there and say nothing and walk away completely refreshed. we have also had our moments, but every time (they haven't been that often!!) i have been driven to the Lord and our friendship has gotten so much closer. yeah, that is another reason why i am so thankful for grendolyn. when she sees my spiritual life suffering or that i am slacking off, she tells me! i am so SO SO thankful for that. so gwen, thanks for everything. thanks for putting up with me! =)

another friend the Lord has really blessed me with is steph. she isn't a ben's friend, but she should be! i have known her for a while now, but we have really started hanging out a lot recently. one night about three weeks ago i just crashed at her apartment and we talked for so long. it made me so thankful for friends that are Christians! can you imagine where you would be if you weren't a Christian and then not to have the influences that you have with your friends? i love the fact that i can talk to her about and be blessed by our conversations! she and i hit it off from the beginning...it was like we had been friends forever! it is nice to have friends that you feel absolutely comfortable around. i love going over to her place and just hang, watch trading spaces, the pistons games, good movies...the list goes on! it always seems like she is feeding me too...funny how that works! =)

heidi has been so much fun! and heidi, i do apologize for being a terrible friend this summer...please forgive! i don't know how many times heidi has encouraged me and has just listened while i spouted nothingness into the air and had great advice for me. i miss working with her a lot. we always got LOTS done, but at the same time we had so much fun! i love going over to her house cause i always come away so happy and arms full of books (which, by the way heidi, i will return the books...they are coming! i promise!). we have so much fun making yummy dishes and watching great movies. thanks heidi, i miss you!

another one that i didn't see coming was hallie. now hallie is cool! i met hallie in barnes and nobles actually. you see, i live in the children's section. i go to barnes and nobles and skip the adult part and go right to the kids section, grab about ten books that look like they have potential and sit up on the stage and read. i saw this girl there one time and i recognized her from church...we went to the career class together...and we had some pumpkin carving contest thing that i think she won, so we started talking. before i knew it i went over to her place and we had pizza and were looking at books illustrated by the best illustrator in the world! we started talking about trina shart hyman and how amazing she was, and i knew immediately i would like this hallie person. she has lots of her books (including peter pan, which, if anyone wants to forever be on my best friend list, you may buy that for me please. or you can click here for any other one that you want to give me...he he he), and is her favorite illustrator. so we got along great! i am in a, lets see...what shall we call it (yes, we speak in the ROYAL "we" whenever we can), situation, yes, a situation right now, and hallie sent me an email that was such an encouragement. and you know, the whole rebuke from a friend is going a long way with me right now. so hallie, thank you for your encouragement.

and last but most darfinately not least is our own uber-cool person. steph, of ben 'n steph, and man can i tell you that i have had so much fun!! i went over to her house last night to dye some yarn...and boy was it a learning experience jam-packed with fun! steph is one of those people that i have known for a very long time, and have been her friend, but now i am learning to appreciate her friendship. since i have known her, back i think our freshman year right steph??, we have gone thru lots of stuff. but now i am seeing another side of her that is so much fun! so the dyeing experience...she had some yarn in its un-dyed state and she had read somewhere that you can dye it with kool aid...so we went off to bi lo and got packs of blue, green, pink, yellow, cherry, black cherry, grape and more. and began the whole process. it was fascinating. i have decided that i am going to knit something cool out of my green, blue, and pink yarn. and then watch out world! my feet will be happy and bright! =) then afterward we got to see steph's guitar and i taught ben 'n steph a few chords. that was so much fun. i got to do the flamingo stand while playing the guitar...but i am not as talented as all that so it was more like the dancing flamingo stance. i love hanging out with her. she is so creative and amazing, and i love you to death steph! thank you for your friendship.

so this is the summer for fun, fabulous friends that the Lord has decided to bless me with. love to you all!