Okay call this cheesy or what have you, but I am blogging about my best friend today.
It all started in 9th grade when I didn't make SBO. I was no longer invited to sit with my "friends" because they were all now cheerleaders... and I wasn't. (no hard feelings anymore) Spoiler Alert: I wasn't a nice person in junior high, so why would anyone want to include a mean girl? Well fortunately for me, there was a sweet enough girl to invite me to sit at their table. A soccer girl.
Lauren made me laugh harder than anyone before. She made weird faces, wasn't interested in boys, and didn't care what anyone thought about her. I had never met or hung out with anyone like her. But let me tell you, I am so glad that I did.
Sophomore year, Lauren and I would go to Blimpie everyday for lunch. Did I mention it was everyday? We knew that to split our favorite sandwich special we each had to bring $2.53 (or something like that) I learned that Lauren liked food just as much as I did.... hallelujah. That same year, we both got our driver licenses, kissed boys we both regret, named our cars (Jonah and Merigold... naturally), sung our hearts out, dressed up like men for Halloween, and had our first Christmas present exchange.
Junior year went about the same way... but this year I think I saw Lauren cry for the first time (big deal. She had already seen my cry countless times so..) This year we shared secrets, we gave advice, and we disagreed. I think this was also the year we taught ourselves how to "harmonize' lol. Our dreams of becoming a singing duo I think came while singing "My Boo" by Usher... Ya, don't ask questions.
Senior year was an interesting one. We both might tell this story a little different, but this one goes down in history. I got busy with Dance, and she with Soccer. We both had other friends and didn't spend as much time together. (One reason might be because we both didn't go to school our senior year, so our Blimpie dates were exterminated) Anyway, I made a very bad and mean decision and broke a boys heart for no reason. In response, Lauren made a very bad and mean decision and broke MY heart. As the story goes, Lauren felt like she was fine with being the boy with the broken heart's rebound. According to the girl code, best friends cant get down with ex's. Long story short, our friendship was severed and messy for the next four months.
No, that isn't the end of the story...duh!
It takes me back to San Francisco 2011 on a street that should have been documented. We made up. We laughed. We hugged. I cried. She didn't. ....Easy as that. We missed each other. Okay, I'll speak for myself.... I MISSED HER!
As fate would have it, we both got into BYU and decided to live in the same hallway in the same dorm building. (Helman Halls, Hinckley floor 3, to be exact.) Because housing assignments were made during our messy friendship stage, we didn't choose to room together. I was put with a sweet girl from California... Let's just call her bathrobe. Lauren's roommate was quite the treat... We will call this one Cat ears. (Sorry I hate inside jokes too)
Freshman year brought all kinds of trials. Some of those included: our RA, American Heritage, not getting any sleep, photobooth overload, gaining 15 pounds, our roommates, and pre-mish freshman boys (nuff said). Thank goodness that I had her through all of those... Because I literally couldn't have done it without her!!
This year, we got it right. We lived together, we didn't gain any weight (lost some actually.. go us), stopped the photobooth vids, pretended like we knew how to cook, watched way too much Criminal Minds, went to bed at a decent hour (speaking for myself on this one), AND our Blimpie dates were reinvented.
I have never laughed so much, cried so hard, been so mad, felt so much joy, been so lost, known where I am, or felt so lucky in my life. This girl knows what I suck at, knows what makes angry, knows how I think, knows when I am sad... and she somehow still wants to be my friend.
So grateful for you, Lauren! You are the best person I know. Cannot wait to be in each other's weddings, for you to listen how much I hate my kids, and for us to still be going to Blimps when we are 87..... oh, and if you get married in the next 2 years I am going to kill you.
And now, folks, in no particular order... here is our friendship in an array of pictures.
xoxo, McCall Rose
