They make my life sweet.
You really need to meet them.
You know those stories from Pioneer days when the women would be out working in the fields, go into labor and have their babies, and then just keep on working? That would be Kate. She is one of the toughest chicks I know. I often wish I was half as strong as Katie. She is gutsy and clever and scrappy with a capital S. She has a shrewd business mind and could easily be sitting behind a CEO desk but instead she stays home and makes the stinkin' cutest babies ever. She was born to be a mother and she does it with whole-hearted devotion. She has been one of the loudest cheerleaders of our adoption endeavor, waiting with us, crying with us, and on several occasions even holding hope for us on those gray days when we had none ourselves. She is a baby-wearing, cloth-diapering, chicken-raising crunchy mama and I adore her. Plus, she made me a lego birthday cake one year. Friends. For. Life.
She is my running-buddy, blog editor, and grammar Nazi. We share movie nights and running shoes and book recommendations and a longing for the sea. She loves my kids, even the one who hasn't come home yet, like they were her own. She patiently guides my ignorance of all things techy and I repay her with running tips. She swears when she runs and it makes me love her all the more. She loves sunshine and the color orange and a really good cheeseburger. I am often astounded by her unwavering faith, her ability to rest in her Savior in the face of any circumstance. She has a quiet, rock-solid faith that has encouraged me on many occasions. She trusts her Heavenly Father absolutely.
She is the reason I now eat kale and floss regularly. Seriously. How's that for friendship? She has more style in her left earlobe than most of do in our entire bodies. She can roll out of bed in the morning, stumble and fall into her closet and emerge looking freakin' adorable. It's a rare gift. We share a love of gardening, cooking, and antiques as well as a secret desire to paint objects in our house eye-popping colors that our husbands would frown upon. (Maybe this year, Maddo.) She gets my geekery (*ahem* superhero fandoms, etc.) and my newly found passion for 1970's pyrex and loves it all right alongside me. We vent about the ugliest parts of motherhood together and know there will be no judgment. We celebrate the small triumphs of motherhood together and know there is no jealousy. We ride this roller coaster of parenting school-age children together and I am oh-so-thankful for the company.
16 years. I've known this chick for 16 years. (Man, we're old.) She knew me through one of my ugliest and most unlovable times and still she stuck around. There is no one in my life who shines Jesus brighter than Steph. She is generous, quick to offer grace, and makes daily sacrifices with joy. Coffee dates with Steph usually include the kind of belly-laughter that makes milk squirt out your nose as well as the kind of heart-baring honesty that leaves you both blubbering. Most of the recipes in my kitchen arsenal that my family likes best came from this chick. And she taught me how to make tortillas from scratch. Score. She sings like an angel, teaches piano, writes one of my favorite blogs, volunteers at church and the PTO, juggles the duties of being a pastor's wife, all in the midst of raising 4 amazing, rambunctious boys and everything that requires. She is a super hero in my book.
I love you girls. You all help me be a better wife, a better mom, and a better friend. Most importantly, you push me toward Jesus. You make my life oh-so-sweet.
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