Friends and Memories

So I was reflecting a little bit about all of my friends that I grew up with-friends that have shaped my life! All the fun that we had. So many of them have gotten married this year, so I thought that I would do a tribute to them and not only reflect on all the great times, but also kinda make mention what they are doing right now. I also want to share pictures of all the beautiful brides that they made! I want to go in order of when I knew or met them.

So first would Michelle Gishwiller Jackson, my sister and best friend:

We have always been close. She is one year younger then me and so for the longest time we did everything together. All of my siblings and I have been close. For a time we had some fierce sibling rivalry but since we have both been married and settled, it's like we're best friends again.


So now she is married to a wonderful man, Garry Jackson. They live in a trailer on the outskirts of Rexburg. They have a beautiful baby boy and they are happily and madly in love. They are a wonderful family who love each other and love the Lord.

Next is my friend, Rena Klegin:

She and I were best friends in middle school. She loves the theater and all things bright, beautiful and glamorous. She has been through so much in her life, and I always have looked to how she has handled herself. She has been an example of perseverance. She now attends Iowa Western and is getting ready to graduate with her associates. She is seeing a John Hall and he is her world. They have been together two years and going strong.

My bestest friend EVER, Samantha Hester Kneiser:

So Samantha has been my inspiration. She has been my rock and example to look to when I thought that I couldn't uphold my beliefs anymore. She was the person that I wanted to be...the person that I still want to become. She is a gorgeous example of God's pure love. The light of Christ shines so strongly in her eyes, and I want that to be me someday too! She is married to a wonderful man, Mark, and they have two beautiful girls, Eden Belle and Autumn Rose. They currently live in Colorado and they are moving into their first house in the next month or so.

Rachel Eva "The Diva" Bond Frum:

This girl is the amazing of amazing. I've never known someone to be so bubbly and ambitious. She is the ultimate definition of fun and I always think of sunshine when I see her gorgeous face. She and I have been friends since Primary and continue to learn more about each other as the time goes on. She went to a prestigious Cosmetology school in Utah where she met her man, Joseph. They got engaged and had a shotgun wedding in Nebraska in June. He and she will be sealed this year in Winter Quarters! They are beautiful and amazing people. They always seem to have so much fun.

Megan Cox Decker:

This girl is one of the kindest. nicest people that I have met. She took me under her wing in Beehives and showed me that I was love and wanted there. She always listened when I had something to say-good or bad. She is intelligent and lovely, of good report and praiseworthy. She is attending BYU and studying geology, I think. She had never had a thing for boys-EVER-til Novemeber 2008 when she met her now husband, Chris. I guess when it's right, it's right!

Laura Sattler Velez:

She and I have run into each other on and off for years. We first met at the Youth Trek Youth Conference. Then we lost touch and didn't reunite til her and I were dating best friends. We went out on several doubles. Then again we lost touch til by fate we signed up for the same French class at BYU-Idaho. Now we are great friends and have learned a lot from each other. She has taught me to always be positive. I don't think I have ever seen her unhappy. She helped me a lot through my pregnancy and the through the three months that Blake and I spent apart. She has been a great support! Her and her husband Pablo were married in August and are now going to school at BYU-Idaho. They have great fun-especially cooking together!

Norabel Martinez Chessmore:

I haven't know her for very long, but she has been a great friend. We went to singles together before I went to school and I was so happy to see that she finally snagged herself a guy! He seems great and they look very happy. She is a convert and has always impressed me about how strong she is in her testimony. I'm so glad that she married in the temple and that her and her husband became an eternal family.

Those are just a few of the great friends the Lord has blessed me with. I have been shaped in so many ways by so many inspiring people. Now I am to spend eternity with my best friend in the whole universe and will be able to raise an eternal family with him! So happy! So blessed! So grateful!