daydreams and my best friend.

today i drove both of my brothers to their lacrosse games.  i opened a dove chocolate to give to my brother and i glanced at the words on the surrounding foil.  "daydream." there is something about the word daydream that makes me think back on everything and realize how wonderful life is.

one specific thing that i love right now is my best friend elizabeth.  we were good friends in ninth grade, but with changing circumstances and different high schools, we grew apart.  i don't exactly remember how we came back into contact, but somehow we did, very recently, and we have been connected-at-the-hip best friends ever since.

i tell elizabeth absolutely everything.  we are so alike in so many ways, she understands where i'm coming from and what i'm going through.  we have similar personalities and we make similar choices.  we believe similar things and have similar goals.  i was having a pretty bad day one day this week and she sent me a text, out of the blue, that made my day completely.  she knows what i need to hear, and she knows when to say it. sometimes i think elizabeth and i have some sort of twin telepathy. we think the same things and laugh when we both bring up the same thing at the same time.  i can be myself around her, she's my sister i have never had.

however we became best friends and whenever it happened, i'm so thankful it did.  i love her to death.  thank you e for being my best friend. i love you.

p.s. come back already! i miss your face.

p.p.s. happy birthday in TWO days.

b.

**GUESS WHAT EVERYONE? i finally am using my own photographs. i know, it took awhile... but better late than never, right? right.

and sometimes i remember how good i have it.

today is thankful... saturday. erm, i suppose everybody else wants to make these things sound cute like "thankful thursday" and whatnot. but i want to say what i'm thankful for today and today is saturday. so here's to thankful saturday.

today i am thankful for:
1. my family. i don't give enough credit to my family.  they are so amazing and sweet and kind. they help me through everything and i know they will always be there for me.  i love my family so much. i know i'm a crazy, wild, free-spirited teenager. my family deals so well with it. they celebrate my craziness. i'm so, so, so extremely lucky to have them in my life for forever.
2. my friends. i love my friends. recently i have made some new friends that amaze me.  i couldn't have asked for more wonderful people to come into my life.  i am so thankful for the old friendships i have and for the new friendships i have gained. i don't know what i would do without my wonderful friends.  thank you, best friends, for every single thing you do for me. i love you.
3. swimming.  if you didn't know, i'm a pretty big swimmer. (and i don't mean "big" as in "i am so super fast. the fastest on the planet maybe" but "i swim five hours per day every day and i love it." you get it now?) this weekend, the chat invitational has been going on and i have had the opportunity to swim in it.  every year i dread this meet. it's so, so long and usually blistering hot.  this year it has shown me a couple more of my blessings.  swimming is something so dear to me i am unable to describe it.  it's a huge part of me that i wouldn't ever give up for anything.  not only do i adore the sport, swimming has taught me wonderful life lessons, it has given me so many wonderful friends, and it has opened up doors and opportunities that wouldn't have been opened up otherwise.  i love swimming.  this leads to number four.
4. my coach. i just want to say real fast how wonderful my coach dee is.  not only does he teach all of us how to swim like champions, he teaches us to live life like champions; and i admire him so much for this. i look up to him. he is almost like my second dad.  we all know that our coach loves us.  love you dee.
5. lotion. this sounds lame, but without lotion, i'd definitely be a leather purse look-alike by now.  thank you lotion, i worship you. amen.
6. my special someone. he makes me feel special. we can talk about anything. he makes me want to better. i think i've found something worth keeping. i love you like a chinese man loves his rice.
7. the place we live. so self explanatory. i'm so thankful to be free. i'm so thankful for every opportunity i have been blessed with.
8. gospel. cheesy, yes. but true. i don't know where i'd be without it. cliche but honest. i love it.
9. life in general. sometimes i look around and remember how good i have it.


life is good.


b.