Friday, February 13, 2009

Love Week 2009 - Day 5

I Love "Mommy Friends". This is what Reef calls my friends. Because we're all mommies. I was able to spend some fun time with my "Mommy Friends" this week. Let me introduce you to them and what I love about them. They share many of the same qualities. And some qualities are unique to them. But I just went off the cusp with the first thoughts that came to mind. And I knew I needed to keep it short. Because, really.... I could go on and on about these women who touch my life in so many ways.





In order of appearance during the week:





1) Melinda. She is the Service Queen. Always thinking of others. She is my sounding board. Always willing to listen and full of great advice. I have a blast with this girl. We think alike in many ways. We both love to play practical jokes on our kids & husbands. We are very "common sensical" but when we get silly we get very "non-sensical." She has a great laugh. She is strong, physically, spiritually, mentally. I love that Melinda appreciates the "real me" and doesn't judge me for all of my obvious imperfections. I love that Melinda thinks about me and calls or texts even during a busy day. It makes me feel special. Making time for friends in a hectic world is not always easy but Melinda makes the time and I love her for it.





2)Amy. (I'm sorry, friend... this is the only close-up picture I have of you.) Amy becomes a fast friend to anyone who meets her. She's just one of those people who is totally...approachable. She's sincere. She's understanding. I love this picture of her & my baby Reef during a camping trip to Trinity. I love that she let me in on the thoughts running through her mind as she bonded with my baby boy. I love that our sons are only 6 days apart and will be the best of friends. I love that Amy makes me feel like "family".

Amy has accomplished huge goals in the health & fitness area of her life and I am very proud of her for it.






3) Annette. This picture totally captures the Essence of Annette. She's a listener. She is very interested in what others have to say and gives you her full, undivided attention. It's been said that Annette is a "closet athlete". And it's true. She was my very first friend here in Hollister. We lived here less than a week and she & Loren called to invite us out on a double date. She loves babies. She's a total Martha Stewart only way, way better. She's like a human tornado but rather than roll through and make messes, she speeds around cleaning things up in mere seconds! I've seen it with my own eyes! She's amazing. She inspires me to be better.





4)Stefani. This is one talented chick! I could probably bring her the contents of my bathroom garbage & junk drawer and she would create something beautiful. Stef gives the best, most sincere hugs! I love that she encourages others to branch out and try new things. She could be the poster child for Bright Smile; her teeth are a beautiful, brilliant white. If you find yourself lacking confidence with something then just have a chat with Stef. You'll be ready to take on the world. She is the record keeper of the group. Many memories have been preserved because of her. Thanks, Stef!





5)Caroline. Doesn't the name alone sound... saintly? Because that's what Caroline is. A total saint. Brandon always said that Mother Theresa had a daughter -- and it's Caroline!! She has such a fun sense of humor. Sometimes she surprises me by saying something a little "un-saintly" and it only makes me love her all the more. And Caroline is handy! I bet she could build a house from the ground up if she tried. She is a total babe even without make-up. Don't believe me? This picture was taken after a gruelling 2 hour workout with her personal trainer!! And I'm sure she would disagree but I don't think the woman has ever raised her voice! EVER! She's just.....that.....sweet!






6) Erin. Spank me now, but I don't think I have a single picture of Erin. Pretend you're looking at a picture of unbearably beautiful blue-green eyes. There. That's Erin! Oh, and her hair looks super cute all funked out in a daring style. I think Erin shares my love for shoes. Not only does she own some cute pairs herself but her daughters have shoes that make me wish I had bound my feet (like in that old Chinese tradition) so that we could shoe swap. And if you're looking for stand-up comedy then Erin is your gal. I love listening to her speak. She can bring you from tears of laughter to tears of tenderness with her strong testimony all in the same sentence. And Erin is THE BEST visiting teacher EVER! I should know... I used to be her companion. She's also the artsy-fartsy type. She can do wonders with a piece of cardstock.





