To Stephanie

I know a lot of Stephanie's.  It's a little uncanny.  The best part, every single one of them has greatly impacted my life and has helped, or continues to help alleviate my burdens.  I'm quite the high-strung person.  It carries with it its own kind of agony.  Hence I'm always grateful to associate with people who are more relaxed and chill. These Stephanie's are just some of them in my life.

Stephanie #1
My best friend since the age of 4 1/2 is Stephanie.  We moved from northern Utah to the Phoenix Valley the spring before kindergarten.  It was a time of great uncertainty and upheaval for my family. She lived next door.  I distinctly remember meeting her as someone in her family shared a Big Wheel with me (remember those?!  they were the best!).  We grew up doing sleep overs, baking cookies (eating double our weight in dough every time), making "stew" in the irrigation hole in the back yard with rotten citrus and whatever else fatefully fell in there, doing bike races down the street, and being leery of boys' cooties.  She moved when we were both about 11.  We haven't lived near each other since.  She seems to keep finding herself on the opposite side of the country from me.  I'm NOT ok with that!  Now we are both riding the crazy rollercoaster called Motherhood.  We simply can't get enough of each other's conversation!  She is super chill and a fabulous mother.  I learn something from her every time we communicate, regardless of the method.  While I always have a to-do list, she's content to snuggle with her littlest one, read, and do mostly nothing.  I admire her for that.  She has her own personal struggles, like every single one of us. She battles them with a smile on her face and is professional at finding something to laugh about.  I literally can't live without her.  What a woman!

Stephanie #2
This. Woman.  Stephanie is my neighbor.  We met about 9 years ago.  They moved across town about 2 years ago.  She found us our new and current house, in the neighborhood where she had moved to.  Three cheers for still being neighbors!  She has 2 children she carried and bore herself (each of which was a giant miracle).  She has 2 children she and her husband adopted through foster care (a massive challenge that she handles beautifully).  Despite the craziness that is her life with 4 children, being with her always reminds me to chelax, enjoy the little things, and have fun.  She is a fighter and does so with determination, moderation, organization, and fits of rolling laughter.  She's upfront, friendly, and open.  We get along great and thankfully so do our children and husbands.  She is a staple blessing in my life.

Stephanie #3
I met Stephanie through a mutual friend.  I was looking for a running partner.  I found one in her and we immediately clicked.  She is involved in the community, easy to talk to (all skeletons come out of the closet when running with someone- no joke), and super layed back.  She let me push her in marathon training a few years back.  Her goal was to qualify for Boston.  On race day she hit a wall at mile 8 (ugh!).  She then let me annoy her as I refused to leave her until 2 miles to go.  Even though her goal wasn't met, she was seriously thrilled because she still got her best time. Wow!  I would've been angry beyond seeing straight.  It was her and another friend who showed up at the children's hospital the very day our lives exploded, when our oldest child was diagnosed with leukemia.  And, they brought me chocolate (Boom!).  She spear-headed getting our lawn mowed and house cleaned while we lived at the hospital for that traumatic and life-altering week. Then, we ran together even more (I was processing A LOT) and she listened to me share the horrors of being a new cancer mom.  Stephanie loves everyone.  Just being with her puts me in a good mood and motivates me to not take life so stinkin' seriously.  My kids love her kids.  I love her.   As a friend, she "shows up."  Every. Single. Time. 

Stephanie #4
What a neighbor this woman is!  Over the years she has willingly helped watch my children countless times while I work.  And she has 4 crazy boys of her own (and I mean *crazy*).  Being a working mom is tough.  Really tough.  She has made it abundantly easier for me.  She's crafty, handy, quiet, and service-oriented.  When I told her we were moving and had to prepare our home for staging all in 1 day, she offered to come help.  She was priceless!  There is absolutely no way we could've gotten our house ready for the photographer on time without her.  She has patience, love, and even though her children are super high-energy, she loves them to pieces and frequently shares the funny things they do on social media.  She is also fiercely loyal to her husband.  She's amazing.  And I mean it.

So Stephanie, here's to you.  Here's to all the ways you make my life more joyful, fun, rich, and plentiful.  Here's to the ways I'm a better mom because of you.  Here's to game night, long phone conversations (even though the kids can't leave us alone), watching each other's kids, sharing recipes, and aiding each other with menial tasks.  Thank you.  I can't do this crazy thing called Life without you.