Above all, he is my very best friend. So I will write about him as such.

I am pretty sure I fell in love with Nik because of his eyes. He has the most gorgeous eyes out of anyone I have ever met. And they change. Sometimes they are blue, other days they are green, but no matter what, they are always breathtaking. This is a reflection of how Nik sees people. He is able to see everyone in their differences, yet he sees them all with the incredible love of God. How I love that about him.

I admire Nik’s sense of responsibility. He has no problems finishing things to the end. You can trust him with anything because once he knows that someone is trusting him, he will follow through. Always. Always. Always. He has a drive to do. He does things I could never dream of accomplishing, and he always puts forth his best. 

Niki is so funny. I catch myself laughing at everything he says. Just the way he says it. And everyone loves him. He is so personable and is able to relate to anyone he meets. 

What I love most about Nik is his passion for the Kingdom of God. Nik sees a need and meets it. He is always searching for God’s will and his plan. He is always looking to be better, more like Christ. Nik loves no matter what. He has no restrictions. He isn’t much of a reader, but could devour the Bible from cover to cover and want to do it again. His passion for Christ is contagious. His dedication to God is addicting. 

And it doesn’t hurt that he’s cute :)

Aimee was my RA and neighbor. At first. Then, this one night, say about 11 or 12, I’m walking in my room and she asked if I wanted to go to Rickers.

I say “What’s Rickers?”

And she says “WHAT? You’ve never been to Rickers?”

And I say “Nope.”

And then she says “Then you hafta come.” and basically ever since that day we’ve been tight.

Aimee is super classy. One, because she is Italian and she is a fabulous cook. And two, because she has this awesome accent that she does sometimes and I always laugh. Actually, I think that basically anytime we talk to each other now, we talk in that accent. 

Aimee is like 5’11” and has one of the greatest wardrobes ever. We always wear our heels when we go to church, making us even taller than we normally are. She always backs me up when someone says that I’m too tall for heels. “They’re just jealous they can’t look this good.” Aims helps me pick out what I’m going to wear so I can look just as fly as her.

Aimee is the one that welcomed me into the little RA circle of friends. I’m so glad she did too. She encouraged me to apply to be an RA, helping me with my resume, giving me tips for my interview, writing a reference, and of course, picked out my outfit for my individual interview.

Aimee is so good at investing and encouraging people to go after what they want. Like her baby sister. She is so proud of her little sis playing basketball for ISU, and she attends every game possible, cheering her on and yelling at the referees. She is such an independent woman. I’m so excited to share a floor with her next year. Being RA’s together is gonna be so classy.

Soon to be Carly Jones. But I call her Carl.

Carly is one of those people you feel blessed just to know. For starters, she is one of the funniest people you will ever meet. Her laugh kills me. If you really get her going, just wait. There is always a slight pause for air, and then…she throws her head back and lets out an “ah aha ah”. Sometimes you have to offer your arm in case she leans on you for support so she doesn’t topple over with laughter.

Along with her laugh, Carl has one of the most amazing voices. I still remember this one time I came to visit her at AU and she, along with Erin, Lindsay, and Steph Astor, called and sang Happy Birthday to someone. It was the most amazing Happy Birthday I have ever heard in my life. When she really gets going, she’ll close her eyes, scrunch up her face a little, and you just sit back and think “Yeah…that’s how it’s done.”

Carl can make anything look cool. I don’t know how she does it. Like jowling. For those of you who don’t know, basically you loosen up your mouth and shake your face back and forth. Then you take a picture of it, cause it looks hilarious. It’s impossible to look good while doing this, but somehow Carly manages it. Probably cause you can just hear her laughing at herself afterwards. 

Carly is always looking for a way to grow. She is so good at being open, honest, and vulnerable. Carly tells you what she is struggling with and is constantly looking to improve. She knows and accepts her weaknesses, and is able to look to others with this confidence that says “Hey, You’re good at that. Help a sister out.” I love how real she is. She just radiates with the love of God.

Maggie was my very first art friend. I met her waiting for class to start next to the art lockers. She introduced herself and gave me a smiley face acorn sticker. I put it on January 13th in my planner, cause I knew we’d be friends. A month later she was trying to change her Facebook to be in a relationship with me. It would have been a success, had her family and friends not freaked out that she was “in a relationship” and hadn’t told them about it.

I guess I really don’t know too much about Maggie outside of art. But this is such a big part of her life, that I feel like I know a lot about her. She is a very gifted artist. And she’s not only good at producing art, but she is really good at critiquing it. “I love how this moves you through the drawing…You did a good job with the line quality…Work on the negative shapes.” I try to see it like her, but she was just blessed with an eye for it. Maggie is so good at giving tips and she is always proud when someone does something right.

I love Maggie’s passion for art, especially the art program here at AU. I can’t think of a time where I’ve seen her, other than in the fine arts building. She is always there setting up a still life, helping and critiquing someone’s art, assisting a gallery showing, or doing her own work. She is an inspiration for me to want to do better.

One of the first times that I remember talking to Nathan was in the pool at camp. He stuck my arm between his and said “Look! An Oreo.” I knew we would be friends.