7)Marisa. She is the most mellow, laid-back, easy-going person you could ever meet. I love Marisa because she sits back and just lets people be themselves. I love that she has such a great sense of humor and can laugh at herself when she needs to.(That's something that used to be impossible for me to do. And we ALL need to laugh at ourselves once in a while) Marisa is just real. There is no pretense. She doesn't try to be anybody else but herself and I think that is very important. Marisa is very loyal which is a quality that I think is very important in a friend. And she let's me call her "Mud". And my kids call her "Auntie Mud". How can you not love that?





8)Deborah. I have much love for Deborah. We started hanging out a few summers back and it was just such a natural thing. We totally "got" eachother right away. We just clicked. Hanging out just came so easy. Deborah is always up for doing fun things. She is sensitive and caring and passionate. We have a lot of laughs together. She is extremely helpful. I love that I can speak my mind around Deborah and she still accepts and loves me as her friend. I really missed her this school year when summer ended and it became harder to get together. I felt an unmistakeable void in my life during that time. There is a certain ease and comfort in being her friend. We are each other's biggest fans when it comes to wakeboarding. We cheer eachother on and enjoy one another's successes. I love summers because it means a lot of Deborah time! Deborah is my kind of people.





9)Michele. AKA "Mishi". AKA my cousin & friend. I talked about Michele a bit in a recent post. Does it get any better than having your family as a friend and a friend as your family? I love that Michele and I think the same. We are so similiar in so many ways. I don't have to explain a lot of things to her. She just gets where I'm coming from. There is never a moment of silence when we're together. We always have something to talk about. She truly takes an interest in the life of my kids which I adore about her. We laugh a lot. We giggle a lot. I think that if Michele and I had grown up together we would have been the best of friends from a very young age. We met as adults but we still have become the best of friends and get to remain that way through our old age. I imagine us sitting in our rockers not only reminiscing but still giggling and still making new jokes and new memories. And still having humongous crushes on our hubbies. Michele's an angel. She has wings. (hint, hint. nudge, nudge. wink, wink.)





10)Jen. This woman is an amazing mom. She is so on the ball with her kids. She is also a good listener. She is very confident which I admire very much. Jen is very giving and selfless. This woman knows how to prioritize and put first things first. If there was ever to be a female Eagle Scout then it would be Jen. She's always so prepared. She is very sweet and very mellow. I think she has a calming effect on people. There is a very motherly feel to her that just makes you feel comfortable and safe. Jen is very firm and steadfast in her beliefs. She is a very classy lady and I am happy to have met her and be able to count her as a friend I love.





11)Ronny Jean. Ronny...is....fun!!! And I miss her dearly. She is so crazy and off the wall but in a very good way. Ronny and I also became friends very quickly. I love how Ronny let me take care of her when she needed it and that she took care of me when I needed it. She has moved to the other end of the nation but we still keep in touch. I can still hear Ronny's laugh. Ronny just kept it real and wasn't afraid to try new things or new styles. She is a very touchy-feely person which I love. I was never afraid to show any emotion around her. I wasn't afraid to act goofy and immature around her, either. Ronny was so great about finding others who needed a friend and welcoming them into her circle of friends. Ronny is a social butterfly.









And last but certainly, definitely, never, ever ,EVER least is




12)Lydia. OK. I'm starting to cry just thinking about her. Lydia is my "sister from another mister". I love this lady. She is so wise. She has such a down-to-earth, real, and very raw way of looking at things. She just says it the way it is with no apologies because she is not offensive in any way. She's not at all afraid to speak up and say what she's thinking. She is very, very loyal and I know she's got my back at all times and in all situations. I have never had to be anybody but myself with her. I can trust her with anything. I love that our friendship has grown nothing but stronger even though she keeps moving farther and farther away from me. (Would you stop doing that? Please?) She is beautifully exotic with a larger than life smile and fabulous cat-like eyes. I've always loved her eyes. (Her son Calvin has the exact same eyes as her.) I feel like she just looks right into my soul and understands everything about me.... even the things I try to hide..... and she loves me anyway. I love her sense of humor. We have lots of laughs together. She is certainly a kindred spirit. I love her and am so ecstatic that I will be spending a whole week with her in just a few short days! Lydia is my sister at heart.





