Letters

Stephanie and I at prom our senior year

Dear Stephanie, Happy one day late birthday! You are one of the reasons I made it through high school semi-sane. Thanks for late nights on Paige's rooftop, homecoming nights in PJs with Ken dolls, egg salad food fights, rare winter days sledding down your house's hill, daily lunches in your kitchen, Sunday cookie-making nights, mutual book obsessing, movie nights with popcorn and goldfish, running in the rain, sitting together in calculus and AP Language, surprise birthday parties, making me laugh so hard I can't stay upright, and everything else in-between. You are awesome and I love you!!!

Dear Jason, You are already missed. Laughing outrageously hard while playing liers dice with you and calling you fat because you found your shorts in the plus-sizes area at DI and talking about prophets on the benches in the middle of south court and being excited that you have a new horsey friend to sleep with and running into each other on the path south of campus where all the awesome baby ducks (who aren't so baby anymore) are and celebrating your birthday by going to Sonic and everything else with you is the best. Thank you for being comfortable with and confident in yourself. It liberates those around you and gives them the freedom to be themselves too. I'm sure gonna' miss you.

Dear Anna, I was going to write you a nice note on Sunday night, but then realized that you no longer live in our ward. It was very sad. Therefore, I'm having to pass along my nice note via blog. Here it is (eh-hem!): You were an answer to my unsaid prayers when you invited me to go to the temple with you on Friday. It set the tone for the rest of my weekend. I miss you so much and am so glad that you and I have decided to go to the temple together regularly. I don't think I've ever felt more comfortable with anyone there than you. Thanks for being such an amazing example, support, and friend. I love you!

Dear Amelia, Rachel, and Lauren, Talking late at night on Sundays under the stars on the tables outside Slab Pizza with you three was amazing. Real talk is the best. I love you guys and am glad we're roommates. You are all doing just fine. Keep it up.

Dear Sarah, I'm glad Heavenly Father has placed you in my life right now so that we can help each other be awesome. I feel like I can be honest with you. I feel like you want me around. I feel like I can help lift you up because you lift me up. I feel like getting ice cream with you and talking about life is the best. I feel like I love looking at the pictures you take on your adventures. I feel like sitting and listening to you play the piano while I read my scriptures and think about life helps me feel at peace. I feel like you are such an incredible person and that you make me want to be an incredible person too. Thanks for being there.

Dear Mom and Dad, I was so happy to see you on Saturday night and to get frozen yogurt with you and to sit up on campus on the benches between the Clyde and the MARB. You two are some of my favoritest people in the world. Thanks for sitting and sharing stories about Grandpa Rogers and about all the things you got to do when you were down in St. Johns, AZ for his funeral this past week. I love you guys more than ice cream, 7 hours of sleep in one night, getting rain and sunshine in the same day, and writing letters combined.

Dear Ryan, No one helps me figure out my life more than you do. You are honestly the best friend I've ever had. Thanks for stopping and asking and listening and commenting and understanding. I know you're always there if I need anything. I also know you're there to have so much fun with and to tease me and to approve or not approve of any of the guys I consider dating. What else to brothers do?

Dear Bishopbric, You do amazing work. Thanks for the support. Thanks for the example. Thanks for the laughs. Thanks for the smiles. Thanks for the service. Thanks for the testimony. Thanks for the love. Thank you.

Dear Awesome Ward, I am so happy to belong to such an amazing group of happy, steadfast, faithful, funny, uplifting people. Air five to each and every one of you.

Dear S109, I love how warm and inviting and fun your apartment is. What I love even more, though, is how warm and inviting and fun you all are. Thanks for talking and smiling and being friends. Let's keep this up!

Dear John and Scott and Drew and Gentry, I think this whole FHE family thing just might work, even though you are rich snobs for living in the four person apartments instead of the six person ones. But that's okay. We can handle snobs. At least you seem like nice, fun snobs. Though, there is still this whole problem with you guys being pigs. Really, you need to work on that. Monday nights are going to be so much fun!