Best Friends Forever

Welcome to MPA Career Week 2010. Unsure of what that is? Yeah, we are too. Essentially, it's a week to interview and/or look for internships instead of attending classes. Sounds like a great idea, but we weren't given much notice so scheduling career related activities hasn't really happened. This means that next week when my classmates ask about my week, I won't be telling them about HR job descriptions (though I promise I'm applying for every internship I am at least semi-qualified for). I will be telling them about Best Friend Week 2010.

Monday - Maria (It's official - Maria and I have known each other FIVE years already. I never would have thought that a randomly assigned roommate could be such an integral part of my life. She is evidence that God places people in our lives to help us along our way.)
[Maria & I in windy San Francisco last fall when she and Jake came up for a 49ers game.]

Tuesday - Hillary (Simply said - when I write the story of my life, Hillary will be in every chapter. Love her forever.)
[Hill, Ellie, and I on the day I received my endowment. ps. *Hill - we have got to take more pictures! I don't have nearly enough to choose from for all the times we hang out.]

Wednesday - Tracy (Every girl needs a Tracy - that friend who knows exactly what to do and say in every moment from the trivial (which accessories to wear with which outfit) to the essential (how to calm a stressed out, slightly spastic friend with three sets of essays and two sets of book reports and only 48 hours to grade them in). She's my "left" hand since of course, you know I need my left hand much more than I need my right.)

Thursday - Rachel (Rachel is one of my oldest friends - a girl who is in the details of my life. She answered my notes about how cute my 7th grade crush looked standing in the quad. She let me cry on her shoulder about my B in Della Rosa's AP history (I was way too stressed out in high school). She watched "Devil Wears Prada" with me and commiserated about first job blues and boy drama. And she was the beautiful bride I got to stand next to in September. She's that friend that I know I'll be talking to on the phone when I'm 75.)
[Tracy and Rachel by the infamous llama on Lake Shore Drive in Tahoe during our fabulous girls trip last fall.]

Friday - Katie Fin (Cliche as it sounds, Katie is a kindred spirit. She and I grew up in some sort of parallel universe just 30 minutes away from each other. We loved the same things, read the same books, and dreamed of the same adventures. It seems fated that we would teach at the same school. She is my sanity and my sounding board. I'm so grateful for her.)
[Me, Zach, and Katie Fin at Katie and Jay's wedding last June.]

Seeing these fabulous friends wasn't planned way in advance, but it's worked out wonderfully and I am so excited. They are five of my very favorite people. Throw in that I will get to see all my brothers, my sisters, and my niece this week too, and things are just about perfect.

ps. Just to make you smile, here is the biggest smile I have ever seen on Mae's face. This was taken on Christmas morning as she saw her new piano. She could not have been happier.



pps. I resisted the urge to BFF as the title of this blog. I was totally one of those girls that signed my notes with all sorts of BFF doodles. Just ask Rachel....