Amanda

So I met Amanda during Freshman Orientation summer of 2004 and she has been my best friend ever since; I always joke with her that I made her be my friend, but really I'm grateful that she was willing to be my friend. :) She's the person that I've known the longest outside of my family (with Ashley and Cassie coming in close seconds, since I also met them that same summer); we lived down the hall from each other that summer, and then decided to room together for Fall/Winter of our Freshman and Sophomore year; Junior year, I moved into a house for the Summer/Fall, but I was still always at her apt/she was still always at my house, and then I moved back in with her for Winter semester. That year in the summer/fall, we both left to serve missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints - her in Antofagasta, Chile, and me in Tucson, Arizona. It's been about 1 1/2 years since I've been back, and a little bit less than that for her, and a few weekends ago, she graduated from BYU with a degree in English!! I'm so proud of her - she has worked so hard for this! But I'm also sad because today she moved back to California to start her new job. My best friend is now 2 states away. The good news is that there are still cell phones, cars (for visiting), and the internet (aka Facebook) :) And she'll be back in a year to go to grad school.

We have some great times together :) One time there was a party up on campus, and on our way back to our dorm, we rolled down the big hill at the library, and then looked up at the mountains and saw the moon larger than all get out coming up behind them - it was so beautiful! The other night we were up on campus with Jenny and Kerry (our other roommates), and we were reminiscing - we rolled down the hill at the library :) It was so fun!

And she taught me about old movies and music - my favorite singer in Bing Crosby, and I think my favorite old movie is either Roman Holiday or Casablanca.

Most of all, she taught me about what it means to have a best friend; I moved around a lot, so I have a lot of friends, but, outside of my family, I've never really been able to keep in contact with people. So to have a best friend who lasts even when you're not in the same place, is a new experience for me...but I know that, even if we never live in the same place again, I'll always be there for her, and she'll always be there for me :) and that's what being a best friend means.