Thankful November- day 24

Me (5 months preggo) and Mallorie, heading out to our high school reunion

Today I'm thankful for old friends. I love my new friends and my in-between friends, too...a lot, but this day I'm super thankful for the old ones. =) There are a few friends that I have had in my life for a loooooooong time. I'll call out one in particular-

Mallorie, or BooBoo, as she's affectionately called by her family and a few others. Mallorie and I met when we were about 4 years old. Her mom ran a fabulous daycare out of her home and it was basically my home-away-from-home, as it was for many of the other kiddos there, I'm sure. Growing up we had many adventures- rescuing worms from gutters and missing the bus, dressing up in poodle skirts and dancing to the "Footlose" soundtrack, letting her older sisters do makeovers on us and then taking pictures of the gorgeous (read: hidious) results, lots and LOTS of stretchpants...I don't think either of us wore a pair of jeans until junior high...playing make-believe time travel games by jumping into a hole in their backyard, the list goes on and on...as we got older and I no longer went to daycare anymore, we still spent a lot of time together at school and beyond. Mallorie has always been a rock in my life. She's one of those friends that I can just "pick up" with right where we left off, since we don't see each other in person often. She's a brilliant physician and has always been one step ahead of me (and most people) in the brains department, she's gorgeous and has the most unbelievable eyelashes I've ever seen, she's super compassionate, a wonderful listener, puts others first, and totally committed and involved with her 9 brothers and sisters and their families (which is a feat in itself keeping up with all those happenings!).

She is, in many ways, my "constant". She knows me well, she knows who I have always been, what I have changed to become who I am today, and most parts in-between. I have watched her excel at many things and be challenged by others. To me, she is one of the people in my life that embodies the word "integrity" the most. She has never done anything to taint her character, she has always been sure of who she is and has never wavered from the path she is on, morally speaking, anyway. What you see is what you get with Mallorie, and I have always appreciated that so much. Even in the midst of high school peer pressure and stupidness, she managed to be herself and people loved her for that...well, the eyelashes didn't hurt, either. =) She has a beautiful singing voice and has always impressed me with how she keeps up her piano skills...is that still true, BooBoo? =)

I think of Mallorie often, as she's in another state and we have a hard time catching each other on the phone with our crazy schedules. There are times, though, when I think of her and I really, I mean REALLY miss her. I long to have a a sleepover, stay up really late and talk like we used to, and eat a lot of Twizzlers.

When Mark and I returned home from our honeymoon, we walked into our bedroom to find that someone (Mallorie) had decorated our bedroom with fun pictures of us (me and Mark, not me and Mallorie- though, that would have been fun, too), flowers, and candles. It was such a thoughtful thing to do and a fun surprise to welcome the newlyweds home! That summer, Mallorie was home from school and I have the greatest memories of that time. We both had pretty flexible schedules for several weeks and we spent several days one week at her sister's house, hanging out on the couch watching the REAL Pride and Prejudice...the hours-long BBC version. One of the best memories I have of spending time with my fabulous friend.

I could go on and on about Mallorie, but this post has to end at some point.

BooBoo- I hope we always stay the best of friends, no matter the distance or experiences that separate us- I admire you so much for who you are and who you've always been. Thank you for being the sister I always wanted, but could never convince my brother he was. =) You are the absolute BEST and I love you!