People let me tell ya 'bout my best friend!

Today I figured that I would pay tribute to my best friend, Holly! So join me, as I take a trip down memory lane. Holly and I have been best friends for years. They moved to Nephi in Middle School and she was terrified of me. Granted, I was a very angry and rebellious teenager. We started to become friends my Senior Year of High School since we were on the basketball team together. She was awesome - me, not so much, but I had a blast! After moving on to college we worked together at Convergys. Yes, we were telemarketers, but we had a ton of fun asking people to switch their telephone service to Ameritech. I was even the employee of the month twice (thank you very much). We would invite each other over for Sunday dinner and go to the firesides together. The defining moment that solidified the fact that we would be best friends forever was the summer of 2001. As I was going through THE toughest trial I had ever had to endure in my short 21 years of life, Holly was there for me in a way that no one else was. She was ALWAYS there, she was ALWAYS calling me to make sure that I was OK, she was ALWAYS inviting me to activities and social gatherings. She cared about me, and it was her mission to make sure that I was OK. That summer I moved in with Holly and a bunch of other great girls. Holly was a social butterfly. She was always going from apartment to apartment visiting her numerous friends. I preferred to stay holed up in my room. We understood each other like no one else could. Suddenly a gentleman caller came knocking on my door. An old friend from a few years back was starting to show his interest in me. Holly and I would talk and talk about him. Because I didn't trust myself, it was up to Holly to determine if he was good enough for me. I became emotionally dependent on Holly. We would go to Vegas together, out to dinner, to the movies, firesides, church, etc. Finally, this gentleman caller asked me if he could kiss me. I looked around, and Holly was nowhere to be seen, so what did I do? Yup, I ran away. I mean, I literally ran four blocks away into our apartment. Holly was sitting there with a confused look on her face. I gestured for her to follow me into my room and I told her what happened. She stared at me with an incredulous look on her face. She smacked me upside the head and kicked me out the door telling me to go apologize to him. That's what best friends do. They tell you when you are doing something you shouldn't. Living together had its ups and downs. On more than one occasion, Holly walked in on me stark naked just as I was getting out the shower. You know you have a true friend when they walk in on you in your nothin's and all they can do is stand there and laugh at you. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I have a great best friend. Our whole friendship, we have only had one fight, and as I sit here and write about our spat, I realize how incredibly silly it was. She forgot to bring me my glasses while I was at work and I couldn't see. After some mediation by Matt, we were able to work through it. Time has taught us that we can overcome anything together. Slowly, we added another person to our exclusive group - Matt. If you were to walk into Villa #4 in 2001, you would have found Matt sandwiched between me and Holly on my bed, as we watched a movie. The three of us had a blast at Villa #4. Holly, unleashed "the elbow of death" on Matt several times. They would wrestle around and laugh just like old friends. Matt was slowly winning Holly's heart and mine. As things progressed, Matt proposed and Holly was there every step of the way. She even had a mock wedding with her and Matt as the bride and groom. Matt and I were married, but Holly and I NEVER stopped being close. She was there outside the temple waiting for me to come out so we could celebrate one of the happiest days of my life. Soon, the time came to move out and into an apartment with my new husband. Adjusting to being without a constant supply of Holly was HARD. She was always there when I needed her though. She was there when I graduated from SUU. She was there when we moved up to Salt Lake. She was there when we moved down to Nephi. She was there when I gave birth to my son Jeremy. We even asked her to be his godmother. When Jeremy was little, she was the only one who could comfort him. We made sure that we were always present during each others life changing events. We were there when she graduated SUU. We were there when she left for her mission. Christmas morning 2003, Matt and I got Jeremy up at 4AM and drove to Nephi so we could talk to Holly. She sent letters, gifts, and words of comfort whenever she got some time. She was still a great friend even though she was on a mission. I was at the airport with her family on the day she came home. It was good to be reunited, even though it was only for a short time. She moved up to Provo, and we were still down in Cedar City. Even though we only saw each other every 2 or 3 months, when we did see each other, it was like no time had passed. We would meet at restaurants in Provo, or go watch her play intramural basketball, we even met at her apartment and Matt totally broke the "boy" barrier (her roommate walked in and found Matt wrestling with Holly on her bed). We would laugh and joke just like we were back in the good old Villa. Three friends with the world at their fingertips laughing and reminiscing. More time passed and we matured, grew up, and passed some milestones. Matt and I bought a house and Holly moved to Salt Lake City for her job at House of Hope. Our lives got so busy that we had to schedule phone calls just to catch up with each other. Holly is a great communicator. She makes sure that you know exactly what she means without any drama or misconceived notions. I think that is a big reason why we are so close. We don't have any other agenda than just being friends. I know that she is there for me no matter what I say or do. I know that she will listen to me and voice her concerns because she cares, but I also know that she will support any decision that I make, because that is what a true friend is. It has been years since we started this journey, and I truly believe that the best is yet to come. I love you Holly. You'll always be my best friend.