PJ Party With My Girls!

I threw a little PJ party for me and some of my favorite girls before moving.  Everyone brought something yummy to eat and an ornament for me!  :)  I, in turn, gave them an ornament.

I didn't get many pictures of our yummy food, but we had a ton!  This was a picture I took while getting out the stuff for my coffee/hot chocolate bar.  Fun-fun!

A few pics of my girls from the night.

LOVE. THESE. GIRLS.

Every one of them!  I'm going to miss them all like crazy!

I asked each one of them to bring me an ornament that I could look at over the years and remember them by.

Becky gave me this one.  She was the BEST workout partner ever!  We had so much fun going to Spin together!  

Sheila gave me this one so I wouldn't forget how cold it gets in Tulsa.

 The saddle is from Danielle. She used to ride horses.  And of course, they have cowboys in Oklahoma!  ;)

Could this be from anyone but Amy?  I think not!  Love it!

From Amber, my sweet, southern sister!  :)

These scream Leslie Cropper!!  

From Jen S., my cupcake friend!  :)

Um, hello?......Erin Higgins!!!!  She gets the award for originality and creativity!  Boom-Chika-Pop!

My sweet friend, Ashley, made me this pillow in the shape of Oklahoma.  The heart is over Tulsa. LOVE!

This is from Kris.  Made in Oklahoma!

This is also from Kris.  Made by Kris!!!  So sweet!!!  :)

Jen Kosty, the Disney Running Princess!  Love this!

I had a great time with my sweet friends.  We cried, we laughed, we ate, they prayed for me, we ate some more, laughed some more and cried some more.  It was a sweet, sweet time I will never forget.  :)

For memories sake, I want to remember the letter I read them, so I am including it here.  Warning, it's long, but straight from my heart!  :)

Okay, girls.  This "speech", if you will, was not an easy one to write.  I knew I wanted to give one, but delivering it would be the hard part.  I'm going to try to make it through without crying.  I mean it.  ;)

Let me back up a bit, first, and say that I DID NOT want to move to Tulsa.  As a matter of fact, I HATED it for the first 2 years we lived here.  It wasn't until about our 3rd year that I started to like it and it started to feel like home to me.  And you know why I started to like it?  Because of YOU!  My friends.  You girls became "my people", if you will.  My sweet sisters in Christ.  

So, without further adue, I give you my very sappy (and hopefully a little funny) speech.  Please hold your tears until I am loaded up and headed out of town. ;)

Initially, when I was thinking about what I wanted to say, I kept having "My favorite things song" or "Carol of the Bells" come to mind.  I so wish I was creative enough to put my thoughts into a song.  If I were, it would go something like this....

(Ahem)

Girls in gray sweaters with red pops of color,

pedicures and lunches are like none other.  

Popcorn and coffee and a little shopping too,

These are a few of my favorite things.

Cupcakes with sprinkles and chips with salsa,

Target and Marshall's and TJ Maxx and J. Spencer's.

Stein Mart and Sushi and Mudslides in carpool.

These are a few of my favorite things.

When the phone rings! or my text dings!

When I've already gone to bed.

I simply remember it's one of my girls, 

and then I respond to their text or call really early the next morning instead! (The early bird catches the worm, ya know?!) ')

Body Pump and Spinning, Talking while walking.

Smiles, laughs, and hugs and taking turns talking.

Swim dates and fishing and bating of worms,

These are a few of my favorite things!  

Mickey Mouse and running and swapping stories,

7th graders give us lots of reasons to worry.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Cough Syrup with codeine.

These are a few of my favorite things.

When the day's long.

When things feel wrong.

When I feel lonely and sad.

I'll think of my sisters and all of our memories

And then I won't feeeeeel sooooooo bad!

Okay, so since I am not a singer/songwriter, I won't quit my day job!  LOL!  If I WAS a singer song writer, I would've included a few more things in the song like....

How Leslie loves to speak before she thinks (we have that in common, you know).  It's called "foot in mouth disease".  We like to vomit our words and then eat them!  Or, how awesome she and Jen (and sometimes Erin) are for running (even when it's freezing cold out)!  Just kidding, Erin!  You are awesome too!  Just a little injury setting you back.  You will be back to it in no time!  January 1st, right?  ;)  Oh, and Leslie, I will always, always think of you when I go to TJ MAXX.  Or, when someone gives me a compliment and I feel the need to tell them where I got it, what size it is, how many colors it comes in, and how much I paid for it.  ;)  Love you!!

I would've also mentioned how sweet Danielle is and how she always brightens my Sunday when I see her at Church.  I love her testimony and her heart so much.  She is genuine and kind!  She is one of the first people I remember meeting at FBCBA.  Such a sweet spirit!  Oh, and I know she secretly LOVES ALABAMA football!  Roll Tide!!! She's just scared to admit it!   ;)

I would've also talked about Kristi's gardening and cooking.  She's pretty awesome in the kitchen!  She makes the best popcorn ever!!!!!  Kristi is one of the sweetest people I know.  Love her so!

And Leanne's smile?  Oh my goodness!  She was made for that welcome desk at church!  Such a warm, friendly person inside and out!  She's pretty good at Bunco too!  She's not so good at waiting her turn to talk though!  ;)  Haha!  I can certainly relate to this!  I love how we both struggle with the word "no".  It's just hard to find that word within our vocabulary.  Ha!  We share that commonality.  ;)

The fact the Jen Kosty is not employed by Disney World blows my mind!  If anyone should be employed there, she should!  Oh, and that girl is a rock star!!!  A different race every weekend?  Need I say more!  I do have a question for you, though, Jen..."Do you run with sunglasses on your head?"  Hee Hee!  Love you!

