remembering great friends

tonight i was thinking of all the coincidences of great friends we've come across here in nebrasaka. meeting people for the first time is kind of a strange feeling, especially when you're the newbie, and you know that you'll inevitably become great friends with these people over the next few months and years. here are some experiences we've had when our time started out here in nebraska:

(names have not been changed because i want to actually remember these stories and people in 10 years when i go back and read this.)

the ox in the mire men: jared, josh, adam. when we first moved our stuff from utah to nebraska on our way to new jersey we happened to stop through nebraska on a sunday evening to hurry and unload some of our stuff but had to keep going that night. these 3 guys met us at the storage unit that was almost 20 minutes away from where they all lived to help us unload the uhaul and continue on our way.  we essentially loaded that whole thing by ourselves with help from a brother or friend here or there on random things so we didn't think it was that big of a deal to have people help us. wrongo. i was pregnant and wasn't much help unloading stuff quickly and efficiently. these guys got hard to work (remember on a sunday) to help us in a time when our ox was in the mire, the ox didn't care what day of the week it was. this gesture remains so close to our hearts and was such a huge help. funny thing, those 3 guys have become some of our closest friends here in nebraska

the chirstophersons: jared (same jared from above) reached out to casey via Facebook only a couple months after he was accepted to Nebraska'a dental school. through tons of messages, jared answered a billion of our questions and even let us come stay the night at their house in the spring when we came back out to look at the housing situation. we barely knew them yet both jared and katie made us feel so important and so instantly welcome. later that summer katie drove an hour away to the airport to pick me up and bring me back for a quick doctor's appointment in lincoln. again, i barely knew her but she made the hugest kindest gesture to help me when i knew no one else. they fed me dinner and got me back to the airport in time for my flight. we now live immediately next door to jared and katie and call them some of our absolute closest friends.

the milmonts: adam (same adam from above) also helped us move all that storage unit stuff into our house the day we finally did move to nebraska. talk about having to move someone's crap twice. and then the same evening his lovely wife susan invited us over for dinner at their house for our very first night in lincoln. again, we had no clue who they were really but they reached out to us in the kindest manner and helped so much, a simple meal goes so far into hungry people's bellies, ha. we are so sad adam and susan moved away this spring after finishing school but the last 2 years, again we became such close friends with them. it's these simple first impressions that have made the biggest lasting differences in our lives.

josh george- same josh mentioned in the 1st story, josh has become one of casey's best friends. he helped out that one day and so many times since and now i kid you not, those two love to man bond all the time aka video games. we joke that if josh was only into basketball he would be casey's soulmate ha

emily and jenny- the summer i came in town for a quick doctor's appointment i remember meeting emily and jenny from across the street. they were so sweet and were some of the first people to know i was pregnant and having a baby boy. then when we moved to nebrasksa emily was able to borrow jenny's air mattress and put it in our little place and  turn on the AC for us before we got there so we arrived to a cool place in hot humid august. i really didn't even know this girl apart from adam. again, smallest gesture ever, but i'm tearing up just writing these things. emily and jenny lived in nebraska our first year here and i think those two girls are some of the sweetest ever and felt so lucky to get to know them and here wise advice from their 3 and 4 years of parenting, ha

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this list for sure isn't everyone but it's those that i can remember at this quick moment. there are SOOO many other friends who made wonderful first impressions and have helped us out immensely over the last 2 years. the currency of life is truly the relationships we are building on this earth, and i already feel like the richest woman in the world. 

i also urge you to reach out of your comfort zone and help those in need around you, especially those you only kind of know. casey amazes me in that he's at nearly every move in and out of our ward, always lending a helping hand (in his case 2 biceps, 2 strong thighs, and a hard working back) to those in need. i try my best with meals because that's almost always a way my pregnant or non pregnant self can help. a couple friends on my street are always offering to help watch kids when the time is needed. just look outside yourself, who needs your help? how can you do some good in this world today?