To a dear friend,

Today is my dearest friend, Kelly's, birthday. I am so blessed by her friendship and can't believe that we have been friends for almost six years now. Kelly and I met during my freshman year at Winthrop, when we were both joining Alpha Omega together. At this point in my life, I was really struggling with who I wanted to be and the friends I wanted to make. That year was a defining moment in my college career, and my life, and Kelly was such a huge part of that. We had many fun moments together--going fishing illegally at Winthrop Lake, going to Jack in the Box for burgers at midnight, and many Alpha Omega events. It was that year that I began dating Matt and she began dating Paul. We never dreamed that our lives would grow to be so interconnected. We convinced our future husbands to be friends and all began hanging out together. Then we all got married and we continued on our journey as true friends. The four of us truly share a bond that only God can create. Though we are many miles apart now, our friendship continues to grow. I am pleased that Emma will have a sweet, wonderful role model in her "Aunt Kelly" and I can't wait until Kelly one day has children (soon hopefully?). Kelly and I have been through a lot together. We have shared heartache and sorrow, along with joy and laughter. I will never forget the night before my wedding, we laid in my bed, talking and crying for hours. We shared our lives that night--our past sorrows and our future dreams. And our friendship forever changed. I thank God for our friendship and know that it will last a lifetime.

I love you, Kelly. Happy Birthday.

Crazy college kids (2005).

My bridal shower (2005).

Swamp tour in New Orleans (2007).

With Emma (2008).