Happy Birthday Kristen!

Today is a happy day, and yet a sad day: It's Kristen's birthday (happy), but I'm not able to be there with her to celebrate (sad). We've done a pretty darn good job in the past 2 years despite living so far apart in being able to celebrate birthdays pretty close to the actual date. But to be honest, its hard on the actual day to know that we won't be able to have our traditional birthday dinner with the three of us (me, Kris and B) where we debrief the year, laugh for hours and make predictions for the future. In honor to celebrate my dearest best friend, here are a few things I LOVE about Kristen (for the record, this list could last for pages, but for times sake, here are a top few).
1) There are some people in life that just GET you: they get your humor, they get what you mean before you say it, they finish your sentences because they were thinking the same thing. I hope everyone has someone in their life like that, because that is what friendship is all about. My person is Kristen. She makes me laugh like no other, finds humor in the same things I do, she gets my jokes even when they aren't really funny or make sense, because she knows what I mean or what I meant to say. I can't count how many times I've laughed until I've peed with this girl. Not only does she get my lame humor, but she GETS me. She gets what might bother me when others don't understand. She gets why I'm sad before I shed a tear. She just GETS it. Friends like that are few and far between. But she is that friend.
2) She is the best roommate ever. For those of you who have had roommates, you know that not all roomies are a fit. In fact, even "good" roommates have their season and then you are happy to move on. Kristen is a lifetime roommate. If it wasn't for that darn "marriage" thing, I'm pretty sure we'd still be living in our Irvine apartment, cooking cheesy chicken rice and having pool days on the weekends. Not only is she fun, understanding, easy going and generous but she is the best apartment re-arranger in the world. This girl can make an apartment look like a whole new place with her gift of moving furniture. :) She has incredible style, would clean up your junk when you are too lazy or busy to move it, but more importantly would wait up for you when you are out late just to see how you are. Our days of living together have provided some of the best memories of my life. "Roomies for life " we liked to say, and in my heart, I still believe it.
3) She is one of the most loyal, faithful people I've ever met. Life gets busy; we all know this. Things happen, work gets insane, time flies by and friends lose track of what is going on with each other. This never happens with Kristen. And I can honestly say its all because of her faithfulness. When I get caught up with things and seem to be in a unsocial silo, Kristen is the first person leaving me voicemails wanting to know how I am and wanting to catch up. She doesn't let you get to that spot where things are distant. She genuinely cares to know where you are at, and seeks you out even when times get crazy. Complete loyalty is hard to find in a friend, but not only do I know she will always have my back, but she will always be there no matter what.
4) She has long arms. Does the top of your head itch? Need something from the top shelf? Want to reach something on the top of the Empire State Building? Kris is your gal. (ok so I had to put a funny one in there so this isn't too mushy. Don't worry; she knows I am kidding. Its a life long joke that never gets old...for me atleast. )
5) She is genuine. Never do I doubt a word that comes out of this girls mouth. She doesn't BS me. When she tells me something I know she isn't just saying it cuz "thats what a friend should say." She'll tell me when I should wear a different shirt cuz the one I am wearing has seen better days. She'll tell me what she really thinks when I need to hear the truth. And she does it because she is a genuine person who doesn't have to fake being excited or caring. She really does care and she really is excited. She is the true definition of a friend.
So Happy Birthday to my bestest friend Kristen! Kris, it kills me that I'm not there to steal you away from Ryan for a night of Citrus City Grille pasta and Starbucks. But I'm counting the days until we can celebrate in person. I love you!