Jen

Perfect timing...I just received an award, which I will blog about next, from my friend, Jen, and I was just about to write this new post about her...another friend in Oregon.

For those of you who have been to my house, you will know Jen by the picture that is sitting next to my coffee maker. It's of me with four of my close friends in Oregon. We all signed it, which I think was a fun idea (not my own). This is the Jen I am writing about today...Jen Rouse.

If I want to describe her, I just have to tell you that as I was all worked up about some crazy story I heard (via email) of a little boy who was killed while going into a men's restroom alone, Jen, my most sensible friend, just encouraged me to look on Snopes. How simple was that? But I don't think like she does, obviously. I get all crazy and emotional and weird :) and Jen is there to calmly say, "Amy, let's give this a little more thought." Now I certainly don't want to portray Jen as being boring or too intellegent- she is a lot of fun. I have laughed hard many times with Jen and appreciate so much that she has both sides. She is probably the most well-rounded person I know. It's like she can laugh with you, cry with you, be crazy with you, but also bring you down to reality quickly when you need it. In a world full of many unstable people, it sure is nice to have someone like Jen around! :)

I would say that I love our differences. Jen helps me see a different side to things, but at the same time, is so fun and has the same real life struggles that I have. It makes it easy to sit and have a conversation with her because you never feel judged, you don't have to be fake, and you know you've been heard and understood. One of my favorite memories with Jen was maybe a month or so before we were going to move and I was babysitting her girls for a couple hours. When she came to pick them up, we got to talking and the subject of our move came up. She got teary and so did I. If you know me, I absolutely hate to cry in front of people, but I was amazed that I did not feel uncomfortable with Jen in that situation. We both knew how sad it would be to not see each other as often as we would have if we didn't move (especially now that we lived in the same town), and most of all to not be able to watch our kids grow up together in the same way.

Yes, I miss Jen. I wish she could come over for dinner tonight. I wish I could watch her girls tomorrow (including Evie, whom I still haven't met! Sad!) and see my kids' faces when they got to see each other again. But, I appreciate that we are still friends via email, blogging, and the sweet letters Beth sends in the mail.

Jen, I do appreciate who you are. You are one of a kind, really! That is awesome because you are the one person everyone can count on. You are reliable, trustworthy, and mature. At the same time you have a great sense of humor (anyone knows that if you know who she's married to! :) Eric is just crazy!). I'm thankful that we had a chance to get close, even if it was just in time for us to move out here. We struggled with things at church, and I feel that brought us close in a way that will be an eternal bond. As hard as those times were, I'm thankful for them. I think all of our friendships are stronger because of that! I love you, Jen!