BFF's

Grace and I are both blessed to have some of our BFF's come from the same family.  Grace has her Anna and i have my Marisa from the sweet Youell family.

We met while attending our church, University Place Presbyterian as greeters in our early married years.  Marisa, her husband Judd and their adorable son Jonathan who always had perfectly brushed hair, perfectly pressed clothes, perfect skin, with piercing blue eyes and rosebud lips, would grace us with their presence each Sunday and I would always comment to Jeff, "Is that little boy just as cute as can be"?  Well, now that cute boy towers over me,  is about as handsome as can be and in his second year of college.

Marisa and my paths crossed while doing leadership in Bible Study Fellowship and then expanded even more when Jeff and i were invited to join a small group that Marisa and Judd had been involved in for quite some time.  We then got recruited to teach Sunday School together and have been partners in crime for the last nine years. 

We were new parents to Grace who was 6 months old at the time and the Youell family was in the process of adding to their family through the miracle of adoption.  Anna joined their family when she was 17 months old. A perfect playmate for Grace who was 13 months old.  The girls were instant buds, playing at the mall and McDonald's on rainy days and then we'd venture to the Tot Lot on the sunny ones.  It was so nice to have someone to experience parenthood and adoption with at the same time.

Not only do i LOVE Marisa because she is as neurotic as i am but i love her because she loves our Lord, she is loyal, she is reliable, she is consistent, she is firm yet loving, and she is honest.  If you want the truth, go to Marisa.  She is a great listener and does not try to fix things for me.  I could go on and on but what she really is, is an amazing friend!  She also is a second Mommy to my girls.  She has been there through thick and thin with me and has saved me many times over caring for them especially when Jeff was deployed and my Mom's cancer had returned.  She literally lived at my home and still has the key to prove it.  Really, i don't know what i would do without her. 

And Grace and Anna, well, they were just along for the ride but their friendship flourished as well and these two truly are BFF's.  One of my favorite things that Grace has said about she and Anna is, "We were both born the same way", as in they were both adopted.  Is that sweet or what?  I am so thankful that they can share this conncection along with the bond of being sisters in Christ.

We love you Anna and Risa!

Pretty little BFF's!

Marisa is beautiful, inside and out!
(photo taken by Grace)