Day 14 - Jenny Ann

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

My niece Jennifer

I love my nieces and nephews more than almost anything in the world. When I feel most lonely and in need of love my mind automatically goes to those kids and how much they mean to me, and most especially how they love me unconditionally. I have spent the most time with my oldest sister Marcela's kids since I became an aunt, and so her oldest, Jenny, is usually foremost in my mind. It helps that Jenny is always wanting to spend time with me and her parents are always perfectly willing to let her, so I still get to spend a lot of time with her. That girl loves me and I love her and she personifies what I love about my nieces and nephews. She was born when I was 8 so most of my life, especially the stuff I remember, she's been around for, even if she was little. If I lost any of my nieces or nephews I'd be devastated. If I lost any of the ones I grew up knowing it would be especially hard. Jenny is one of the more prominent of those. I didn't think there was anyone that really fit this category until I thought of losing Jenny, and I really can't imagine my life without her.

Day 10 - Boring Thrills

Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with.

That's easy. Gabs. :)

I've already done my blurb about her, but that was mostly how much I worry.

Gabby is one of the few friends I've kept in touch with who has a lifestyle...very different than mine :) She used to be the sweet doll I'd love her to still be, but you have to let your kids grow up. And grow up Gabby definitely chose to do. In some way or another, anyhow.

That being said, I still have my principles and standards...or mostly just aversions. So there is a huge limit to what I'll let her talk me into. But Gabby is the one I go to when I want to do something out of my ordinary.

Unfortunately, we are very un-inventive. Most of the time we've spent together over the years consisted of watching TV/movies or taking pictures when we were really bored but feeling cute. So my list of "messed-up" things I've done with Gabby is very short, and includes things only as exciting as going to a night club (for my after-bachelorette party) and thronging with the crowd after an American Idol performance. Things she thinks are fun I would rather not do, and things I think are fun are overdone.

Our next adventure will probably be getting a manicure. Shh, don't tell the police!

Day 5 - Young Fun Friendship

Day 5 - A picture of your favorite memory.

Alright, so this may end up stuck away in the right date, but if anyone's paying attention -- or actually reads this far back -- I'm only just getting caught up. I have the hardest time picking these things. Really, the ability to post back-dated is probably a bad thing because I never get around to the ones that were hard. Oh well. I'm getting to them now! :)

As I think I've mentioned before, I've always wanted friends that I can have forever, with a deep relationship that I know I can rely on. Also as I think I've mentioned before, I often feel like I haven't been able to keep a friendship like that. Oh well.

Along with that, I've been nostalgic lately. So I finally have a memory strand that may or may not be my favorite, but is at least worth blogging about.

I miss having a best friend. Not John, mind you, because a husband best friend is definitely different than another best friend. More specifically, I miss my best friend Holly.

From Jr. High to mid-High School, we were inseparable. I thrived on that friendship. I wasn't as good of a friend as I could have been sometimes, but I loved having someone who I knew I could rely on for talking, time, fun, whatever.

I have a lot of memories with Holly. Some of my favorite are just when we hung out after school. Or when we walked home from school. Or when we supported each other: going to all of her performances was fun.

I love to spoil people, and I took full advantage of that with Holly. I always tried to make sure her birthday was a blast.

I think this was her 14th:

I bought that frog a month in advance. Her favorite animal was frogs so I got it when I saw it on sale after Valentine's Day. She called herself Halollypop sometimes, so I got her lollipops, and I made a ton of paper ones. Then I plotted with her mother so I could get in her room while she was gone. I had so much fun doing that, and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed it too. (I wasn't there when she came home)

We had fun with other activities together, like the Social/Ballroom Dance Team

We stuck together when going from Jr. High to High school together

And I got to go on a lot of dates in High School so that she could go on dates with her boyfriends

(that boy is now her hubby)

We had fun, and we had good times. We drifted apart, I'm still not sure exactly how.

I've missed her like mad ever since, but I always feel stupid, immature, and awkward whenever I try to mend whatever broke us. I suppose I should just get over it and move on.

At least I'll have memories.

Day 2 - Forever Frister!

Day 2 - A picture of you and the person you have been close with for the longest.

Miss Sarah Lynn Johnson!

