Annnnd... We're back!

It's been a while and a lot has changed. We are settled in to the apartment, Stitch loves having his moms home and we got a brand new Kitten! His name is Walt and his momma got run over so we've been bottle feeding him. So between hanging out with both families, Stitch, Walt and new jobs, it's hard to find time to write.

We've gone to a few Writer's Group meetings and I love it. At first it was a little bit scary and it made get get out of my comfort zone, but I love it and I'm excited for the next meeting!

We are going to host a book exchange at our place next Saturday, if you're interested, let me know. Hopefully I'll something better out early this week!

Day Maker

The other day I was driving to work, I wasn't paying attention and sat a green light a little too long. I had the music up and the windows down, just jammin'. When I hit the next red light a lady in a SUV was waving at me and trying to get my attention, my first thought was "Oh shit." I was so surprised when she asked me who Kenzie was. (My back window has "Pray for Kenzie" written across it.) I explained as quickly as I could, yelling over traffic, and she told me she'd pray for her. Of course as as soon as she drove away I started crying. (I could have been over hydrated.) Sometimes it's the little things that turn an entire day around.

Guest Blog: Robyn Keller

Robyn so kindly wrote me a guest blog!

Friendship is not something that will happen overnight. It will take days, weeks, and months to truly find your real friends. Sometimes it will even take years.

When I went to college in the fall of 2008, I thought that all the friends I had from back home would still be there for me when I needed them. Throughout high school, they told me they would always have my back no matter what.

But I found out the hard way when I got to college that not all of them would be there for me. They were only there when times were good or when they needed something, but once the shoe was on the other foot, they had disappeared. They weren’t going to be there for me when I needed help.

As my first semester of college got underway, I started to make some new friends. These people, I thought, would be there for me no matter what. I once again found out that not everyone I thought was my friend would be there for me.

There are a few of those people who I considered my friends who did stay by my side in the dark moments. They were the ones who supported me through a really difficult decision and were there when I needed someone to talk to. Those people are the reason I am still here today.

When I left the University of Mary to go to the University of North Dakota, those people who were real were still there for me. I learned to cherish my time with them, but also to cherish the random acts of kindness I got from them. Who knew that a simple phone call or text could make your day so much brighter!

While I was at UND, I really struggled to find good friends, ones who would accept me for me. I tried so hard to fit in that I ended up making friends with the bad crowd. I think you know what I mean. The crowd whose only desire is to drink as much as they can and they only like you when they are drunk. When they are sober, they want nothing to do with you.


When I finally realized that Bismarck was where I needed to be and where I wanted to be, I withdrew from UND and transferred back to Mary.

During my time off before starting school again, I realized that I had real friends in my life. These are the people who would do anything to see me smile. They were the ones who, when something devastating happened, would call or text me to find out what they could do to help me. They were the ones who would listen to the things I wasn’t saying and offer their help in any way they could.

Finding these types of friends isn’t impossible. I firmly believe that you need to go through some shitty friendships to find what you truly deserve, what is truly real. And when you do, those friendships become priceless.

Small Town, USA

I decided to include a guest blog I've written for a local realtor.

"I used to think it too small to spend a life in, but now I'm not so sure." - Mary Kelly

I left Lewistown, Montana two days after I turned 18. I moved to Billings, the biggest city in the state with a culture shocking 100,000 people. 10 months later, I moved to Bismarck, ND, which wasn't as big, but with the oil boom happening, it wasn't as safe either.

When I came home for my first long visit, it was like I was looking at home through new eyes. When I was a teenager, I assumed that every adult I knew was waiting for me to mess up, then they would call my parents. It took a little growing up to realize that the adults in my life were more worried about keeping me safe than getting me in trouble, and in that small town, I had a lot of guardian angels. Now, it felt more like the entire town was a huge, albeit unconventional, family.This idea was made into a reality quickly after I left again.

My little sister, Kenzie, was in a car accident during the summer of 2011. The little community that I couldn't wait to run away from, turned into the place I ran to, and they welcomed me with open arms. Strangers were putting on fundraisers for my family and everywhere I looked there were green and yellow "Pray for Kenzie" magnets.

After being gone for two and a half years, I am finally coming full circle and moving back home where I belong. Where life a little slower and a little simpler. People genuinely care about one another and differences are embraced as opposed to discriminated.

Guest Blog: Sam Thomas!

