A Fun Post About People In My Life

I have decided that before I leave this beautiful place, when occasion dictates, I will do posts on the people in my life. A few days ago, my friend Laurie emailed me and told me to listen to "Blankets in the Grass" by Balance Problems. I had never heard of it. She knew I would like the banjo and the piano in it. She also told me about the group Nickel Creek a while ago that I love, because I have a soft spot for bluegrass. Check them out on itunes. I really like when she does this. She will now get a post....

Laurie and I probably met 22 years ago at Girls State in Southern Utah (our junior year of high school). It was a leadership conference for girls and we were both our school's representative. That's what she says anyway. She remembers everything. Me, not so much. 15 years later, our paths crossed again in Bountiful. Every one of my kids has been or is currently good friends with her kids. Joe and Spencer were best friends in junior high and I still want to hug Joe every time I see him. He's a good one. Maddie and Annie, the 2nd children, girls after the firstborn sons, are pretty much the same person. Both the 2nd mothers, responsible, soft spoken, smart and solid girls. They are a year apart, so they didn't have the chance to be close friends. Ali and Mary are the 3rd child, 2nd daughters and the dramatic ones. They have their ups and downs together, but only because they are both so full of life and it's hard to coordinate and sync their up and down schedules so they're up at the same time :) Sydney and Emma have never been in a class together, or even gone to the same school much of the time, but have somehow seemed to stay connected and have fun together.

I remember when I first started getting to know Laurie, thinking how alike our life styles were. Not our lifestyles, but our life styles. We are very similar. We parent very much the same way, we are both socially involved in a lot of stuff, and loners at the same time. She'll laugh when she reads that, because she'll know how true that is. We are both the same age, short, love dance and theatre, both worked with the young women at church at the same time, both love music, both have homes that can be crazy and a tad chaotic, but only because we love a lot of people and like action. We both have husbands who are doers--going going going. We even have scarily similar decorating styles and likes. We both love being very involved in our kids' lives and try at the same time to separate ourselves from their choices without going crazy.

The only place we differ a bit is that Laurie is super effortlessly beautiful. She honestly is one of the most naturally pretty people I know. I'll insert a picture here so you can agree with me.

I know, right?

Laurie is married to Nate. Nate is one of my favorite men I know. He is this gentle giant and by giant I mean 5'7" giant. He is calm, compassionate, meek and yet is a total leader. This year, their son Joe is Student Body President at the high school (another gentle giant). Nate, quietly goes to EVERY SINGLE ACTIVITY at that school and I mean every one. He takes his camera and not only takes pictures of every kid that goes to that school, but then he goes home and tags them all on facebook so they can have great pictures of themselves at these events. No one asked him to do this. The other cool thing about quiet Nate is that he is a music library. He literally has more songs on his laptop than anyone I know. He has everything. He loves 80s music and loves making CDs for people. We have been the beneficiaries of a Halloween Mix, 2 Christmas mixes, roadtrip mixes and finally a mix for baby Kate. He DJs at many a youth dance as well. I love that he can be as spiritual and serious minded as he is, and then know every cool song.

Nate works for the church humanitarian department. I assume that he pretty much runs the place. He goes to Haiti, Africa, goes to where the tsunamis are, the droughts are, the earthquakes are. He will be the one leading the people through the streets calming them and giving them supplies when the big earthquake hits Salt Lake. How lucky was his ward when he was bishop?!

I love Laurie and Nate. They are what I call REAL people. No pretenses, although they totally could be way proud at how awesome they are and the heritage they come from. They would give you the shirt off their backs if you needed it. I haven't needed that, but I have needed their GPS system in California once, some hospital pajamas, apricots off their tree, water purification cups, and many other things! I love their kids. Really, every one of them, even the two who don't match up with my kids, Miss Lucy ballerina and little Jeffrey naked boy.

So there they are. My friends the Leishmans. Who is next???