On Best Friends.

I got home to Mesa on Thursday and am just here for a mini vacation. As I've been home, I've had a lot of time to reflect on life and the friendships I've had for two reasons: 1. The celebration of Morgan's upcoming wedding, 2. Missionary friends returning. Reflecting on these things has brought me to such a thankful spot in my life for so many reasons.

I'm quick to call someone my best friend, which doesn't lessen the term to me. I have a lot of friends whom I love and cherish and really do consider my best friend. I realized that there are people I will continually fall back on for support, like Morgan and Jessika. We've been best friends since we were two, and despite our different friend groups, we get together again and it's like we never left each other's sides. Naomi is another friend like that. She's married, and I'm in Provo, but we can talk to each other on the phone for hours, and whenever I'm in town, it's like high school all over again. The thing is, I don't just have girlfriends like that. Zac Velarde has been such a good friend to me since we met, and every time I'm in Mesa, you can find us together, loving life and living like there's no tomorrow.

The thing I've come to realize  is that these people, Zac, Morgan, Naomi, Jacob, Jessika, Adam, Joey, Maeser- people I really know and love abundantly- have always been there for me. We've seen good and bad times, and somehow, miraculously, we come out on top, and that's not always the case with friends. Friendships don't always survive fights and disagreements, but when they do, they last forever. I think that one of the reasons I consistently come back to these people is because I know them so well, I know their stories, I know their worries (in a small way), I know their families, and I love everything about them. How could I not consider them my best friends?

Sometimes it's hard for me to watch my life change so much, and see everyone growing up, getting married, and having kids, but as I look at the friends I've been surrounded with, I know that the ones that really mean the world to me, the ones I've been with forever, they will always be right next to me, no matter where life takes us. I may have a fickle heart, but deep down, with my best friends, I'll always be loyal to those who have shown me loyalty. I happen to be blessed with a good group of people who've done that for me.