Something that I love about Nate is that he is up for anything. A party, hanging out, watching a movie…Nate is so there. And he makes the party hoppin. Everything is funnier when Nathan is there.

Nathan is very respectful. When we decided going on a random roadtrip to North Carolina was a good idea, he made sure his parents were okay with it first. I always think it’s so cool when he calls them “sir” and “ma’am”.

Nate is a good teacher. He taught gymnastics and swimming, and he is doing his student teaching right now. He is very patient and able to relate to everyone.

I’m saddened by the fact that I won’t be able to watch his amazing butterfly at the pool. Or sing “first you get the biscuit, then you spread the jelly. Pour on the jelly and put it in your belly!” as he makes his favorite breakfast. Rats…I’m going to miss Nate Dawg this summer.

Kelsey is one of the strongest people that I know. This girl has been through so much and through it all, she always praises God. She is so thankful for all that God has blessed her with, even the little things. Kelsey can see beauty in anything, especially nature.

Kelsey is very patient. She is going to be such a great mom someday. She doesn’t get frustrated or annoyed with people, but comes to situations with a calm heart. Not just with campers, but with her friends too. There has never been a time when I have wondered if Kelsey liked me. Kelsey is always checking in to say hello, see what you’re up to, and say she misses you. She is one of those shoulders to cry on.

Kelsey is going to be one of those people who accomplishes so much with her life, without being recognized. Not because she doesn’t deserve it. But because her satisfaction comes just just being able to help people and not from being praised. She does everything for the glory of God.

Devon is such an activator. She is so good at getting people to be excited about what they’re doing. She loves hosting parties, and she’s good at it for 3 reasons: 1) she’s very welcoming and makes anyone who comes through the door feel comfortable. 2) she is an amazing cook. 3) her mom is De Wells.

Devon is also a very good at encouraging people. If you are having a bad day, go see her, cause she’ll tell you that you’re beautiful and probably give you a cookie. And she means it.

Devon is able to ahieve whatever she sets out to do. She pushes not only herself, but those around her to to better…to be better. When she says that she is going to make her team win 2 state volleyball championships, she will. I know that she has my back no matter what…cause that’s just how she rolls.

Willard Peter actually. 

I can say without a shadow of a doubt, he is my best guy friend.

Willard is one of the best gift givers ever. This is partially because he is a romantic guy, but also because when he gets to know people, he remembers everything about them. He is able to come up with creative ways to show how he cares about people (like Dara) and it is so precious. 

Wil is so easy to talk to, like his fiancée. He doesn’t care where you’ve been, or what you’re doing. He just wants to know you. Anytime I see him, he acts like he hasn’t seen you in years. He greets you with the biggest hug in his monkey arms and a warm smile :)

A lot of times when Willard and I are hanging out, people thing that we are dating. Which is hilarious, because we have both come to the “no offence, but NO WAY” conclusion. This has a lot to do with when I bug him, he gives it right back. Wil has such an upbeat personality, and a lot of the time when I ask him how he’s doing, his answer is “I’m so hyper right now.” Wil? Hyper? Go figure :)

One of the things that I love most about Cody is his ability to hold a conversation with anyone, about anything, at any time. He has the greatest stories ever, and though most of them have to do with his horrible luck, they always leave your abs sore from laughing. Though this could also be due to hearing his laugh. Cody can make anyone feel comfortable, and he always makes me think of home.

Cody has the mind of a child, but in a good way. I love that he is into superheros and of course, Transformers. It makes him who he is. I never get to see Cody. Maybe once every few months. But I think that he does this on purpose, so that when I do see him, it’s like a Christmas day surprise and I get super excited. 

Cody is also very good at taking care of people. Anytime I talk to him, he is always doing something for someone else…mowing his grandpa’s lawn, picking up Paigey, or fixing someone’s car. He promised me when we were young that if I wasn’t married by 30, he would take me as his wife. I love that provider mentality he has.

Today is Cody’s birthday, and even though he’ll probably end up on the side of the road with a flat tire, running late to work cause he was picking up someone’s shift, while having to take the biggest poop ever (haha, I had to…it’s Cody), I hope that for one day heaven opens up and shines just a little big of grace on that very unlucky man…he deserves it :)

My favorite cousin that goes to AU :)

Megan little has this amazing sense of humor, just like everyone else in her family. She’s hilarious. But you have to listen closely, because if you don’t, you might not catch it. 

Megan is very good at holding her tongue. I’m sure there are times when she could make a judgement or state her opinion about someone or something, but she has this incredible gift to keep it to herself. I’m pretty sure she lives but the “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” motto. It’s pretty cool. I’m jealous.

Megan is one of those people who is nice to have as a friend, not only because she is fun, but because you know that you can count on her. One day when I first arrived at AU, I was wondering around during lunch looking for someplace to sit in the crowded Marketplace. Which was silly, because I didn’t know anyone. I was about to give up and sit with strangers, when I ran into Megan. She must have known from my face. “Do you need someone to sit with?” and just like that, she made my day.

Happy Birthday Cuz! :)