My oldest best friend is HOME!!

Y'all I've been waiting 18 months for yesterday! Well, I've been waiting a little longer than that, I've been waiting since she got her mission call. I just couldn't imagine my life with out her and 18 months was going to be a long time. We've known each other since my first sunday in the Bradley Park Branch, or as the locals call it "The OTTC" which stands for The Only True, True Church. It was coined by a dear old man who has already joined the party upstairs and I'm a little jealous, but that's besides the point.

That first sunday I wore the best lands end dress that had a gardening pattern, that dress was the bomb! I loved that dress, I gave it away one day cause my young womens leaders made me so a girl would come to church, she never came back and I never forgave them. Okay, I did but I never gave away any of my dresses again. And again, besides the point. Riley wore some super fancy white dress that made me not like her. Her brother, Ian, wore a tux. I thought they were rich and snobby and I wanted nothing to do with them. That first impression couldn't have been farther from the truth. They were average and super nice.

My mom and her mom became fast friends, which meant our whole families became friends. We hung out all. the. time! We used to do this thing where we would hide in each other's cars when it was time to go. Our parents would try to get us to say goodbye and when the other was nowhere to be found they'd figure out and make us get out of the car. I'm pretty sure we never got away with it.

I remember this one summer when we pretty much spent the entire time at each other's houses. Like a couple days at my house and when she finally had to go home, I'd go with her and spend a couple days and then it would be back to my house. That was the best summer ever!

We weren't without our fights though, there were sometimes when we wouldn't talk for days. Like I would have been okay not talking to her ever again, then I would miss her or she'd miss me and we'd call each other and it'd all be back to normal. A couple months ago she sent me a card, on the front it said "I'm glad we locked down our friendship during childhood, since meeting each other today would be a total disaster." It's totally the truth though.

18 months ago, I sat in a room waiting for her to be given a blessing and set apart as a missionary. And then after realizing there'd been a mistake in scheduling, running over to the Stake President's house. It was so amazing to see my best friend transform into a set apart servant of the Lord.

I've hated her being on the other side of the country for 18 months but man I've loved her serving the Lord on the other side of the country for 18 months. I've loved seeing her testimony grown. I'm so proud of the woman she's become. I wouldn't have missed her getting off the plane last night for anything in the world! Love you Riley! Have since for forever, and always will!