“There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”
I would not be the same person today if it weren’t for God’s greatest gift of blessing me with the strongest, most beautiful, awesome, silly, crazy, amazing women who I am lucky enough to call my sisters and who have walked through these last four years of life with me (or even longer). If you would like to get to know me better, then you should also learn a little bit about my friends Lauren, Cassie, Mallorie, Claire and Liz, because they are a part of me.
Lauren
Oh Lauren. I have known Lauren since elementary school. If there is anyone who can make me laugh over the most random things to the point where it hurts and I can’t breathe anymore, it’s Lauren. Man, let me just say we are weird, but it is awesome! Lauren probably knows me better than anyone She has the type of personality that just draws people in – it’s quite contagious. She has a great confidence about her in which she sees herself in such a positive light and doesn’t care what others think. She is great at knowing how to care for others according to their specific needs to make them feel most loved. She is just fun to be around- if you are with Lauren, there is never a dull moment. And once you are Lauren’s friend, she will make sure to keep that friendship going strong no matter what it takes. She is amazingly supportive and if you ever need someone to talk to, God definitely uses her to speak His truths as a comfort. She always comes from a place of honesty and always speaks from her own experiences to be able to relate to you. She is also a natural leader- I know that God is going to use her natural leadership abilities to do big things for Him. She will be going to Physical Therapy school this next year and I know that God will definitely use her through this.
Cassie
Cassie is full of passion. She will get these sometimes random bursts of excitement when she has a new revelation about something (usually about Jesus) and she will get going and get everyone else around her all excited, ha I love it. And she also has these random dislikes that she will get all whipped up about too like spaghettios, fanny packs, robes, and certain words like… well I won’t mention because she will get mad. Cassie is so on fire for Jesus and is not afraid to go out and talk to anyone and everyone about Him. Cassie and I are both feelers and love to ponder the deeper meanings of life, so once we get going on a subject we will have these awesome long conversations with one another- it’s great! Cassie is also one of the most welcoming, inclusive people I know- she will do everything in her power to make sure that everyone is included and feels loved. She loves new challenges and she pretty much wants to do everything- go on staff with InterVarsity, be a nurse, travel the world and do missions, you name it- haha it will be interesting to see where God leads her. But whatever she does I know that Jesus will be at the center.
Mallorie
Mallorie is so sweet and caring. Mallorie has a very gentle, loving personality. She has the most beautiful smile and if you see it, you can’t help but smile as well. She is more similar to me in that we can both be a little bit more on the quiet/shy side when first getting to know people, but then once you do get to know Mallorie, she is so funny and silly, and so much fun to be around. She is also a cheerleader, so she knows how to get people pumped up and psyched about anything, and she is an amazing encourager. She’s a great dancer (I wish I could dance like Mallorie) and she literally always looks good (I’m jealous). She is an incredible listener and if you talk to her you know that she deeply cares about you and whatever you are going through. She is great at comforting you, encouraging you, and making you feel more at peace. She is hoping to go into respiratory therapy and to work with babies. And I know that she will be great at this.
Liz
Liz does an amazing job of listening to God and letting Him lead her where He wants her. She has an amazing story. She is incredibly smart- she had a triple major and a minor in college and was awarded Most Outstanding Student at my university last year. We all thought she would go on to grad school and then go on to having a highly successful career, but instead God called her to go on staff with InterVarsity. And not just here in Reno, but in another part of the world- Bulgaria. It’s quite a commitment, but she is so excited and I am so excited to see how God is going to use her there. Liz has been my bible study leader since freshman year and she has discipled me and challenged me throughout my time in college. It has been awesome because we were both going on short term missions the same summer (her to Bulgaria, me to the Philippines) and so we were able to prepare for them together. And now, we are both going abroad to do missions starting this next year and so we can prepare with one another again- so cool! She amazes me in the ways that she listens to God so well and dedicates herself to following His will and sharing her faith with others.
Claire
Ah Claire just makes me smile. Claire is so full of life and energy and she brings light with her everywhere she goes. She is smart, caring, crazy, spontaneous and knows how to have a good time! I just love being around Claire. I have lived near Claire ever since freshman year (sadly not this year though and I don’t like it one bit!) and was lucky enough to be her roommate last year- she loved her video games, her zombie shows/movies, making intense Halloween decorations for our dorm room (and scaring me!), making forts in our room (love it!), putting on disco light shows synched to music, staying up late, and so much more. Claire makes friends so easily it’s amazing, and she is able to relate to anyone and make them feel special. I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t get along with her. Claire just knows how to make anyone happy and to brighten up their day. She is also very smart and is one of those people who can do extremely well and barely has to study at all. She is very outgoing and comfortable as a leader. She is planning on going to med school and I know that she will be successful at whatever she does.
I could go on and on about these girls and I know that I cannot do them justice with any descriptions I use. These are my amazing sisters, and I don’t know what I would do without them. I say that you can’t know me without knowing them too because they all have amazing qualities that I admire so much and am trying to incorporate into my own life. I always learn so much from them. These are the girls who have walked with me since I was a timid, lost freshman to where we are now- where we have all grown and matured in incredible ways. We have pushed and challenged each other, supported one another, laughed and cried with one another, and have been crazy and ridiculous with one another. It’s just something that you know only could have come from God and we were able to stay so close and build such a strong friendship because of God. I am beyond thankful for these women and I am looking forward to all that God has in store for us and our friendship together.