Jen S will always be "Jen S" to me.  Even though she now has a last name I can't pronounce!  ;)  Jen takes the prize for best hair and eye brows, hands down!  Her cakes and cupcakes are pretty awesome too!  I will forever remember that tragic day when Jeff died.  I remember exactly where I was when I heard the news.  I was, like everyone else, in a state of shock.  I am so impressed and proud of the way she showed dignity and grace through that terrible time.  Her faith in God was obvious to those around her.  That changed me (and others too) forever in a way I can't put into words.  I am so very happy God brought Chris into her life to love her and take care of those precious boys!  Seeing her happy, makes me happy.  What a testimony her story is to so many.

My favorite workouts were the ones I did with Becky!  I loved having her as an accountability partner!  There is something to be said about girl friends working out together!  Loved that time with her!  I was also relieved to know she would pick me up off of the floor if need be if I ever passed out and fell off my bike!  ;)  The day I heard she was diagnosed with breast cancer is a day I will also never forget.  My, how life can change so quickly.  I am so thankful I got to be there with her while she walked through that hard time.  Seeing how she kicked cancer in the @$$ was such an inspiration to others around her!  She is such a strong women!  One of the strongest and bravest I know!  Oh, and she reminds me SO MUCH of my sister!  I think that's why I wanted to be her friend in the beginning!  To this day, she still reminds me of my sister when I'm with her!  :)

Amber...My sweet southern sister!!!  I just love her so!  Not sure what it was (maybe the accent), but I was instantly drawn to her when they came to FBCBA.  I knew we would be friends!  I will forever think of you when I drink my morning "cocktail" and every time I see a Gazelle at the gym (oh wait.....I don't think they have those at the gym).  ;) Oh, and let me know what color dress Zoey is wearing to Prom so we can match Judd's bow tie!  ;)  Love you friend!  I am going to miss you and your silly husband so much!

My walks with Sheila were the best!  She was kind enough to slow her running pace down for me.  Otherwise, we would not have been able to talk.  And we both know I love to talk!  ;)  I hope I am just as good of a listener.  I try to be!  I love how our friendship has grown over the years just as our boy's friendship has.  Sheila and Kris have meant the world to me!  Being friends with my son's 2 best friend's moms is a bonus like none other!  What will I do when I can't get the "low down" on the 7th graders?  I can't even think about that right now.  

Kris, I love our times when you "drop Ethan off".  Otherwise known as times we talk about life, teenagers, cough syrup with codeine, and how funny your husband is walking around listening to sermons on his phone.  So funny!  I have really enjoyed getting to know you better over the past couple of years!  Oh, and I am still in shock that you used to shoot guns and fly airplanes!!!  WOW!

Amy,  ahhhhhh, where to begin??  Amy has been more than a friend to me!  She is more of a sister in many ways.  I will always remember our fun time at the women's retreat.  Sure, the weekend was full of lots of spiritual stuff, but what I will forever remember is our late night chat and you hearing me poot from laughing so hard (I think the chili had something to do with it too)!  LOL!  Our trip to Dallas, our lunches and pedicures.  Shopping, etc...  Lots and lots of memories.  Oh, and every time I get nervous about moving to Dallas, I am going to think about you using the bathroom in a small ice chest, in a tent in Africa.  I can do this!  ;)  Haha!  I think God placed us in each other's lives for a reason.  You fill a void for me (living so far from my mom) and I hope I do the same for you (knowing how much you miss your parents).  I treasure your friendship so much.  Oh, and you know she's a good friend when she spits in your food to make you stop eating it!  THAT's a true friend right there!  ;)

And last, but not least, Erin.  Oh Erin.  When we first moved here, Bart and I had no idea how to take you!  We would leave Sunday school and ask, "Was she kidding?  I'm not sure?!".  LOL!  We soon realized Erin had her masters in sarcasm.  And that's why I love her so!  She can make me laugh like none other!  Erin can sniff a bargain (or a bogo lunch) out a mile away!  She also LOVES her some seasonal decorations (especially Halloween topiaries and dishtowels).  She loves beans, but they don't love her!  (We have that in common!)  She makes a mean chocolate almond butter!  Her whole chickens are pretty good too!  (She gives great cooking lessons if you need to know how to roast a whole chicken!  Just watch out for the neck and innards!  EWWWWW! )   She secretly wants my black vest, but I can't let her have it for 3 reasons.  One, I am going to be buried in it.  Two, it would cover up her Life Church t-shirt, so that wouldn't work.  Three, it's not gray!  ;)  I hope she thinks of me, her "sister friend", while she sits in her bed watching "Sister Wives" while eating Boom Chika Pop and drinking Kahlua!  Chances are, I'll be eating Boom Chika Pop too. (Unless it's after Jan 1st.  In that case, I'll be doing some serious damage control drinking a highly nutritious Arbonne protein shake with lots of spinach (but no kale) and eating Beanitos.  Better open a window!  ;)

I love you girls!  You all have an open invitation to The Roberts' B&B any time!  It is scheduled to open late spring/early summer!  I BETTER see you!  All you have to do is get there!  I will take care of the rest!  :)

I love you and thank God for each and every one of you!!!!

Tonya

Now, excuse me while I go grab a kleenex!