Amigos

Lists are my friends, just ask Brian. I make a lot of them. Some have goals, some have tasks, others just random information gathered into one spot so I don't forget it.

Last year for New Years, during my list making, we made a goal to meet new people and make more friends. This is something that we have done before, but wow I never would have guessed what 2010 would bring. I'm a social person; wouldn't qualify myself as a butterfly, but I like people. I'm also married to the man who knows everyone and I can't take him anywhere (out of state included) without him running in to someone he knows. However, he still doesn't get out much and rarely has man time. We both needed to continue this goal. As 2010 dawned, I felt the lack of people in my life and decided to strive to do better. My monthly parties had come to a halt, for obvious reasons, and I wasn't getting out much, except for those rare times that L could get off work and she would come and rescue me (or we would just rescue each other) thanks L, I miss you!

My parents taught me the importance of being a good friend. They are good people. If someone needed a bigger car to fit everyone so they could go and visit family, in Arizona, they lent theirs..saying, "Keep it as long as you need it!". I remember my Dad driving to SLC (3 hours each way) multiple times a month with a friend, so he could get radiation treatment at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, because his wife could not take the time off of work. They would go down, get treatment and come right back. Every year we would plant someones garden because they were not physically capable of all of the digging. I grew up in a small, rural farming community where the theory was, "What's mine, is every ones". Everyone would help others finish their harvest. No one was done until every one was done.

My parents have a large group of friends that they treat just like family, so in addition to my many aunts and uncles, I had "aunts" and "uncles" everywhere, looking out for me. They continually make strangers feel like they are a part of the family. Even if they just met someone, it was completely normal to see my Dad putting an entire box of potatoes in their trunk before they pulled away. We have people adopt our family all of the time. The more the merrier we say! We have even had people (not related to us) come all of the way from Hong Kong to attend our family reunion! I loved to bring groups of people home from college. My Dad would entertain them and my mom would feed them. The stories go on and on. It wasn't all just about serving others, they played plenty of practical jokes on their friends. They still keep in contact with and vacation with a bunch of them to this day even though they have moved from my home town.

So if I act like we've known each other forever, when in reality we just met, blame in on my parents!

There are too many people who have come into our lives during 2010 to give proper shout-outs to. Thanks to the good 'ole Internet I made deep connections with random people in random cities (some even just down the street!) last year, creating bonds that most take years to make. We can provide support to one another, and I would not have met them any other way. I think it is different than the average friendship because we have been let in on the secret, our kids are the greatest, most special kids in the world. Okay, I am biased.

Brian and I were talking the other day about how some of the people who are really important to us right now, we have barely known for months. I am just grateful for the opportunity to share their journeys and I'm thankful that they choose to share ours.