try harder!

You had to have been there, but this evening my sister and I wrote out invitations to a baby shower that we're putting on-and at one point I admonished Anna for "writing outside the lines" and making it look "horrible"...and then I told her to "try harder!"
These are things you can only say to a sister...and even then it had better be met with laughter or things might get ugly ;-)

So, I had a really good day today-for one thing, it was my day off and I had made a list the night before of ALL the things i needed to do ( there were lots) and THEN I had the great joy of doing ALL of the things on my list as well as take a tour of my parents ever-growing new house, and watch several episodes of Friends Season Four ( yes, I bought it :-( ).... I love crossing things off my list. Anyway, I also had this really joyous moment when I was driving, looking at the beautiful day outside-all sunny and cold. And I started to think about all my wonderful friends...really, its been difficult having such a short list of people to put on my inspiration/influential list-because really I have SO MANY dear dear people that bring my heart joy.
Anyway, it really made me happy....which I havent been feeling much of lately, so that was a great blessing from the Lord :-)

In other news, it is officially FIVE DAYS till my birthday...and we've got a jam packed schedule to keep so lets get to it!

Louise

I actually prayed for Louise before I even met her...I've got the proof in my journals in October 2002 I was procrastinating from studying for exams and I wrote out this prayer, here is part of it:

"Lord, I also pray for the new people you are going to put into my life. Friendships yet to be. God please do put your blessing of grace and joy upon me that I might share-and be filled in the same way. I pray for being an RA next year-make it a wonderful blessing. handpick the people in my care-handpick my room-prepare my heart as well as the hearts of the people I will be in contact with...
Its a simple prayer, but got answered it completely and beyond my dream by giving me Louise. She was one of my residents my first year as a house tutor...but really she was hardly "my resident" at all...she was my most blessed friend.
My favorite memories of Louise during that first year were when she was really stressed out ( being a pre-medical student will do that to you a lot) and would come hide in my room....she taught me how to knit, and I taught her how to procrastinate and we would talk and talk and talk. I seriously, cant think of anyone who I can have quite so much fun talking with-besides my sister...because really, its uncanny how similar Louise and I are in so many ways, you would think we WERE sisters.
I wont even TELL you some of the things we talked about, because you would either not find it funny..or worst of all you would be grossed out ;-)
Ultimately God gave me a similar heart to share and laugh with that year, and all I did was appreciate the JOY that it brought me. Louise and I led a life group together that year as well, which was the beginnings of a sharing of our faiths...which truly was tested and tried the next year.
Last year Louise and I were accountablity partners. I remember the day we decided, we had gone out for Thai...and it was a Sunday. I knew it was important but I didnt realize HOW important. God knew. 2004 brought incredible shocking trails into both Louise's life and mine. I think we could both safely say they were some of the most trying times of our lives up until then....we spent countless times just holding each other and crying...countless times praying-because it was the only thing we COULD do. I remember the day I called Louise up and told Matt ( her husband) to get a hold of Louise ( she was at the library studying) because I NEEDED her....I dont think I had ever done that before, up until that time I had never admitted that I needed help, that I needed another person. But God knew it was time for me to face that, and He gave me the perfect friend to turn to. I am still amazed at the beauty of the Lord for giving me such a friend, I like to think about that prayer I prayed in October 2002...because God looked over New Zealand and saw Louise....He knew far more than I did how much I needed HER...HER gifts...HER sense of humor...HER Love....she continues to be a delight to my soul, when we talk on the phone it seems that whatever distance or time passes between us matters no more....I truly do not know what my life would be without her....