My lovely friend Lauren -

So I have this drop-dead gorgeous friend. and her name is Lauren.

you already knew that? Well, aren't you special. You must know her too. ;)

We here in Florida think she's something miiighty special. We like having pictures taken with her. We like smiling. We like hugging. and we like dancing together. ;)

Like these three lovies. I am so thankful for their friendships - it means so much!

Tricia, EmilyCase, and Lauren at a dance in January.

So the drop-dead gorgeous best friend named Lauren .... has turned 23 today. As I gleefully reminded her last night, she was turning OLD AS THE HILLS. She was grateful. not. But I have to give something back. She gives me an awful hard time about being 28 days older. So now we are both 23. I have decided 23 is the age of Graciousness & Gracefullness, Gorgeousness and Generousness.

(yes, I know its supposed to be Generosity, but just flow with me)

So this is her birthday post....and I was sure that I had blogged last year for her birthday and guess what. I did not. Not on her birthday at least. Isn't that SAD? I'm sorry, Lauren! *smile*

So I was getting ready to blog again, for the 2nd time today for a birthday, and I found this picture, and I sort of went to pieces. Because it's my favorite portrait of the spring. Ooohmyword. I adore grey and I adore Lauren and I adore that steel wall.

and it just looks so Jane Austen. So perfectly-lovely Lauren. Mm-WAH!

(inserts yell of Jean Marie like delight about it)

Okay. Back to birthday blogging. ;) On my Mama's birthday, we were up in Palm Coast, and called the Hopes to see if they'd like to go to Mama's birthday dinner with us. And they said they would. And so we went out and had a delightful time and shared dessert and sang. ;)

So these pictures are all from June 17th, 2011. :)

Dear Lauren - you are pretty. Thank you for being my friend. I love you. The End.

Ok, I realize that I can't just write that, but I was looking through pictures from when I was little today, and I thought that's exactly what I would have written if I was 10. :)

Lauren - I am so grateful for you!! Ahh, Let me count the ways:

1. You are my HTML Intellect Person. You keep me sane when I mess something up, and you tell me how to make other things work, when clearly - I missed something important. ;)

2. You let me take pictures of you. AND you let me blog them AND You smile in the pictures.

3. You encourage me in photography. I don't think I've ever heard you tell me anything other than "You can do it. It takes practice, but you will get it!!". You share tips, and critique photos and give feedback and teach me how to do it all better. :) Thank you, thank you!

this is what happens when a Nikon d40 takes a picture of a flashing Nikon d90. Awesome, huh?

4. You take pictures with me, anywhere and everywhere. We were in the bathroom at the Country Club for Mama's birthday, and when Mama came to get us, she told everyone that we were probably "having a photoshoot in the bathroom". How well she knows us. ;) haha.

these are going to go fast now:

5. You hold me when I cry.

6. You pray for me when I can't pray for it, or don't want to anymore.

7. You love my family.

8. You love Lucy Mae (and she loves you!!)

9. You talk about dogs with me for hours. (hahahaha)

10. You make delicious food, and I get to eat it sometimes.

11. You love going to the beach, and you love everything about the beach like me.

12. You came down and watched the last shuttle with us.

13. You listen when I need to talk, and talk when I don't know what to say.

14. You let me have a lot of sleepovers at your house when I was too tired to drive home. ;)

15. You talk into the night when you know its important.

16. You tell me that for the 19384th time, I didn't send a pic with my e-mail. HAHA.

17. You love your friends and are very loyal and forgiving.

18. You serve your family and work hard for your family's business.

19. You laugh hysterically at something I said, which makes me feel wonderful. :D

20. You tell me its okay to be quiet when I'm feeling out of it and you just have a good time with me anyways.

21. You steal my purple sweater because you love it.

I just had to throw this one in .... it was the most graceful, old-fashioned Secret Garden looking picture ... and then I was like "you know, it'd be better if that sleeve wasn't draping down", and Lauren was like "oh great." then I couldn't look at the picture without laughing! ah, real life. ;D Hahahahahaa!

22. You love me, and you display that love in friendship in such a dear, precious, tender, close way that I want us to be friends forever. I love being friends with you. My Lowie.

23. Most of all! - You love Jesus. You love Him, and you want to serve Him wholeheartedly ... doing everything for the glory of God. Being His child in every way. And He shines through you in beauty, in peace, in joy, in rest, in excitement, in laughter, in hard times and good. You are beautiful with the light of Christ upon your face, my dear friend and sister.

And there are 23 reasons why I love being friends with you, and sisters in Christ!! :D

Thank you for blessing and encouraging me, and for being such a dear friend to me. Thank you for sharing memories and life and valleys and mountains. The Lord will always be gracious, and He will always be faithful, and His plans for our dreams are better than we can imagine!

I'm stealing that verse you blogged this morning, because I'm praying it for you now. :)

"For You are my hope, O Lord God; You are my trust from my youth.

By You I have been upheld from birth;

You are He who took me out of my mother's womb.

My praise shall be continually of You."

~ Psalm 71: 5-6 ~

May our praise be continually of the loving Savior we adore, and flow from our hearts with gratefulness! Knowing that He will always uphold you, wherever you are, Lauren.

I love you so much, dear sister in Christ! Happy 23rd birthday!!!!

I hope you had a beautiful and fantastic day. :D and that this made it a little more bouncy. :)

Love always,

~ Jean Marie ~

See EmilyCase's post for her here. :) "Delightful Lauren"