I got to go to lunch with my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday today. This picture is actually from Marsha and Brenda's birthday party in August because I happened to have my camera with me that day.

It was so nice to have everyone there. We had a great time catching up on each other's lives. It seems like even when we can't see each other very often, there is always this special bond that keeps us close. We sat and talked for about 3 hours!

Katie and I were talking the other day about our friends and how very special and unique the relationship is we have with each other. We met the Wrights and Reynolds when we moved into our first home in Hunter. Kelley worked with Bryan and Terry at Portland Cement and us girls were good friends right from the start. Carla and Bryan have been our dear friends forever. When Katie was about 5 and Camille was 2, they invited us to go on vacation to Newport Beach with them. That was the start of a wonderful tradition. We have gone most every year since them with their family, and it has grown to be a big group of friends that go on this annual vacation together. We enjoyed many "date night" outings with them and love them like family. Corrinne and Terry are just great people. I have always felt close to Corrinne. She is beautiful inside and out. Terry always makes me feel good just being around him He always has a story to tell and makes me laugh.

I met Marsha at an outdoor basketball game Tony and Kelley were playing in. I found out they were living in the same neighborhood we were building a home in in Taylorsville. We really hit it off and she became one of my dearest friends. We pretty much raised our kids together and were always doing something fun together. shopping, vacations, skiing, doing things with the kids, perms? and church callings. When she told me they were moving to Sandy, I thought I would die. But we have stayed very close over all these years. I met Diane before we even moved in. I remember all their family driving around the circle all loaded in their suburban pulling the green booger(their awesome boat) . We all went out and said hello and I knew from the start that Diane would be my good friend. They have the kind of family that just makes you feel loved and welcome. We had kids the same age they became good friends. We have had a lot of fun times with their family...Camping, boating, Utah games. Diane and I soon discovered we had many things in common. In fact, we had so much in common we decided we were surely sisters in heaven. We have the same taste in clothes...often end up wearing the same thing, we both love to sew, garden, and play the piano.

It seems like Charlene has been my friend forever. We got to know their family through Bryan and Carla and Wayne was the builder of our homes.We vacationed with them at Newport Beach waaaaaay back when the kids were little and have spent that special time with them most every year since.

We were in the same ward at first and they just lived across the canal road. After about a year, they split us off from their ward. That was really hard. We thought we had found some kind of utopia with that ward. There was a a special feeling there and a real bond between the people. But we remained close to their family. We had lots of fun shopping adventures and Katie and Amy were best friends growing up. Stacey and Rick moved in about 17 years ago. We became great friends right away. She ran a little preschool and K.C. spent many happy hours there. Stacey is the kind of person that is easy to love. She has a genuine intrest in you and is just a lot of fun to be around. She is always ready for any adventure and not afraid to try anything. We have had a special relationship with their whole family...Rick has done so many things for us I wouldn't know where to begin to describe how good he is to us. He is a great friend to Kelley.They have always been there for us through good times and bad. We got to know Northrups soon after we moved in here. We have enjoyed sharing a condo with them over the many years at Newport Beach. Dan and Kelley have a shared obsession for many things, the least dangerous being fishing. We went on a road trip to Northern California last summer to pick up their fishing boat, and have spent many happy hours since up on Strawberry Reservoir.(me on warm sunny days, Kelley and Dan- anytime they can...rain wind, freezing snow) That is a whole other story. Our kids grew up together and we have had a lot of great times with their family. They have been through some hard things and I am always amazed at their example of courage, faith and strength.

I don't know what we did to deserve these wonderful people in our lives but I am forever grateful for the love and support they have shown to us and how they have influenced me and my famlies lives. I consider these dear friends as gifts from Heavenly Father and I treasure each one of them.