Ode to Beth

My friend Beth likes to remind me that I once had a blog and that once upon a time I actually posted pictures and stuff. There have been many reasons that blogging has not been a priority lately, but I am willing to write one now, especially for Beth.

You see, my dear Beth is moving. Away. On Saturday. And to be honest, I'm not handling it very well. I have a history of not dealing well with friends moving away. Just ask Lauren; she'll tell you. It's ugly. And to make it worse, Beth is one of my last remaining friends in this little area of St. Louis where I live, and that makes this really hard.

I know you're probably thinking she's moving across the country by the way I'm talking, but she's not. She's not even moving across the state. Just across town. And I know that this move isn't the end of our friendship or anything, it's just not going to be the same. But I'm not going to ramble on about all of the reasons I will miss her and hate to see her go. Instead, I'm going to list just a few of my favorite things about this lovely lady**:

1. She has been my trusty running buddy for over 7 years now, AND she will wake up insanely early so that we can run together before I head off to work.

2. I can call on a whim to see if she wants to _____ (Fill in the blank with things like: go to the park, meet at the zoo, come over so our kids can play, etc.)

3. She always has cute hair and necklaces.

4. She will go grocery shopping with me on Thursdays when we can save $10 at Sappington Farmer's Market.

5. She listens intently, doesn't judge, and offers words of wisdom and Truth into my crazy life.

6. She prays for me and my family. I cherish that.

7. I love watching her mother her children. She is a patient, loving, F*U*N, gentle mom. I have learned so much from her.

8. She loves my daughter (and will help us out in a pinch if we need a sitter for a day).

9. She's not afraid to eat pie for breakfast.

10. She is one of the most honest, genuine, authentic followers of Christ that I know. I admire her faithfulness.

I know that our friendship is one that will last until we're old and wrinkly, but there's just something about being neighbors and doing life together.

I have loved our time together in South City, Beth. Thank you for your friendship. I will miss living so close to you and your sweet, sweet family.

**Please note that this list is not all-encompassing. I could go on, of course. There's no end to the awesome-ness that is Beth.