The best of friends....

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 2.2

Ahh good old Romeo and Juliet. Is there a sweeter love story than theirs? I think not.

But that's not what this is about. This is about best friends. And soul mates. And how all of them come together to form my support system and keep me sane.

Check out my totally awesome paint drawing to illustrate my garden of best friends and soul mates:

Okay, so it looks way better in paint, but here's the gist. The flowers are my garden....Janet, Michael, Colleen, Jennifer, Chellie, Grams, Dustin, Hilary, Danny and Dane. Each of them plays a crucial part in my life. The blue birds (by the bees, yes those are bees, and yes those are birds. don't knock my artistic ability)....are my TWEEPS! who let me vent on a daily basis and don't judge...mostly. :)

Here's a little bit about each of my flowers:

Janet - talk about the most amazing person you could ever ask to be in your corner. She is such a positive reinforcement that it's hard not to think she's amazing. She congratulates you when you're doing well and encourages you when you're down in the dumps. She's completely selfless and gives all of herself to everything she does. She's loyal and doesn't give up on something she believes in. I am thankful fate has kept us together and honored to call her my friend. :)

Michael - is my cousin. He's a wee bit older than me and unfortunately our paths weren't very intertwined until about 4 years ago. But, I love him nonetheless. He's also a very good person to have in your corner. Very level headed and passionate. He's loyal to a fault, but I try not to take advantage of that! :) He gives 110% to those he loves and his advice is usually dead on. I can call him when I'm crying, or when I'm jumping with joy and I believe he feels what I feel and celebrates or mourns with me.

Colleen - ahh, my saving grace. Colleen is my rock. She's my go to when my life is in shambles. She not only understands my neurotic moments, she can talk me out of them. I am positive that without her, my life would be so much more chaotic and days would be completely different. She too is an amazing person and has strength like I've never seen.

Jennifer - Jennifer is my co-worker, but has certainly developed into one of my very best friends. While this list pretty much includes everyone I would call a best friend, she certainly deserves the designation in her description. She too can talk me out of my neurotic moments and is far more level headed than me which helps because sometimes I need someone to bring me back to reality. She's also loyal and one of those people you'd rather have on your side than against you. Best of all, we laugh a lot. And laughter soothes the soul.

Chellie - holy geez. My alligator. We've called each other gator for a long time now. I think it was to protect our identities online, but it's not like I'm using her last name, so we're good. Music brought us together and continues to be glue for our relationship. We share the exact same taste in music and aren't afraid to bust out a little Journey at the top of our lungs during happy hour. (Everyone should, btw). She's another saving grace because when I feel like the weight of the world is crushing my lungs, she knows exactly what I'm talking about and can make me laugh so that my mind is no longer on the crushing weight. We often laugh until there are tears in her eyes (I don't cry when I laugh) and I can't breathe. I love it.

Grams - ahh grams, how I love thee. My grandma is the best and that's all there is to it. She's funny, witty, smart, compassionate, caring, and every other thing you could ever want in a person. She's a perfect 10 in my book and I love her to death.

Dustin - my very very best friend. And the hubs. He doesn't always understand what I'm going through, but he does his best to help me through it. He's my rock, my soul mate, and the keeper of my heart. Not every person gets to marry their best friend, and I certainly consider myself lucky for being able to do so.

Hilary - oh geez I don't think a little blurb about Hil is going to be enough. Hilary is my other very very best friend. We've been through hell and back together and she's never once faultered by my side. We've had stupid fights like sisters sometimes do, and we've always managed to come out stronger than before. She is so, so passionate about life and the ones she cares about, it's admirable. She's funny, smart, and talented. She constantly amazes me with her ability to adapt and to persevere through all kinds of crazy situations. I love her dearly and I would be lost without her 99% of the time!

Danny - Danny has been my friend for a long time. We've gone through peaks and valleys with out friendship, but he's always been there for me. He's listened to me scream and cry and he's listened to me be overjoyed. He's compassionate, and has thoughts and ideas that amaze me on a regular basis.

Dane - Ahh, my Dane. I would imagine Dane will be surprised to find his name on this list. But he deserves it. Dane help save me. Dane was the friend who was there for me when I was confused and being stupid and not at all making choices that would benefit my life later. He laughed about it with me, and helped pull me through all while not juding me for being a complete moron. We've drifted over the years, but I can still call him and spend an hour on the phone playing catch up and lauhging at all the stupid things we get ourselves into. He recently abandonned Texas, but I have a feeling there will be lots of trips to see each other. Especially because his new wife is awesome!

The title of best friend is kind of limiting. If you say "one of my best friends" you sound kind of silly, because how many do you have, right? well, the truth is, I have a lot. 10 to be exact. 10 people that I consider my very best friends and my go to people. 10 people I would put my life on the line for. (obviously I'd put my life on the line for my family, but these are my "other family"). I am so lucky to have a list of 10 people that I can turn to in crisis and in need and feel like they understand me 100% and they're not judging me, but truly looking out for my best interest. I often feel like best friend isn't an appropriate title for them because they're really more than that. They're part of my family. And my life is forever changed by knowing them.

This seemed appropriate:
But if the while I think on thee, dear friend,
All losses are restored and sorrows end.
~William Shakespeare