Day. Nine.

A picture of your friends.

This is kind of a tough one, because I really do have so many wonderful friends. I have many whom I have never even met in person - women I have connected with online since January 2007, when I first learned that I was pregnant.

I have friends who I still speak with on a consistent basis, who live hundreds - or thousands - of miles away.

I have friends right here in Grand Rapids that I see every now and then, and we enjoy a good laugh.

Obviously, I can't post photos of all of those people.

So, I have chosen photos of the people who, at the very core, are the foundation of who I am. Some of them are people who I don't always speak to on a regular basis. Some of them I speak to almost every day. But at the end of the day, they are incredibly special to me and my husband, and some of our very best friends.

First up, "Snatchley" and "Mach 9." I met Ashley when I was in Grad School at the University of Douche Bags Denver. We sat next to each other and hit it off right away. We usually spent our evenings after class sitting on some patio, drinking some good beer, and laughing and talking. She was one of the few people in attendance at my wedding, and I absolutely love her to death. Her husband, Mark, came in to the picture a little while after we met. She had known him for a long, long time, but Tom and I had the pleasure of meeting him about a year after we had known Ashley. A few years after that, I was a proud member of their wedding party. 

Seriously, I love these two people.

Next on the list, one of my best friends - Tonya.

Tonya and I met our sophomore year at Baylor when we rushed Alpha Chi together, and made it into the same pledge class. My roommate at the time, Kelly, was her "big sister" and we spent a lot of time together. Tonya is unlike anyone you will ever meet - unless you've met me. Because, well, we can be a lot alike at times. Lol. She loves fashion, and I love her taste in clothes. She loves to write, and she sends me pieces that she's written over time to look at and critique. She is funny as hell. She is the most forgiving, loyal person I know. And - she's enthusiastic. You can't really describe the kind of enthusiasm Tonya has for everything. You just have to kind of know her. But I rarely see a negative attitude, or a bad day. 

Did I mention I sang at her wedding? Lol.

Danielle. Or, as we like to say it, in a high-pitched voice, "Nanielle."

God made me in 1982. Then a couple years later, realizing there should be another person exactly like me in the world, He made Danielle. And, he came pretty damn close to an exact match. I think the only thing we don't have in common is the fact that I have a disease and she doesn't. Everything else? Exactly the same.

Very few people truly understand my sense of humor like Danielle does, and vice versa. We met in law school in our very first year. In fact, she asked me to go to lunch with her about 10 times in a row, and each week I would just say, "Um, I brought my own. Thanks." She thought I was a total bitch, lol. But then one day, she guilted me in to saying, "Yes." And it was so much fun. Thus, a friendship began! Now we've been known to take impromptu trips to Chicago, spend too much money on a bad concert ticket, and movie-hop for hours at a time when we are supposed to be in class. Oops. Did I say that last one out loud?

Oh, and she's a phenomenal singer.

Amy is another law school friend of mine. She sat in front of me in our Criminal Law class, and while we weren't friends at that time, I remember thinking that she was incredibly smart.

I somehow convinced her to come to my place for photos when she was pregnant, and we wrapped her sweet little Taylor up in all different kinds of materials, suspended her in the air, set her on a bean bag...you name it, we experimented with it. Since then, I've done several more shoots with her and Taylor. She's always a lot of fun to be around, and we used to be able to do lunch at least once a week. Now that she's about to graduate and become a hot shot lawyer, she'll probably forget about us. ;)

And while our time spent together may be very scarce, Amy once shared something very personal with me that meant a lot to me. I've felt bonded to her ever since.

As I mentioned before, when I was at Baylor, I rushed Alpha Chi Omega. I remember during one of the rush parties, there was this really tall girl walking around that I recognized as "the bitchy girl who worked at Express." I went in there one day to return something, and I remember she was so rude to me, lol!! But, somehow, we became fast friends and she eventually took me in as her Little Sister. Or, as we like to say, her "Lil'."

Susan and I have done so much together. We've traveled to California together. She came all the way to Colorado for my baby shower and wedding. This past Spring, she came up here with her two little ones, just to spend a weekend with me. And, at the end of this month, she will be in Colorado again to celebrate the New Year with Tom and me. I could not be more excited!

Susan is an awesome person. She always has 1,000,001 things going on, and she is always so good at getting it all done. She's creative, and smart, and very business-savvy. She's a great friend, and an amazing mother. Anytime you watch a 3-year-old little boy politely ask for more broccoli, you know there's an amazing mother standing behind him. 

I really do just love my Notorious B.I.G.

(Not my photo, by the way. I stole it off the Internet.)

When I was a junior in college, the roommates and I moved into an awesome 3-bedroom place near campus called 1911. I have no idea how the relationship even came about, but at some point, my roommate started dating Curtis.

Curtis was Kelly's love interest, and my big brother. He used to come over sometimes, and lock my room so no one could get in, while I plucked his eyebrows. (Sorry Curtis, it had to be done. I had to tell the whole world.) While his personality could probably be considered offensive to some, I always just found him incredibly funny. He taught me the meaning behind every ridiculously disgusting sexual term that guys like to use, and he swears that he once came over, wrapped me in my bedspread, tied it shut with a bra, and left...although, to be honest, I can only vaguely remember that.

I will never forget, when I first heard my doctor utter the word, "Wegener's," I texted Curtis. He had been through some medical school and training and might have an idea of what I was facing. For some reason, I felt so comforted when he replied to me, "We'll get through this." It was then that I knew Curtis was more than just a punching bag that I could say mean things to and laugh. He was truly a good friend.