At my Wedding

Fresh out of the temple - my wedding

Jr High 9th grade Musical Brigadoon

Jr High Promotion

Random Sleepover

High School, Senior Year, Yearbook Day

Mutual Friend's wedding, '11

Sarah and I have been friends since we were 1.5 years old. Or so we figure. She moved (with her family, silly. Babies don't move across states all by themselves) from California to the house across the street in January of '92. We were born 4 days apart in June of 1990. And for as long as we can remember we've been besties.

And the best kind of besties: we've been fristers! We claim the name and no one else can drive it to fame! (okay, so I'm not that clever) We're friends that might as well be sisters. And I've long thought that is more true with us than many girls claim. :P

We practically raised each other and we have had a distinct influence on each other's lives. Like sisters :)

But we haven't stayed best-best friends always. In fact, I can remember few times when Sarah and I have been each other's main or only best friend. I think this is one of the biggest reasons we're more like sisters than most other best friends. Sure you're friends with your sister, but you have other friends who come first on the "friends" list because your sister comes first on the sister list. And yet I will always and have always considered Sarah one of my best friends, keeping up with that consistency that comes with sisterhood.

Another reason we're totally awesomely fristers is because she is ALWAYS there. I've run through my other best friends much too fast for my liking, but Sarah is always there. When I need to talk or hang out or anything, she's there. When someone else isn't available, around, or my friend anymore, she's there.

Sarah knows my history and my family almost as well as she knows her own. She could probably name my nieces and nephews better than most of their uncles and aunts can, and several of my nieces and nephews even call her their "fake Aunt Sarah."

Even when I've been mad at her (usually for stupid reasons) or we haven't talked in far too long, we can pick life up as if we'd never left off.

I've always known she'd be my Maid of Honor (or Matron, but we both knew I'm way too boy-crazy to go long being single) at my wedding. When I told her I was getting married and, duh, that's her role, she was like, "Are you sure?" Hahahahahaha, silly woman, who else would it be? But of course she was perfect for the part and she was an amazing choice, even if we weren't fristers.

The funny part is, those 7 pictures up there pretty much sum up pictures of us. We realized when we were about 15 that we didn't have a single picture of just the two of us. Always with a group, or just one of us on an occasion when we were together. Since then we've tried to get more of the two of us, because being the only, or at least best, fristers in the world constitutes that we should have some documentation of such a relationship. But even with our efforts, there is a definite lacking in pictures of us. I have a handful at my wedding because she was my Maid of Honor, but even still there are few because they're replaced by pictures of me with all my Bridesmaids. I guess that's our story :)

I mean, how often do you get family pictures done with just pair of sisters? ;)

Day 4 - Bestie Fun

Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.


Of course, John is my best friend. But John gets enough show time since I'm married to him. 


I've always wanted to continue to have a female best friend for the rest of my life. I have many reasons for that. My problem is that I've gone through best friends faster than I can make new ones, not entirely through my own fault. So right now I'm just saying my best friend is whomever of my close friends I think of first. Today that is Gabs. 


I tried looking for a fantastic picture of her that was already on the internet but...her activities of late do not show off her freaking gorgeous self as best as possible, so I had to delve into the piles of pictures she and I took together through the years, though old and outdated they may be. 

These pictures are 2 1/2 years old. Time flies way too fast! I guess that's what I get for having so many changes in the past two years. 


Like I said, Gabby and I have tons of pictures through the years. I guess we're both a little narcissistic and, surprisingly, taking pictures of yourself with a friend makes a fun activity.  In any case, I love the collection of pictures we have and the memories they bring. 


I've already written a few words about Gabby, but I can always ramble more. :) I think she's absolutely fantastic and I love her to death. I'm her Mom and she's my daughter. This is so for several, mostly funny, reasons, but it's primarily because I'm always nagging and worrying and doing such things like that. She's one friend I will fight for to continue to have in my life. 


I even have a ring to show for our friendship. Hilarity ensued when she got on one knee at my 16th birthday party, even if only she and I got the joke. Neither of us are at all homosexual; no worries. She has a ring too but I'm pretty sure it's stuck away forgotten under some box somewhere. Ah well :) 


Right now it's been about eight months since we've seen each other. The past few weeks all our plans have fallen through. I miss her like mad and I really want to be there for her, even if she doesn't think she needs me. I worry, like always. But such is life. 

