these four

i work at a country club on the weekends. i serve at wedding receptions, bar/bat mitzvahs, holiday parties, reunions, and other such events. but i work more wedding receptions than anything. being around wedding festivities all weekend is an interesting experience. i've met my fair share of bridezillas, druuuuuuuunk wedding parties, and creepy family members. i've also gotten lots of ideas for what i want my reception to look and feel like. but one of my favorite parts is the toast. sometimes i stand right inside the door of the room and listen to the toasts of the maid of honor and the best man. they usually start out like, "i've known ____________ since forever, and we've been best friends ever since" ...now, let me get to my point (i know it's taking a while).

i  haven't been lucky enough to have the same three best friends since kindergarten. i went to three different elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. my best friends changed every couple of years (usually when i moved), and didn't withstand the time and distance that separated me from them. however, over the last year and a half or so, i've found four of the best friends i've ever had. and this time they're different. i get the feeling that these girls will be my friends forever.

i'll go in order of who i met first...

juelaine kahilipulu noa and i met our freshman year of college. wanna know who introduced us? my grandma... haha but i'm so glad she did. juelaine is one of the best things that happened to me that first challenging semester at byui. she's my favorite hawaiian princess and i love her with all that i am. i love that she tells me when i'm being stupid and i love that she's my musical soulmate.

i met amy shes-not-cool-and-doesn't-have-a-middle-name cragun that semester as well, in spanish class. i sat behind her the first day and then when we were forced to do "group work" together we became insta-friends. it wasn't until the next semester that we fell in love though. we spent every waking second of spring semester 2010 together and i really liked it. a lot. she is also by far the funniest creature on the planet.

dana elizabeth tracy came next. we spent most of our lives living 20 minutes away from each other, but it wasn't until our second semester at byui that we actually met. betsy is my girl. she knows when something is wrong and doesn't hesitate to come to my rescue. she's been through a lot, so i feel like she values life more than other people do. it's one of the things i love most about her.

cassie rae hillam came into my life only four months ago in ecuador, but i feel like i've known her since forever. she is kind. she knows everything about me and still doesn't judge. she gets me. she knows where i've been and where i want to be. she's my sister and my best friend. 

now that i have them, i don't really want to know my life without them. when i get married, i won't have by my side girls that i've known since birth. but i will have girls that i love and whose friendship i cherish more than anything. and that's what i'm grateful for.