The Top Ten Reasons I'm Friends With Angela:

10) She won't read my blog, unless it's about her... and she will be the first one to admit it. Much like she has no trouble standing directly in front of me in a picture on MY 30th birthday.

9) She is one of the sweetest people on the planet. She will do anything to help a friend. She's so good.

8) She can also be a little "bad." She's not afraid to hang out with me when I'm being a devil.

7) She's up for anything. Seriously. And she will let you take pictures!

6) Every girl needs a friend like her. We can sit and talk for hours about anything. Serious stuff, silly stuff, fun stuff, scary stuff, emotional stuff, and of course guy stuff.

5) She's super fun. Whether we are dancing, eating, playing, or just chilling, we always have a ton of fun.

4) She is the only other girl in our group of friends. I love my guys, but sometimes they just don't understand things like Angela does. They are not as patient shoppers, either.

3) She is (relatively) drama free! She doesn't play head games and is not one of those "mean girls." She's comfortable with herself and with posing like Audrey with me.

2) She can be silly. There are times when the people around us have no idea what's going on and why we are laughing so hard. I love that she will be stupid with me. We were eating with an imaginary friend in this picture. It's best that no one else be around us when we are like this. That's why our friend is imaginary. He left.

1) We are so different. We have different tastes in guys, clothes, style, movies, and lots of other things. Somehow, we are able to find little similarities in everything though. It was a friendship made in Heaven. I love this girl!

Love Cures

Everyone should read this link. Seriously. Right now.

Click here --> The disease called "Perfection"

I have tried so many ways to cure myself of this disease that I now have a new problem. I basically blurt out all of my faults as soon as you meet me. I keep all of my messes, physical and mental, out in the open. Awkward much? I think so.

I know I will always struggle with this a little bit, but I have finally found my solution. Dan's solution is to "Be real." Mine encompasses that, but it's a little different. Love. As in the verb.

Love others by accepting their imperfections. Love them by being honest with them. Love them by not judging them or holding them to impossible standards. Love them by allowing their mistakes... by sharing your mistakes. Love them by taking a stand against their hurtful actions to themselves, to you, and to others. Love them by serving them. Love the hell out of them.

Loving others will heal you.

Then, there is the much harder part. Love yourself. Love yourself by treating yourself with respect. Love yourself by letting yourself look at your past mistakes ONLY to make future goals. Love yourself by realizing your unique talents and strengths. Love yourself by not comparing yourself to anyone else. Love yourself by allowing yourself to feel Christ's love for you daily. Love yourself by letting go of that running list of imperfections in your head and starting a new list of accomplishments. Love yourself by allowing yourself to dream big, but not allowing yourself to live in dreams alone. Love yourself by not letting those thoughts of worthlessness occupy space in your head and never letting them come out of your mouth.

I tell my students that I expect their personal best every single day. Let's face it people; our personal best is not perfect. It can't be. It's a fact. We all know that. Consider making a change in the way you think about it, though. Instead of expecting failure, expect your personal best. Forgive yourself for your imperfections and forgive others for theirs. Love the disease of perfection into remission.

Rainy Daze

I love rainy days. They make the world pause and look for a minute. I think rain speaks a metaphor of reflection to my soul. I always want to wrap up in a blanket on my couch and read or write. I tend to keep my life pretty fast-paced. My phone is my lifeline and it keeps me going, going, going. Even when I forget to put something in my calendar, I use it to text Amanda to find out what I'm supposed to be doing. Rainy days make me forget my phone upstairs and not even know it's missing.

My phone was on silent for most of the day yesterday. I attended a beautiful memorial for my good friend Erin's Oma. I aspire to touch people the way Oma did in this life. I went to the Temple afterwards and watched the Joseph Smith video. They have an exhibit of beautiful paintings of scenes from the Book of Mormon. I was alone in the room, so I even got to sit down and read for a few minutes. Moments like that make life so much easier to handle. I ran errands, got dressed, and played mexican train dominos with my friend family, plus a new friend.

This morning I'm laying on my couch, wrapped in a blanket, looking out the window, and writing. It's lovely.