I am a blessed girl.  I have a family that is more incredible than I can even grasp most days.  I have a job that I love and wouldn’t change for anything (despite the days that I appear discontent and frustrated).  I have a perfect new home that is just that … a home, and I have friends that love me. What more could a girl ask for?  It’s funny. At this point in my life, I have more close friends than I even would have thought possible ten years ago when I was the outspoken, misunderstood geeky girl hanging with the teachers in the Teachers’ Lounge. Sometimes life is like that… full of unexpected blessings.

A few days ago as I was putting the last minute touches on my new apartment, I found myself in the middle of my bed surrounded by photos…  Sarah and I at the 2004 Bush Rally (don’t judge).  Lauren and I ice skating with rosy red cheeks and scarves.  Jeff and the girls at Matty Nay. The Anti-LIT squad on the coasts of Ireland. Hero and I at the BSM camp-out. Hugs with cousins from California to Montana.  Stacks of pictures of the brother and I.   It was overwhelming to see the physical evidence of such happiness in my own life.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  I don’t believe that friendship is based upon Facebook or MySpace pics unlike so many in my generation.  There is more than one cherished friend of mine out there whose face doesn’t wallpaper my apartment, but instead, those that do serve as a daily reminder that despite the bumps in the road and nights that for some unknown reason I feel alone… I’m not nor have I ever been.

One of the coolest chicks I know, Heatherbee, falls into that category of unexpected blessings.  (I mean, our original bonding moment came from our love of John Mayer.  Stalk, much?)  From late night phone calls to finding ourselves on the same page of our lives’ novels, I love this girl.  Knowing my fondness for capturing memories in photo form, I told Heather as she was packing to fly to Arizona last week to visit me that we had to make sure and get at least one good picture of us this time around.  Last time, we had seen each other (Mayer/Rouse ’07 in OKC) we had managed to walk away with one poorly lit hotel room photo, and that just wasn’t going to fly this time.  Somehow amidst the foreign tourists in the National Geographic Grand Canyon store, we found spelunking helmits and took this picture.  I’m not sure if this was the typical ‘memory’ most would want to capture forever.  But to me, it’s perfect, and you can bet you’ll find it on my wall.