Thanks for friends.

I was looking through my phone and realizing I really don't have very many pictures of my friends. I should really change that! This was from a few weeks ago when two friends who have moved to the west coast came back to the east coast to visit.

Matt used to try to (jokingly? maybe?) say that I'm anti-social or that I don't like people, but with the whole introvert trend of the past few years I finally figured out that it's wholly possible to like being with people AND ALSO to like being alone and it doesn't make me anti-social. Phew. Thank goodness for that.

And thank goodness for friends. For my oldest friends from my childhood and adolescence in California. For the friends I made at BYU. For the many wonderful women I've met in the past 10 years in Virginia who became dear friends, and some of them have moved away, and some of them have stayed. I have been incredibly blessed with a number of good strong friends whom I can be myself with. They don't all run in the same social circles but I kind of like that. They've laughed and cried with me and brought me dinners when I was sick and brought me gifts when I had babies and slept in cars and hotel rooms with me and run with me and sat with me and worked in my yard with me and worked at church with me and sat in support groups with me (yep, I have support group friends! ICAN forever) and hugged me and listened to me and forgiven me.

Today was a hard day. Possibly influenced by the fact that I only slept for 2 hours last night. I'm well aware that taking a presidential election personally is a bit self-absorbed. And I'm over it, maybe. Maybe not. But anyway I grieved for a bit, last night and today. I actually cried. More than once. And I never cry! Darn the people who say HRC can't inspire her base. I cried for her! ;)

But I have had many many encounters with friends, constant streams of texts and emails starting last night and throughout the day. Not condolences particularly, just connections. I got in possibly a little too deep on Facebook (darn me on Facebook) but overall still felt a positive connection to friends in that way. Tonight at work I talked with my coworker buddy who left the job for about a year and recently came back, and I am so grateful to rekindle that friendship. Tonight on the way home from work I stopped by a Relief Society activity, craving some social interaction and giggles, and got them in spades. Yes I am incredibly thankful for good friends!