wooo coooooold!

I never thought I'd say that, but I really felt that for me to get sufficently worked up about Thanksgiving it needed to not reach 80 degrees during the day...that's final. Today my wish was answered and I'm not happily considering making some hot tea :-)

Alright kiddos, its pop quiz time: How many days till Abigail's birthday? The answer will be at the bottom of this post...

Penny Roper
I met Penny during my first year at university, she lived on the eighth floor...which is where *I* moved after meeting Lydia...Lydia, Penny and I lived happily ever after away from the evil people that lived in the "lower floors"… well, not quite...but we did have an awful lot of fun together. I think Penny is one of my dearest friends who I feel I don’t do justice. And I feel that while some friends you seem to know right away what an impact they are going to have on your life, Penny was a lot more subtle about her influence.
Penny has a "mothering" spirit, she truly nurtures those she loves...something that will make her a great nurse one days. And I have a feeling I wouldn’t have gotten through that first semester on my own without Penny there to tell me how to do “practical” things.
One of the greatest impacts Penny’s friendship had on my life was when she came to visit me for a whole summer. Yes, three months…living together…in one small room. I will not lie and say it was easy as pie…because it wasn’t, yet ultimately it was a wonderful time, and I wouldn’t trade a day of it. And you know what? I actually treasure the hard things about that time just as much as I do the easy/fun bits! Penny was one of my first friends who I had good old fashion “adult fights” with…meaning, it wasn’t about petty stuff, or saying things we knew would hurt the other person, no they were actual settling differences type fights. It was a wonderful thing, because I knew that I could actually bring things up with Penny and she would still love me, that she wouldn’t run off and say mean things about me. It was truly a revelation of sorts about how true friendships work. They are not about agreeing 100% of the time, instead they are about compromise and working things out…and loving each other no matter what.
Ultimately Penny and I joked that our three months together was a taste of what it would be like to be married-without any perks ;-)
I also had the privilege of watching Penny become a Christian, when I first met her she had not quite made that final step, and I must say it was a beautiful thing to see Penny flourish under the Love of God. I have several people in my list of influential people who I watched become Christians- I think its one of the greatest gifts from the Lord, to watch someone’s life change in Him. It is like being saved all over again. Penny’s faith has taught me so much, the way she has tackled problems in her life inspire me to face things in my own life. I have watched her slowly shed her old skin for a new one in God and it makes my heart well up just thinking about it. She is my very own “girly girl” friend who is perfect to watch romantic movies with, eat marshmallows out of the bag with, plan parties with, pray with and share with… I truly do not know what I would do with out Penny’s unique personality in my life….
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The answer to the pop quiz question of the day is: SIX DAYS...

did YOU get it right? ;-)