Friendship.

Many of the blogs I follow and read regularly are written by young married couples and each day of their marriage, couples enjoying the birth of their first child, or girls sharing recipes that they're trying each day. I'm not married and I won't be for a while. Needless to say, due to the first point, I won't be writing about the birth of my first child for a loooong time. And the recipes? I did just make low-fat blueberry muffins, but they're the Martha White kind where you just add water and stick 'em in the oven. Not complicated, like most anything I make.

BUT you can always count on me to write about what it's like to teach a handful of kids, my daily attempts at learning Biblical womanhood, and how classes drive me crazy. I have an amazing boyfriend that I write about a lot, but this blog is simply about....friendship!

I have great, great friends. I really do. First, there are these girls-

Allison, Anna, Janie, Sarah, Kayla, Christy, Sam!

These are the girls that taught me what friendship really is. We've been friends since the eighth grade (Kayla and I since the diaper stage, Allison since second grade) and we were inseparable throughout high school. We have held hands and given shoulders to cry on through some of the hardest, roughest times of our lives- when my mom got sick, when Christy's dad passed away, broken hearts, and when it came time for Anna, Christy, and I to say our good-byes and leave home for college.

People say that once you leave for college, you lose that special relationship you had with your friends from high school. Yes, we no longer spend every day together and we have lost touch in a sense. But everytime we're home from school, lunches at Chilis, silly pictures and failed attempts at pyramids, and group hugs pick up right where they all left out.

You know that saying, "A family that prays together stays together?" I think that goes for us- "Friends that pray together, stay together." Our love for the Lord is what has brought a group of girls that are so different together- and that's what keeps us together.

Then, there are these girls-

Morgan, Sara, Courtney, Krystle, Madison, Jamie, Chelsey, Sarah, and Megan M!

I'm extremely thankful for this group of girls and there newfound friendship. When I joined Third Baptist, I was terrified. The first church I was going to in college was huge, where very few peope knew my name. And then, I came to Third, which was smaller and everyone knew my name. Talk about being intimidated. I have never felt more welcome into a group than I did when I came to Third. The friendship from these girls has been overwhelming- their love and support and their encouragement is Christ-centered. Each one of them has one desire- to bring glory to Christ. I love these girls and I'm thankful to know them and to fellowship with them. We're at different stages of life, and therefore are able to help one another through different struggles. This picture was taken at our college leadership retreat last weekend.