Thanks Amy

Amy,

  First of all, can you believe that this is the only picture that we EVER took together? I guess it's our own fault for having kids who are so unbelievably adorable that we are way too busy always taking pictures of them. Because I've got lots of pictures of your girls, or you and the girls, or you with my kids. At least we can safely say that we are not like those youths who can't do anything without taking a picture of themselves and posting about it. We are so cool. And grown up. And just so over it all. Ha!

  I don't know if I ever told you, but the very first time I saw you at church, I knew we were going to be friends. Ask Tyler, I told him as much. At first, I was intimidated to talk to you. You were rocking your red lip and I thought, I don't know, this girl looks way too cool for me.  I didn't know that we were going to be #soulfriends, though.You were and are such a blessing in my life. Over the years I have come to realize that friends mean a lot to me. Thank you for being mine.

   Thank you for inviting me and the kids over for a play date. Thank you for being so kind and friendly and easy to talk to and awesome. Thank you for being from Georgia and for having that amazing southern accent. Don't you ever get rid of it. Thank you for wanting to hang out with me just as much as I wanted to hang out with you. When we first became friends, Tyler teased me one night about how often we were getting together. But I thought, hey, when you find a friend like that, you don't wait around! Thank you for going to the pumpkin patch with us, and honestly all the different outings we went on when Olive was still so little that you had to carry her around. If the roles had been reversed I probably would have said no thanks, that's too much work. 

   Thank you for offering so many times to watch the kids for me just because. Just to give me a break. Just because you are a good person who is always looking for ways to serve the people you care about. Thank you for not just telling me about the good parts of your life or the good parts about you but also your struggles and frustrations and the hard times you were having. Thank you for being willing to let me see your imperfections. Being able to be vulnerable like that is a strength I don't possess, and I admire it in you. 

   Thank you for coming up with the Girls Night idea. Thank you for staying over until an hour of the night that there is no need to admit to here. Thank you for watching movies with me. Thank you for sharing yummy treats with me. Thank you for telling me all about your high school and college stories and for listening to mine. Thank you for still coming to Girls Night even after we moved to Independence. 

   Thank you for introducing me to so many new things! I tried so many new foods that I wouldn't have otherwise, and I loved almost all of them. I mean, where would I be without pistachios now? Or butternut squash?? And that Ham you made at Christmas is now our Thanksgiving tradition, so you will always be a part of our home. Thank you for taking me to try Hot Yoga. If it wasn't so pricey, I'd go all the time. Thank you for doing the exercise and nutrition challenges with me, and for laughing with me when we didn't quite fulfill our goals. Thank you for cheering me on and telling me I could do it. Thank you for meeting me early early early in the morning to go walking. I miss that so much. 

  Thank you for having us over for Christmas Eve dinner and for cooking that amazing meal. Thank you for your sweet ornaments you gave us both years. Thank you for loving my kids, and making them feel so safe and welcome in your home. Ellory still talks about Miss Amy's house. 

  Thank you for being excited for us when we got the Iowa State job. Thank you for being as sad as I was at the same time. Thank you for making jokes with me about how we were acting like we were some sort of couple who was deciding to try a long distance relationship. Thank you for talking on the phone with me for an hour of my driving across the country. 

  Thank you for your contributions to my #wardrobegoals. You really should find out if there is someone out there who would pay you to shop for them because you're amazing at it. Thank you for all the shopping trips. Thank you for going to French Press with me. Thank you for the Pumpkin and Strawberry donuts. 

  Thank you for your example of a selflessness. You always put the girls' and Nathans needs before your own. They came before your workouts, your meals, your tv shows, your books, anything and everything that you wanted to do came second to them. It's incredible, and I try to remember your example as much as I can. You always tried your best to say Yes instead of No, and I try to follow your example. Thank you for your sense of right and wrong. Thank you for sharing your testimony with me. Thank you for sharing your concerns with me. Thank you for talking through solutions with me. Thank you for being an example of what it means to go where Heavenly Father wants us to go. I know how hard it is for you to be so far from your family, and in a place where you hate the weather. But that's where you're supposed to be, and the people there are lucky to have you.

  I am forever changed because of you, Amy. I will never find another you. I loved that we were such good friends and so inseparable, that when I showed up to a gathering, the first thing people would ask me was either, "Where's Amy?" or "Is Amy coming?" because of course I always knew what you were doing and where you were. I am a better mom because of you. We joke, but I'm serious, I always think of you when I start to lose my patience. You may of gotten mad at your girls, but you were so good at keeping your voice calm and lowered and your face never looked scary. Ellory has told me many times how scary my face looks when I get mad at her. 

  I hope you know how much you mean to me. I hope you know that you are family to me. I hope you know that I love you very much and I am so very grateful to know you and to have you in my life. I'm so grateful that we can facetime and that when we do, it really feels like we're catching up and hanging out again. I know we will see each other again. Even if it means booking a cruise together, we will make it happen! Thank you again, for everything.