Have you ever had a Best Friend? Someone who you could talk to everyday and not get bored, but you can go for months without talking and it feels like you were never apart? Well, I do. I hadn't had a real best friend since grade school. I went off to college and became roommates with the greatest bunch of girls, one of which just happens to by my oldest and dearest best friend Lisha.

Our birthdays are just 2 days apart and we are just enough alike but complement the opposites in each other just enough to make us great friends. We have known each other just a little longer than Mike and I, hence why she is deemed my oldest and dearest best friend. I love the fact that when life gets crazy I don't have to worry that I haven't called her in a few months. She knows I love her and miss her very much even if I don't call and go on and on about it. In the 17 years, (wow really, 17 years?) we have known each other we have done so many things.  We have celebrated many a birthdays together, unthawed a Christmas trees with blow dryers, worked at the Idaho State fair in her family's food booth (yummmmm!!!),  gone snorkeling in Hawaii, and got caught looking at the stars in the middle of a potato field (remember that one Lish? that's a story!) just to name a few.  For a few years we lived in the same state of Colorado, about 3+  hours away which made it fun.  We would meet in Denver or they would stop and spend the night on their way to Idaho. Now they are in living in Idaho and I miss those drive by visits so much. Her kid are growing up so fast and I wish we could be there for the special days. But that is life. Idaho is closer than Hawaii, which Lisha lived for a few years during College. That was hard because even to caller her, I was way ahead time zone wise. I got to go and visit her for Spring break one year and we had a blast.

Me and Lisha in Hawaii spring break 1995.

We are currently planning to spend our 40th Birthday together in a five years, hopefully on a beach in Hawaii or Mexico.

We got our families together this summer and went to Yellowstone Park.  We had a great time and we talked about her coming out for a visit.

For her birthday, I gave her a ticket to come see me. I said "I'll pay for you to come but you have to pay if you want to go home." I was so excited when her and her youngest Clark (cuz he's still free to fly) got to come out and visit in February. Thanks Ry for watching the kidos!  We had fun with the kids at my new favorite place in Denver, the aquarium, we went shopping, and just enjoyed being together.

This is Fox with Clark.  All of Lisha's kids have a picture with our beloved Fox so we had to make sure Clark did also.  The two days and a few hours went by so quickly.  It was fun to have some time together.

Let me tell you about Lisha. She has four beautiful children and is a great mom.   Lisha can be strong when she needs to be or easy going. She is a wonderful wife to a very creative husband.  Lisha is a great friend. She is an amazing cook and very wise. I love how much she loves her family, immediate and extended, and wish Maggie had more cousins on my side her own age, or girls her own age for that matter. Lisha is a great person who is compassionate, loving, helpful, full of laughter (I love her laugh and her smile) and she isn't afraid to live life as fun or not fun as it may be. I am so proud to call her my best friend.

I Love you Lish!