Let's Hug Like Parents

Today is this girls birthday.

And not just any birthday.

She is 20.

I got really sentimental when I realized my childhood best friend wasn't a kid anymore.

She is onto her adult years.

I'm so happy for her.

I just don't know where the time went.

This girl has been there for me through thick and thin.

Let's start from the beginning.

This day deserves the whole story.

When I was 12, my family moved. That means I was to start Jr High knowing absolutely no one. My mom had met with Jenna's mom earlier and had told me that there was a girl my age that lived right across the street. I was thrilled. She wasn't so sure. 

We went to beehive camp that summer and I got to know her a little better but it wasn't until school started really that we became really great friends.

This was after my first day of Jr High and Jenna and Britt's first day of 8th grade. This is when it all started. After that, we did so many weird, awesome things together. We took so many pictures and went trick or treating in September over to my house. We thought we were so hilarious.

Then her Mom told me one day that she had prayed for a friend for Jenna that was her age that lived close. Then I was the answer to that prayer.

I will never forget that.

After that, we became so inseparable. We literally did everything together. I even remember having a 10 o clock curfew but she would hang out in my driveway and talk to me from out of my window until she had to be home.

We went to the mall a lot, back when taking $20 to the mall was the happiest day of anyone's life.

I was so surprised when she invited me to come to her birthday party and we'd only known each other well for about a month. I felt like I had been invited to the most popular girl in school's birthday party. What should I give her that will make her want me to be her friend still? 

Naturally, I went with about a million beaded necklaces.

That year, we both joined a performing group called Singers Unlimited. This is when it all became natural to be her best friend, it was meant to be. We were in the same class and we absolutely loved it. We got to travel to Florida, and to Las Vegas, we had tons of Photo-shoot's plenty of performances all over Salt Lake.

These were some of the funnest days of my life thinking back on it. All because she was there. We have endless amounts of fun. Literally endless.

Througout Jr. High I remember wearing matching clothes to school. Literally. I have a vivid memory of wearing our blue American Eagle, Cheer Up, shirts and black gaucho's. Yes Gaucho's. 

We'd also wear our singers sweats a lot. 

Basically everyone knew us as a pair. Haley and Jenna. Jenna and Haley.

That is how it went. 

We even went to EFY together our first year.

That is when the Toothbrush song was first created.

Jenna went to High School but I still had a year left of Junior High. That made things difficult but we still stayed friends. Even if we both had other friends, we were still there for each other. 

Then finally I went to Brighton and we got back to all of our being best friends-ness.

Through High school, we gained 2 new girls to our group and we called ourselves the "Core Four" 

The four of us got into some trouble, laughed our heads off, went through boyfriends, laughed our heads off, took pictures, laughed our heads off, had many adventures, we just enjoyed being young. Those were some of my favorite memories of high school.

After some drama with those four we were down to 3. That is when we called ourselves, Triple Threat.

The 3 of us, had a lot of drama, laughed, spied, laughed, took pictures, laughed and also had tons of adventures. 

Also, since we were in the same ward, we had many many years of Girls Camp and Youth Conference.

Girls camp was a great place for us. 

We always had a great time. And most of the time it was the place that we rekindled our friendship and forgot about the past.

Jenna was also the first of my friends to become just as good of friends with my sister. The three of us did the dumbest things but they were always freaking hilarious. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard then when the three of us were together.

Jenna went with me when we dropped Mal off for her freshman year of college. This was the first time in my entire life that I would be away from her for more than a week. I was secretly really really sad about it.

I held it in until that night when we were hanging out and I just cried when I realized life was happening. Back then, I never cried. Jenna was there for that. She was there to comfort me and be my replacement sister for a while. I'll never forget that.

Through High School, the two of us had so many good times. 

She was there for me when my house became the most stressful place on earth for me.

We went to dances together, spent countless numbers of weekends together, and really just had fun.

Then came my absolute favorite part of our relationship.

Freshman year of College.

We moved in together to good ol L4.

I honestly cannot even put into words how absolutely perfect this time was for me.

Yes, we had our fights, didn't always get along. But when it all came down to it, we would go to sleep and wake up in the same room and forget it all.

She was everything I didn't know I needed that year.

She was my guardian angel to be honest.

She dealt with me through a boyfriend and deciding what to do about him.

She was there to be the voice of reason.

She was so passionate.

She knows what she wants and she isn't afraid to do something about that.

Two of my favorite times in college were our chat in Wendy's and our chat at our kitchen table.

Both were life altering moments for me.

I learned that I couldn't hide from my problems, I needed to fix them.

I also learned how small things can by unbelievably important to a person.

Also, that we are more alike then we ever knew.

We did some pretty amazing things this year. 

Most of which I will never forget. 

She honestly made my freshman year of college worth it, and bearable.

We laughed more than anything this year. 

We laughed so much.

Only because we were absolutely, blissfully happy. 

I will owe her for that forever.

That year was cut short when Jenna made the decision to move home early. 

While we may not have ended all of this on the best of terms.

I was seriously upset that she wasn't coming back.

I was so so sad.

But life happens and it all happened for a reason.

I know that now.

Regardless of all of that, and the fact that we are in different places in our lives right now, I love this girl to death.

She is the one person that knows everything about me and how I feel about it.

She is an amazing example.

She knows what is right and what she wants.

She is an amazing photographer and dancer.

She is talented.

She knows how to have fun and always makes me laugh.

She has been with me since I can remember, if you couldn't tell.

We always have fun. 

She makes me glad to be where I am.

She loves cats. 

Yes, that is a compliment.

So Jenna, I love you so much friend. I cannot believe you are already 20. We aren't kids anymore. This is the real stuff. I can't wait to see what life has in store for the two of us. Yes, I'm your proud mother right now. But honestly I just got way sentimental when I realized we're all grown up. You're freaking 20. 

I miss you so much and know that one day we will be able to completely catch up. I'm so happy for you. For everything you are doing. You're beautiful and a complete sweetheart.

So Happy Birthday,
Stones
Belle
U.G.L.Y
and all the other pointless nicknames we have.

Love you.