I told you yesterday that this would be a long post. If you're still reading then thanks for enduring. I hope you have had fun meeting these awesome women that I love. There are many others who I did not mention here. It does not mean I love them any less. Especially the women in my family. And I have an idea for them. For a future post. It will be worth the wait, guys. I love you. Thanks for Love Week, D-Dawg. What a great tradition.

7 comments:

Annette said...

Tiff, this is so sweet and thoughtful and you described each person so well. You are an amazing writer, my dear. I love the way you think, you are so quick and witty and definately "common sensical". Talented and smart, genuine and sincere. Friend to all! SUPER FUN! YOU motivate me to be a better person, just watching your dedication and diligence to everything you put your mind to. And talk about strong physically, spiritually and mentally, that describes you too! No wonder you have so many great friends, because you're so great! I'm so thankful to be included in the list. Happy Valentines Day!

Tiffiny said...

ok. This is Brandon and its the first time I've ever left a comment. I just got done reading Tiff's blog about her friends. I watched her blog this and blog other thngs and I envy her ability to write, spell, & type. She types faster than I can read and I watch her write stuff about you guys. She doesnt backspace. she doesn't compose. She doesn't rearrange and her spelling and word usage is always on. I know she was sincere in everything she wrote about you and she adores you guys. its already taken me 10 minutes just to write this much and asking Mercedes how to spell certain words. see I don't have this gift that Tiffiny and you other girls have. I am a closet blog reader. I enjoy reading Tiff's blogs and your guys blogs. Dont tell your husbands about this cuz this is kind of gay. I do it because I dont have this gift and I envy your abilities to put your thoughts on "paper". I've always said I write like a 6th grader. But I guess we all have to have weaknesses to keep us humble. and writing is definitely mine. I've watched Tiffiny write bids & proposes flawlessy for our company. I think that they are masterpeices and I would never be able to write what she does. Or you guys. So i totally enjoy reading your comments, your blogs, I think it's awesome. But if I were face to face with you or giving a talk or speaking in public I could do this all off the cuff. It comes to my mind quickly. But to put in on paper I get bloggers block. Tiff helped me get through my college English class by typing what I dictate. Little do I know we would be doing this is our business inorder to put food on the table later in life. I love what she said about all you guys. She was right on. I know Tiff loves all of her friends and we discuss what we love about each one of you guys and we enjoy the different personalities, and the differences in each relationship. I will say that Tiffiny is extremely loyal to her friends and would do anything for her friends. Well this has taken me forever to write with tons of backspacing, hoping I'm spelling it right. Sorry for the grammar, spelling errors, run on sentences, punctuation and all that. So this is a gift for my Valentine cuz she would never expect this cuz I think just writing my name takes too long. Thanks for sharing your life with us through blogs. And being such a good friend to Tiff. I love you guys for that.
Peace Out
The church is true.
B

Eric Ellis said...

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so sad and lonely, (sad and lonely, sad and lonely).........
I ain't got nobody (nobody, nobody).......

What do I say to all that? You're the bestest, awesomest sistah-friend in the whole, wide world, and I CAN"T WAIT until MONDAY!

Oh, and BTW, way to go, Brandon, putting it all out there like that. You rock. And real men DO read blogs.
Lydia

Mamarazzi said...

oh Tiff this was such a sweet post. i love that it included TWO of my sisters. they. are. awesome. i am glad i am not the only person who knows that.

and Brandon...that comment was amazing! you rock!!!

Caroline said...

Tiff-What an amazing post! I was teary-eyed through it all. You captured the essence of everyone so well. You have a gift with your words and writing. And I'm so flattered you wrote about me. Thanks for making my day even better!

D-dawg said...

Tiffany that was so sweet. What a good idea to spotlight your close friends I'm glad you did love week! I wish I had known sooner and I would have put you on the list. Great job.

Stefani said...

Tiff... sniff, sniff... that was so touching and fun to read. I love those people too! You are my blogging hero! And my very good friend. I love you a ton! Thanks for including me as one of your "mommy friends". You are definitely one of mine. Love ya!