Three Blessings I'm Grateful For Today...

1. My 20 minute phone call to my best friend MamaStephy! So grateful she had the time to pick up and shoot the breeze.  (someday I'll meet her 3kids) I think I laughed more in those 20 minutes than I did all day. I love & miss her so!

2. Enjoyed a scrumptious SmashBurger with my old childhood best friend Eidde! I feel like a kid again anytime we get together. I love it! Time surely flies by!! 25 years...WOW!!

3. My sweetheart that I'm blessed and lucky to start and end each day with. Coming home after work to find the whole kitchen clean & all the dishes washed. I love this man more than my heart can ever express. 

"When you say you love me, know I love you more..."

This past Saturday, I had the sincere pleasure and beautiful opportunity to see my friend Eidde & his love Joe, get married.   The air was thick with elation, love and affection for this sweet couple. 

Watching Joe with his Mother, made me think of how sweet and tender he treats Eidde.

The smile on Eidde's Mom's face sums up the feelings of all those in attendance. 

Such beautiful vows were shared!

Some of my best (growing up) memories happened with these 3 people!

With the handsome grooms!

Wedding Photo Booth = A total must have!!

It was such a beautiful celebration of love.  I couldn't be any happier for my friend Eidde.  Joe is so sweet and kind, and I am ecstatic that my dear friend is on cloud #9!  They are so sweet together.  Just being surrounded by so much love and happiness made me think so much about weddings and marriages.  Listening to Eidde & Joe's vows to each other made me even more thankful for my special man...

I'm so glad that my better half always looks good for the camera!

I cannot wait to marry this man of mine.  He means the whole galaxy to me.  He makes everything 1,000,000 times better, brighter, funnier and lovelier.  I can't wait til we exchange vows and dance our first dance together.  So many great things to come...

Especially for my dear friend Eidde & Joe. I wish them the very best life has to offer and a lifetime of love & happiness!

Happy Birthday Liz!

Today is my best friend, Liz'a birthday.  

I was so lucky and blessed to live across from her for 30 years of our lives.  

I miss it.  It was like my home away from home, but yet, I could still see my home.  I miss being able to kick it with her all the time, and borrow each others movies, or go to Wal Mart together all the time.  

However, I'm grateful that we've had such a bond that even though we may not have seen each other for weeks or months, our friendship picks up right where it left off.  

I'm glad that I'll get to spend tonight with her and our other kinda/sorta best friend, Eidde.  He moved in next door when we were 9 and he was 5.  We took him in because, well because he wouldn't go away.  He'd follow us every where! He was kinda fun at first, but we thought he was too much of a baby.  Things haven't really changed much.... he still follows us around, and he's still a spoiled brat, but we love him too.  He completes our circle of friendship.  

I loved my childhood! It was everything I could have dreamt of, and more!  I owe it all to Liz............and Eidde, I guess. :) 

Tolerance & Sensitivity.

Lately, I've become very sensitive to anti-gay slurs & jokes. I have two very close friends who are gay and they mean the world to me.  We've discussed, at length, what my religion feels about their "lifestyle" choice, but they know exactly how I feel about it and feel about them.   I love them very much and they know that.  
I've known Eidde since I was 9 years old and we've been friends since before we understood what 'gay' meant.  Why would my feelings and friendship change with him just because of who he chooses to love?  I've always been taught to "love one another", but why must it stop once that person's life choices don't exactly match up with my religion's standards?  Who am I to judge?
That's where I have a hard time with religion.
My other close friend, PajamaPants has been one of my dearest friends since we met in the mission field.  It was a little rocky when he confirmed his sexuality, but at the heart of it all, PajamaPants is still the same friend I've come to know and love.  We talked it out and I feel like our friendship has grown deeper.  Since he's come out, he still supports me in my religion and I support his happiness.  When I had to sing at church, on my last birthday, he came and cheered me on.  That truly meant the world to me and I couldn't help but cry out of sheer love for my dear friend.  In a couple weeks, I'll be able to support my friend when we go to San Diego's LGBT Pride festival.
With some of the new friends I'm making, I'm trying to understand their sense of "humor" when they poke fun at the homosexual community here in San Diego.  It truly hurts my heart when I hear those stupid jokes.  I can't help but think of homosexuals I know, because they are kind, generous human beings with a heart and should be treated with the same decency and respect as anyone else.  I met a man, not too long ago, who's only been to Hillcrest (a part of town that's highly populated by the LGBT community) once because he was afraid "it was contagious and that [he'd] be hit on."  Such ignorance!!!!  I was so disgusted with him that I couldn't even look at him.  A couple months ago, I scored tickets to "Taste of Hillcrest" and was very excited about it so I posted it on my Facebook.  An acquaintance then asked if it "tasted fruity".  The other night at dinner, gay slurs were being tossed around and I just wanted to leave.  I couldn't believe that I was surrounded by such homophobic people.  I was disgusted.
I'm just so tired of it and my heart goes out to my LGBT friends.  I'm also tired of being pigeonholed as a "Mormon"/"Christian" who "hates gays."  Not true....at least not for this Mormon.