Special Girls in My Life: Rachel Hales

I love many people. Too many, I have been told, but love is something that you have more of to give as you give more of it, so what they say is just complete bull. I regret that I cannot give more of my time and effort to everyone I wish to. I live my life as I can and let those I can know that I do love them, or at least I try. For my wedding, it was simply impossible for me to have all the bridesmaids I wanted. The seven I ended up with were plenty. It was hard for me to settle on them because I have so many friends who truly mean a lot to me and who I felt deserved to be in the mix. But, having 20 or so bridesmaids is silly, especially when the Bridal party is already huge due to the nature of John's and my combined very large immediate family. So I settled on five of my closest friends, John's unmarried step-sister, and John's close female friend. Here I would like to give a tribute to my wonderful bridesmaids and the ladies who are, if you will, my unofficial bridesmaids, whether they know it or not.

Rachel Hales, along with Amanda Ryther, is an angel in my life.  I've never had anyone make me feel as at home as these two. Hours of storytelling on which they insisted (mostly Rachel) made them the ultimate authorities on John, as my friends. They've been there for me through almost everything John and I have gone through, and yet not in a way that intrudes on my relationship with John. I got scared of sharing my excitement about John because I didn't want to overtake the show, but with these two it just added to our friendships, and also helped add to my relationship with John. Rachel, in asking for advice on her boy problems, helped me figure out some issues I was dealing with. Rachel is my hero. Rachel is so loving and seemingly completely void of judgmental perspectives. She reaches out to absolutely everyone around her and accepts them for who they are, yet she doesn't do so blindly by giving her total trust to those who don't deserve it. She has overcome hardships in her life, and she truly knows how to smile no matter what. I can't wait to spend more time throughout my life getting to know Rachel. I know these two friendships will last.

Special Girls in My Life: Gabrielle Arce

I'm afraid I'm horrible at finishing things. I'm a procrastinator, I will fess. I have many posts I started and never finished. So for my recompense in that, I am posting these in parts. :) 

I love many people. Too many, I have been told, but love is something that you have more of to give as you give more of it, so what they say is just complete bull. I regret that I cannot give more of my time and effort to everyone I wish to. I live my life as I can and let those I can know that I do love them, or at least I try. For my wedding, it was simply impossible for me to have all the bridesmaids I wanted. The seven I ended up with were plenty. It was hard for me to settle on them because I have so many friends who truly mean a lot to me and who I felt deserved to be in the mix. But, having 20 or so bridesmaids is silly, especially when the Bridal party is already huge due to the nature of John's and my combined very large immediate family. So I settled on five of my closest friends, John's unmarried step-sister, and John's close female friend. Here I would like to give a tribute to my wonderful bridesmaids and the ladies who were, if you will, my unofficial bridesmaids, whether they knew it or not. 

Gabby Arce is my daughter. I've been in constant worry over this girl since I moved away to college, and for a bit before then. I worry that my example wasn't good enough; I worry about her habits and the way she spends her time; I worry about her interactions with boys; I worry that she will make mistakes; I worry about not being there for her; I worry about her family; I worry that she doesn't open up enough; I worry that she doesn't know enough; I worry that she's misguided about herself; I worry that she won't get her full potential out of her life. I tell her about my worries, and she tells me not to worry, and that works for about 15 minutes, sometimes as much as an hour. She's actually rather convincing. Far too good of a liar, but even then I don't think she's lying to me about that. But why shouldn't I worry? I love her with absolutely all of my heart and I want the best for her, and sometimes I don't see the best happening.

I also worry that I'm far too much of a mother to her and I'm getting my taste of what it will be like to be a mother to a teenager. At least we have an excellent relationship, which is what's important to me, even if the rest of it worries me...

Gabby has been the best friend a girl could ask for since day one. She has always looked up to me, sometimes especially when I felt I least deserved it. She has loved me unconditionally and continuously. I don't know anyone else on earth who can love like she does -- when she chooses to love like that. I have often put other friends and other things before her through the years, but she always put me top of her list. It's not quite the same now; she's grown up a bit. But I feel as close as we ever were, even if we don't get to spend as much time together as we'd like.