three of a kind

this weekend i'm headed up tp chicago for a wedding...eric and meghan will be married on saturday!

god has brought amazing people into my life throughout the years. and i am so thankful for each and every person, but this post is about three guys in particular. i had several close friends in high school...eric, ryan, and john were three of them. twenty years ago i became friends with ryan in junior high church youth group. and five years later, my sophmore year in high school, i met eric and john at a senior high church lock-in. ryan had convinced his two friends to come for the free pizza and basketball. i had no idea, at the time, what an impact these three guys would have on my life. but god knew how much i needed positive male influence and relationship...due to the craziness in my home. as much as a girl could be, they welcomed me in as one of the guys, teaching me so many important lessons...

the art of belching...loud and proud
(for this and the next on the list...now all of you who have lived with me, know who to blame!!!!)
the power and variety in farting
how to do donuts in the snowy church parking lot
how to dance badly and not care what others think
how to shoot really bad music videos (our girls' video rocked!)
the skill of nighttime institute pranks and initiation
the card shark nature of euchre
an introduction to the beastie boys...and then as their musical taste became more refined...the prayer chain, sunny day real estate, radiohead, elliott smith, deathcab for cutie, the shins...
and many more important life lessons

in all seriousness, though they might not have known it, they really did teach me important lessons...
ryan taught me about leadership, faithfulness, and compassion.
eric taught me about humility, modesty, and sincerity.
john taught me about creativity, passion, and expression.

i am thankful for these three guys and all of the many people who have influenced me over the years.

two of these great guys have already found the amazing women they will spend the rest of their lives with...lori and janet. and now i have the honor of being present on the day when the last commits his life to the one god has given him. i am truly blessed.