Vanessa: BFF: Birthday

Ok, so there is this girl named Vanessa. I knew her first when her last name is Gower. Now it's different because she got married :) The first time we actually met she was wearing this....

...yep, it's true. We officially met at another Vanessa's house our senior year of high school at a Halloween party. 1) Yes there was another person I knew that was named Vanessa and this Vanessa was friends with her- pretty crazy! 2) Yes, she was dressed as a piece of pizza. I was a Hooter's girl. Not sure which one is worse, but apparently we weren't concered. 3) This is obviously not our senior year of high school, but she did re-wear the pizza costume for the Pi Phi "P" date party we had junior year. Awesome.

Ok, so that was high school. Then comes college right?! We both headed off to Manhattan, KS and paid the "move in early fee" to the dorms so we could get all our stuff in before rush week. Yep, it was called "rush" then, not "recruitment". Boy how we have aged. I remember this moment distinctively actually. I was walking down the stairs of Boyd hall and was walking by the front desk when I looked over and this girl that I thought looked familiar was standing there talking to the front desk attendant. I knew I knew her from somewhere and BOOM it hit me. So of course, I do the total Brittany thing and walk up to an almost complete stranger to say (my side of the conversation:

"HI- remember me? I was the Hooter's girl. Yep, we met at the other Vanessa's how funny. Yep, I'm going through rush too. And we both live in Boyd Hall, how fun. Ok, well maybe I'll see you during rush week. Bye!"

And you know what, that could of been it. But boy did God have a plan for us :) He put us on the same dorm floor during rush. This is a picture I scanned in to show you just how sexy we were freshman year of college. Yep Vanessa, I like you enough to SCAN pictures. Actually Jimmy scanned it for me because I was in class. But still! Haha.

So then what happened? Well, you guessed it. We ended up both pledging Pi Beta Phi and I would love to say the rest is history. However my friends, it's just not that easy, but really what good friendship is? We were Pi Phis together, lived together in the house and spent lots of time going out, watching movies, gossiping, etc. You know what we wish we could spend our days and nights doing now! I even sat in our room in Pi Phi one time and watched her sister's wedding video. If you know the end of this story- you will realize how ironic that was!

The summer between junior and senior year of college we lived together with 3 other fabulous girls in a house on Laramie in Manhattan, KS. One day we were in the kitchen and she said something about someone that I thought she said "Jenny". So I asked if it was her friend Jenny from high school, she said "Nope, Jimmy. Jimmy Carter- my sister's husband's little brother". That's all I remember of the story. But then a few days later, we went to Lawrence randomly to go out and stay the night there. And I met Jimmy. Outside of a bar. He didn't have the long red hair she said he did, but I thought he was pretty swell. So we drove back to Manhattan, a little loopy from the previous nights events laughing and laughing and I was talking about Jimmy. Then as time went on, I started to like Jimmy. And Vanessa said : "OMG- you guys like totally have to get married because if you do....we'll be kinda-sorta related and have to be friends FOREVER!!" This was a picture the night we might have started conspiring.

Well, as you know friends...that is just how the story ends, and really keeps on going. Who knew that innocent comment made between two friends wishing to solidify a lifelong friendship would actually come true? It did. And even though Vanessa and her wonderful husband, Chris, have been moving around the country and are not living right next door to Jimmy and I like our plan was (someday Chris....)...we are still the best of friends and I couldn't be more thankful to have in my life. And we share some pretty cute nieces and a nephew now too. However, they look exactly like her, so if you were trying to guess who's related by blood---it's probably not that hard!! But still- how freaking cool is that?!?! Here we are with our husbands!

Anyways, that's a short version of just how we became friends. And really how we'll always and forever be friends. Haha. But I hope she just has the most wonderful birthday of all today and is thoroughly enjoying the warm Houston, TX weather---because we are in for a blizzard in KC!! V- I can't wait to help you celebrate many more birthdays and look forward to so many more wonderful years and experiences we'll have as friends. I'm very thankful for all my friends and family...and especially you, who is the perfect mix of both! Love you!!

Vanessa on some birthday- oh the good old days :) I'm guessing she will not be wearing this or doing this tonight...but we can only dream about when we had that much fun. Now we just have a different kind of fun, right!?

I love this picture :)