Fourteen Days of Thanks - Day 12

Day 12: I am thankful for my Oklahoma friends.

So I was supposed to blog about this a few days ago and blogged about our apartment instead. So this goes out to my "Oklahoma" girls.

I grew up in Oklahoma - from the time I was 1 until I graduated from college. My first best friend was Khriston. Our parents were friends so we naturally were together all the time. Then when I started school I met Tiffany. We also went to church together so we naturally became best friends. I remember doing everything with Tiff. From our Land Run in the 4th grade, our 5th grade Field Day, playing middle school basketball together, starting high school together and all the change that comes with that, then graduating together and going off to ECU, we have shared so many great memories. Yes, we've had our ups and downs, and times when we haven't always been close, but through it all our friendship has remained. Only God could do that. Here we are almost 17 years later, and still best friends. She knows the best and worst of me and loves me anyways. We are very, very, very different and yet share a bond of being sisters in Christ. We complement each other in our differences and encourage each other through our trials and victories.

Then there is Amy. Amy and I haven't known each other quite as long as Tiff & I, but hit it off from the beginning. We met in Sunday School at church in Virginia's class. She was engaged to Shane at the time and I had just graduated from high school. She was so welcoming and that made the transition to college so much easier. Then she and Shane got married and changed classes. God knew Randy & I would need dating mentors and had placed Shane and Amy in our lives for that. They let us hang out with them and let us learn from them how a relationship works. We were there when their first daughter was born, and Amy said Abby would call us Uncle Randy & Aunt Rachel. We were so honored. Since we've moved to TX and especially since we got married, we haven't been able to spend as much time together. But the cool thing is any time we are together, it is like we never left. We love them like family.

And then there is my dear April. The funny thing is I used to babysit her and her sister when I was in middle school. Who would have thought that 5 years later a friendship would develop between us that I value so deeply. April is 6 years younger, so in many ways she is like a little sister. But at the same time, we connect on such a deep level that sometimes I forget she is younger than me! :) And the extra bonus is she is dating my little brother! So I get to see her whenever my little brother is around.