Happy 22nd Birthday, Tricia! -

Sunday night I texted Tricia and asked her if she'd like to have a little "date" before her birthday on Tuesday. So yesterday I drove up to Ormond Beach, picked her up, and we walked the beach in the beautiful setting sunlight, and watched the wetsuit clad surfers in the water. 

We also drove up to Palm Coast that night to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a movie night at Gabe & Leah's with a bunch of people in our gang (yes, we are old fashioned kids at heart), and sang along loudly and dramatically to 80's music as we drove to and from the beach. How I love times with her. 

{Ipod Selfwe at the beach!}

Ormond Beach, FL 

Honestly I don't even remember what we talked about, because we kept interrupting ourselves by singing and laughing hysterically.
 Hahaha. I love time with her so very much. She truly is one of my dearest friends. 

"I've haaaadd the time of my liiiiiiffe, and I've neverrrr felt this waaay beforeeee." Hahahahhaa!! 

Tricia is a rain or shine, mountain or valley, day or night, dark or light, up or down, every emotion between extreme joy and utter sadness sort of friend. She is an incredible listener and empathizer. She is often the person I write or call when I'm so upset I can't think or do life anymore. She's been my calm and peace and Truth speaker on so many occasions. She has been grace and mercy to me. 

As I wrote last year: "She is honestly one of the most empathetic, amazing, caring,
 loving, genuine, true, brave, compassionate and deep people I've ever known." 

Moon jelly!! ..... dead moon jelly. 

More dead moon jelly pic because of the gorgeous light and incredible bokeh. 

Such beauty we live with every day!! 

"I love every time with you, every laugh with you, every adventure with you. And I've been blessed to have you comfort me through many a cry with you too. Thank you for being the real Tricia & allowing me to do the same. You are an amazing, wonderful, special friend, and I love you so very much." 

Us. Us wonderful, crazy, hysterical, two. 

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one." ~ C.S. Lewis

"Every inch of you is perfect from the bottom to the top..."

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter." ~ E.E. Cummings 

Tricia, it's hard to really put into words how much you mean to me. I've tried and been successful many other times (here, and here), but for now all I can think of is that I would have driven NINE hours for all the laughter and joy we shared yesterday. I'm SO grateful and thankful for you. 

I'm truly thankful for every conversation we've ever had, including the apologies we've uttered for sometimes saying the wrong things, the hugs that mean it's alright, and the desire to be better, be more, be as real as possible with each other. I appreciate your friendship more than I can say. 

You, my beautiful friend, are stunningly gorgeous, and wonderfully treasured. Jesus loves you more than all of us combined
and more than we can ever dream or imagine are the joyful gifts He has in store for us.

You complain so little, and praise Jesus for so much.You have dreams, and sometimes it's hard
waiting for the fulfillment of those, but you parent so well and live as Cody's wife so well. 

I'm amazed and encouraged and inspired by you. 

And I'm drawn closer to Jesus through you.You are a shimmering light in my life, a reminder that God truly cares about relationships and friendships and building His church into a beautiful community that reaches out and cares well and loves deeply. 

You listen to me more than most, and understand better than many. You've heard more of my heart
than most will hear because you have won the rights to those places by true compassion and mercy. 

"We are mirrors whose brightness is wholly derived from the sun that shines upon us." ~ C.S. Lewis

I love you, my dearest Tricia. Life is so much better with you in it. I hope we shall always be friends. 

Happy 22nd Birthday!!!! 

With love always,
~ Jean Marie ~