Eleven Things I Shared With Christy

(because I couldn't stop at just ten)

11. The Jill Phillips concert at Asbury. Technically it was Andrew Peterson (Jill Phillips was only the opener), but I had never heard of him, so you used Jill to get us to go. You were right as usual... Jim and I now love Andrew Peterson.

10. Hanging out in hospitals.

9. Seeing the Schuers play at High on Rose. We loved their music but regretted the venue. Remember when that drunk girl fell in your lap? Yeah, that was not so much our scene. We laughed hard that night.

8. Our girls-only weekend last August.

7. That last morning you came over to hang out while Josh played golf. I'm so glad we had that chance to sip Starbucks hot chocolate, eat muffins, and talk about everything from theology to reality tv.

6. Many, many, many meals at Fiesta.

5. Black Friday shopping in 2003.

4. Three moving days with you and Josh. I always ironed the shower curtain.

3. Roadtripping to New City Cafe in Knoxville to see Katy Bowser (who is awesome). I went to the bathroom for two seconds and she came over to our table and talked to you guys while I was gone. Betrayed by my bladder once again. Remember how we almost hit that deer at 2am on the way home?

2. Your wedding day. I was large and pregnant and wonderfully purple, haha. But you were radiant. What a JOY to be a part of your perfect day.

1. April 15th. Maybe eight or nine of them? Not enough. I loved making it a big deal with you, and even (unintentionally) giving each other the same gift once or twice. I loved the two or three phonecalls in early April deciding where we wanted to eat. Our favorites were not the same, but we took our decision seriously and always considered several restaurants before landing at Red Lobster. Your mom made us dessert and we shared the evening and the attention. I'm so sad you aren't here today. I miss you. I would honestly ignore the whole thing if I didn't know how disappointed (not to mention ticked) you would be with me if you knew. But I will not eat at Red Lobster on our birthday again. That was something special, just for you and me. Happy Birthday, Christy. This day is forever different, but I will always be celebrating with you in my heart.