So I am new to this blogging thing, so it’ll probably sound more like ranting or that I’m just talking ‘at you’ rather than organized, coherent thoughts and ideas, so I’ll ask you to bare (bear? Whichever, I’m mad at the rain and it’s 7pm and the baby is taking her first nap of the day so grammar isn’t quite up there on my ‘things I care a lot about’ list.) with me. Seeing as this is Kayla’s blog I think it’s fair to start there. Kayla’s only about a year younger than me so I at least saw her a lot during school. I think I mostly got talking to her more because she and Starr were such good friends and Starr was in my sewing class (was Kayla too? I can’t remember!) If Kayla was, then I’m sure I talked with her there as well. Anyway I think the point is that we were never super close but always sort of in that more than acquaintances but not quite friends weird sort of relationship that doesn’t really have a name. Facebook friends, we’ll call it that.
I read her blogs and we’ll chat via comments or messages every so often and I’ve done what I could, even if it was just sending good vibes her family’s way, throughout the journey they’ve been on this past year. Well every now and then a facebook friend turns into more and you find yourself making plans to hang out in ‘real life’ (feels like some other dimension saying it that way ha!) and that’s about where we are at and I’m glad, I don’t have a lot of real friends and being able to add another is pretty dang awesome.
I think real friends are pretty hard to come by, especially after high school. Or maybe it’s just that after you graduate, you learn who your real friends actually are. Most keep in touch via facebook or email or texting, which is nice but just lacks..I’m not sure, but something. Whatever it is that makes a real friend, a real friend. Maybe it’s that with a real friend you don’t often say “Oh hey!! How are you??” in that ridiculous phone voice. I think you both need to understand that you’ll always be there for each other no matter what, but might not always want to hang out. Real friends can just say “nah, I’m being lazy and would rather stay home.” Real friends don’t care if you haven’t showered in one too many days and are still trying to get away with it by putting up your hair. If they think you’re being stupid, they’ll let you know. And when something bad happens and they say they are sorry, you know they really mean it and it feels good to know somebody is there. They will get mad at you but get over it within minutes or hours.
Well shit. I didn’t realize how hard describing friendship really was. Maybe because it’s almost more of a feeling than something you can describe, an invisible force like..’The Force’? Close enough! Also, I can't tell you how many "best friends" I've had through the years but its funny that at 21 years old, I've only got two of them left. One, I've known since I was 5 and the other is my boyfriend Kody. I‘m bummed I had this wonderful, moving blog planned out in my head and I get to writing and it just didn’t come out. I guess I’ll end with saying that if you can comfortably talk about poop or pooping or farts and laugh at and with each other at the same time and silences aren’t awkward, they’re probably a real friend. Also if they are one of the few people who say “ I’ll babysit ANYTIME!!” And actually do. I’m not sure who said this, but it’s my favorite quote about friendship (it’s on a sign in our kitchen).
“Good friends are like stars, you don’t always have to see them to know they are always there.”
-Sam Thomas

Her blog: http://samslifetoday-thoughts.blogspot.com/?m=1 (you'll have to copy and paste)

Thank You to All Those Awesome Letter Writers

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.”

I just want to say a huge thank you to the people who have written letters for me in the past week! You guys rock!

Twyla
Brian
Robyn
Mom and Dad
Girlfriend
Samantha
Shelly
Nancy (Moore)
Nancy (Fry-Moline)
Jessika
Corrie
Connie
Kelsey
Taylor
Rachel
Cat
Jason
Gina
Lucy
Emily
Dana
Grandma and Poppa Zarn

Thank you for taking time out of your lives to help out with this awesome cause! Love you guys! (If I missed anyone, you have my permission to face-punch me.)

Guest Blog: Ging!

Taylor has been by my side for longer than anyone that is currently in my life. We have a weird, ridiculous, awesome friendship that no one else understands. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Friendship seems to not be a big deal to a lot of people anymore. Ever since I came to college I haven’t met someone that acts like a true friend should. If they do, its never for long. At least the people I have given a chance to do so thus far.
High school- we had those friends that you could call/text/run off with whenever you needed or wanted to. You cried, laughed, bitched and whined, and went on adventures with these people. They got you into the most trouble, but also had the best days with them. My FAVORITE memories of high school were with the same people- Kayla, Keah, and Sara were almost always there. No matter how mad we got or how bad our fights were we always came back together. They got me through some of the worst days ever. Your true friends teach you things too. To not ditch your friends for boys, to listen to them because they know you and are better judges of character because they’re on the outside, and they proved that love and confidence have a big connection.
College- Is there for the same reason you date multiple people before finding that special one. You have to go through bad ones in order to learn how to love and appreciate the right ones. You meet new people and form friendships, but best friends take more effort to find. College just gives you the options to choose from.
Maybe it’s the small town upbringing, maybe its how your parents raised you, or maybe its just that some people never had that one friend that taught you to be the kind of friend you wanted, or whatever. But whatever it is, some people around here didn’t learn how to be a true friend. I’ve been here for 2 years now and I had a great dorm-roommate and RA. I had 2 “best friends” that ended up treating me like dirt and basically showing me I didn’t deserve their time. I had a former friend use me to my breaking point. Hopefully it isn’t just me, but I seem to go through friends like water. I think I find a good one and then they start acting like a shady boyfriend.
Those true friends that stick with you through everything, and you know you can call even when you are fighting, those are hard to find and need to be cherished. Everyone needs their friend that can give them brutally honest answers when you ask for them and tell you when it is or isn’t your fault. If I didn’t have one I would still be crying in a corner about losing another friend over something stupid that inside I knew wasn’t my fault.

-Taylor

The link to her blog: http://taylormachler-myescape.blogspot.com/?m=0
(you'll have to copy and paste it)

I'm trying to get more bloggers so I can do an entire week of people's different views on friendship! Let me know if you'd like to write!