Friends: Courtney Lee

I met Courtney while working as a camp counselor for Provo City, during the summer of 2007.

Courtney makes me laugh! She always has a funny story to tell, either about something crazy that happened to her, or about something embarrassing or awkward that someone did, or jokes about herself... and I'm usually crying with laughter by the end. I don't know if it's her facial expressions while telling the stories, or if it's simply the mental image of her (in my mind's eye, she's always tiny and panicked!) overcoming the obstacles of awkward people that life has thrown up in front of her, but she is the perfect comedic storm.

She is fiercely loyal to Derek (her hubby), and it reminds me to be better to Reed. No excuses. Derek and Courtney have such a great relationship, and I know Courtney's constant faithfulness to him contributes to that relationship. I find it all the more impressive because she didn't have that example from her father (no disrespect intended). Courtney is a person who has looked at her life, decided what she wants to become, made he commitments, and seen those decisions through to the end. I admire those qualities beyond words, and I like to think that maybe some of it will rub off on me.

Father's Day

There is a lot I could say about what a wonderful dad Reed is, but I thought I'd post a picture that seems to say it better:

Last night, Cal grabbed Reed by his hands and took him over to the guitar and actually placed Reed's hands on the strings. When Reed picked up the guitar, Cal let out this crazy little squeal of joy and started stomping his legs as fast as he could. Reed started playing, and Cal climbed up onto the couch next to him and danced in his diaper!

Man, that kid loves his daddy! And so do I!

Friends (Part I)

I'm not a very easy person to be friends with.

That is not false modesty. I have good intentions, but I am flaky and very forgetful. I don't have an agenda with my friendships, but I am also thoughtless and oblivious. And since Cal is now part of the package, half the time, when I leave somewhere, I feel like I've just laid waste to a person's entire sense of inner piece. In short, I demand a large amount of forgiveness, patience, accommodation, and charity from my friends. And I feel constant gratitude toward each of them.

I think I'd like to initiate a "Friends" series on my blog. I've seen others do it, and was very impressed by the various posts I've seen. It'll take me awhile, I know, because I'd like to document several different kinds of friends: old and new, distant, family, brief relationships and very lasting... all of them. And in no particular order. Everyone is important.

I think about people more than they would expect. Without realizing it, I find my thoughts have wandered to someone from college, or a joke someone told me who I haven't spoken with in years (literally). And I smile and think of that person. It's an interesting phenomenon, at least to me.

So yes, I think this post will begin my "Friends" series.