Karen is probably the most intense person I have ever met. And she is also my best friend from growing up in Las Vegas. We met when we were only four years old. Our moms even put us in the same kindergarten class, and from there we went through every year of public school together. Karen and I bonded over years of primary classes, play dates, Nerf gun wars, Girls Camp memories, calculus assignments, and catapult- building projects.
boom. we built a catapult.
And then we went to different colleges... about 2 hours away from each other. I went to BYU and she chose Utah State. I remember texting her a few weeks into our freshman year and saying, "This is the longest we haven't seen each other since we were four years old!" Sad.
my eighth birthday party.
I believe that, even back then, Karen's motto was "Go big or go home."
Karen and I call each other almost every Sunday to catch up on life. We usually tell very different stories. Mine usually involve news about classes, fun with friends or awkward dates. Karen's usually involve hiking tall mountains, flying helicopters, being hired for scientific research projects, and building villages in Mexico.
She kinda lives life in a big way.
Karen is the kind of girl that takes ridiculous amounts of credit hours (with plans for a Phd) while working three jobs AND playing on the USU women's rugby team. She hikes tall mountains in her free time, parties it up whenever she can and never stops to rest. Basically, she is completely crazy. And she's totally humble about it too.
This past Sunday, instead of a phone call, I got Karen herself, in person! She stayed with me for a couple days on her way through Provo, and we had a rockin' time. We enjoyed walking around campus, eating good food, playing addicting games on my iPhone, going on a Sonic run, and mostly just sitting around and talking. We hadn't seen each other in six months!
tender moments at sonic
"Um, hi Marie Calendar's... Mine name is Karen and I'd like to reserve a pie." So epic.
Even though we are very different, Karen is a big part of me and I'm a big part of her. I am a huge fan of her epic life, and I will always be cheering her on through her crazy adventures (and praying that she doesn't get eaten by bears or injured too seriously in rugby.)
When she gave her valedictorian speech at our high school graduation in front of hundreds (thousands?) of people, she wasn't even nervous.
Meanwhile, I was so excited and anxious for her that I'm pretty sure I forgot to breathe. I love that girl.
3 comments:
So sweet! I've always been envious of people who have friends that they can say they've been close with their entire lives. My best friend and I are attached at the hip, but we found each other a little later in life.
I loved this post! It's fun to see how you two have been so close all of these years. I personally think that both of you are pretty amazing!
Ah Amy! This post made me 1) Laugh pretty hard, 2) blush, and 3) want to come hang out again. I'll be seeing you this year, have a good vacation in Vegas before school starts!
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