Mote to a Beam

So I just chastised my best friend Puddle for not posting enough on her blog. I admit several months ago I was so sad that hardly anyone was posting, that I decided to boycott my own blog for a while (to teach them all a lesson, of course). It was just getting really sad when I wanted to see what was new with all my friends and family and there was nothing to see! And the more I posted the more I checked other peoples' blogs and the sadder I got. So the last few months I have been trying to get back into it, but I still have not been very good.

So here are a few things that have been going on. I have officially started working part-time, which is really nice. Unfortunately, it came at a time that it didn't actually give me any extra time. With my new calling in church and school really picking up, I think it is possible that I see Lila even less now than when I was just working full-time. I miss her! Lucky I am on day 3 of my 7 days off so I have already tried to remedy that by spending a lot of time with her and doing a lot of playing.

Another big exciting thing is that my best friend showed up on my doorstep this afternoon! (This is how I was able to tell her to blog more. Thus the Mote/beam title for this post). She had an adorable little cake with her that she made for my birthday. Having her here made me realize how much I miss her. She is such a good friend, I love her so much! Pretty much ever since we have been friends I have been frustrated with how little time I have gotten to spend with her. In high school she was a rockstar gymnast that practiced every day and had meets on lots of weekends. In college we went to different schools. Then we had real jobs. Now she's moved to Arizona. All of this makes me sad to think about.

But she has always been there for me. I have always wanted a surprise birthday party. But really the surprises she has done for me probably would top any party anyone could throw for me. She surprised me by visiting me when I lived in Philadelphia. That was amazingly fun. What a good friend to spend the money to fly out, then deal with my work schedule and anything else that was going on where I couldn't give her my undivided attention. Then she threw me a surprise baby shower when I was pregnant with Lila. She invited a lot of friends that I was really happy to see, and made the cutest diaper cake I have ever seen. Then she showed up on my doorstep today. All the way from Arizona just for my birthday! (Not really, of course, but I can pretend).

The funny thing is, I really had no clue about any of these surprises. And if you ask Todd, I am usually pretty good about picking up on things. He also tried to surprise me while I was in Philadelphia, but I knew he was coming. I had another surprise baby shower from the singles ward Todd was in the bishopric for, and I figured that one out too. But Puddle, she always knows how to get me!

Just because she deserves it, you all can now hear some of the sappy things that I think make her wonderful. She is so smart. And nice. And caring. Just a sweet person to be around. She is nonjudgemental and helps me be the same way too. She knows who she is and has blessed my life by just being the amazing person she is. Her husband is so lucky, and she is the best mom to her kids. Her darling little girl is so sweet and graceful, just like her.

I wish I had more pictures of her on my computer, but here are a few. In fact, if you have an amazing memory you will notice you have seen 2 of them before.

Best friends and their babies

Lila gives Brooklyn a kiss

At the Jersey Shore

Puddle's First Cheesesteak

The pair of us in New York