His wife, Cari, is phenomenal. Love her. She's funny. Witty. Intelligent. Straight-forward. Gorgeous. And she strikes me as the kind of person who was instantly accepting of all the people in Curtis's life. It was that way with me, anyways. I think I was talking to her on the phone before I had even met her, simply because I was friends with Curtis. Now, I am probably more likely to call her before I call Curtis. Lol.

Jolene is one of those people that you meet, and you just envy because you realize what all she has going for her. 

She's obviously gorgeous. She has a beautiful family. She's at the top of our class in law school, about to graduate. I am pretty sure she will have a million employers knocking down her door, begging her to come make millions of dollars at their firm.

But aside from being so intellectual and intelligent, the girl is actually really fun. (Come on, admit it - smart people aren't always necessarily really fun to be around. Lol.) Jolene can throw back a beer with the best of them. She enjoys a good gossip story, and yet she has an incredibly huge heart. She's at my house every few months getting new pictures of the kiddos, and half of her family has been referred to my studio. She's rarely one to turn down a good opportunity to get together, grill some hamburgers, and get a lil' tipsy.

She's another one who I used to have lunch with every week. That has since fizzled out, as she is about to be a top dog lawyer as well, but it's nice that we still keep in touch. She's been a good friend these past 3 years. :)

Kelly and Taryn.

I feel like I have to write about these two together because, well, for many years, the 3 of us were inseparable.

Kelly, Taryn and I were all on the same floor in our dorm, freshman year at Baylor. We weren't close that first year, but when they needed a roommate their sophomore year, I was looking for a place to live. So, we moved in together.

I don't think the dynamic was quite there right away, but we eventually all became very close. By mid-sophomore year, I was rushing Alpha Chi with their help (they had joined their freshman year). For the rest of our time at Baylor, we were roommates.

We spent every Spring Break together. We even spent some holidays together. We traveled to Florida. California. Colorado.

I was in both of their weddings, and I love both of them dearly. They are truly like sisters to me.

I don't get a chance to talk to Kelly or Taryn all that often. I think life is busy enough as it is, and it gets tough to pick up the phone as often as you would like to talk to loved ones. Especially when you have a 3-year-old running around...that doesn't always make it possible. :)  But the best part about our friendship is that when I do talk to these girls, it's like we picked up right where we left off. That's the mark of a good friendship.

As we have gotten older, I think our friendship has grown in a different way. We have gone from having conversations about clothes and makeup, to having deeper conversations about marriage, children, sex and all of the other "adult" stuff that tends to come into our lives as we grow up. There is not a day that goes by when both of these girls aren't on my mind. I miss them a ton, all the time.

When I was in the 5th grade, I moved to Colorado. I remember this girl at my school, Erica. She always wore earrings that matched, even though they weren't the same. The one that stands out the most? The pair that had an apple core on one side, and an apple with a bite out of it on the other.

I hated her.

Lol.

I don't think Erica and I actually became friends until well into high school. Yep, that's right. We disliked each other for many, many years. But, somewhere along the way, we realized how much we had in common. And we were instantly like sisters.

I think we spent every single day of our junior and senior years together. When I moved to Baylor, I bawled at the idea of leaving her behind. I still have home videos that we made during those years, of us singing, and just being stupid. Maybe I should put those on YouTube!? (Ha. Just kidding, Erica. Lol.)

I can even remember that one time, Erica and I had to present something for our English class, and we decided that we would do the entire presentation while on the floor, acting like dogs. What!? Yeah, I have no idea. But I remember that we thought it was really funny.

Time has since changed our lives very much, but I am thankful that Erica and I still keep in touch. I get to see her when I go home to Colorado, and our little boys are only two weeks (almost three) apart. How cool is that? So it's like we go through the same milestones together. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Stephanie.

This girl and I became friends at the beginning of this year, when I basically told her I was coming to her house to take newborn photos, and I didn't really give her the option of saying, "No." Hell, for all I know, I might have just shown up on her doorstep.

She's awesome. The girl is crazy smart. Fun. She loves a good glass of wine. Her husband is older than her, so we like to make little jokes about him and Tom together. She's just a good person. And she's honest. I think that's the best part about her. She will always tell you like it is.

And, finally, Dirk. Oh, Dirk, Dirk, Dirk.

What can I say about Dirk? He's a younger version of my dad. He wears a lot of man jewelry. He's super liberal. And he is 100% one of the funniest people I know. No seriously. Funny as hell.

Dirk and I go to school together, and we met in our first year. I actually sat right next to him and Danielle in all of our first year classes. Now, he and his awesome wife, Heiddi, host all of the mid-term, after-term, just-for-the-hell-of-it parties at their house. When everyone got together at the local Mexican restaurant for my birthday one year, he and Heiddi were so absolutely "gone" after a few drinks, that they skipped out on their tab. I like to use that story against him, every chance I get. Cheap-skate!

I also work with Dirk at ITT Tech. He is the registrar there, and he helped to get me a job as an instructor. So that's a perk. I don't have classes with Dirk anymore, but I still get to see and hang out with him once a week. And, when he's not in the office, I enjoy leaving little Post-It notes on his desk that say things like, "Dear Dirk, God hates you. So do most babies." I think that's nice.

I would be so lost without each of these wonderful people. I am so, so thankful to have each of them in my life. They are what get Tom and I through each and every day in this crazy life.