Guys, meet my best friend Elizabeth. She turns 24 today and she is the most fun person I know! She consistently encourages and inspires me. She’s challenging, like she won’t just let you get complacent or lazy, and she loves people boldly and outrageously. What better way to show how much I love my BFF than a blog post?

I’m not exaggerating when I say she’s the most fun. I seriously never know what is going to happen when I hang out with Elizabeth. There’s the time that we were doing something as mundane as filling up her gas tank…but Elizabeth turned it into a game where she just kept driving, not knowing if we would run out of gas, until we found the cheapest price. Or when she randomly decided to take up barking as a habit and fooled dog lovers (and haters) everywhere by barking in places that dogs should not be. Or the fact that we planned an 80s laser tag outing INSTEAD of our junior prom…and of course, Eliz was heading up the ridiculousness that evening. Or when she decided to be a manager for the swim team in high school JUST because I said she wouldn’t do it….and then stuck with it for two years. She’s always making up stories, asking weird questions, and turning every opportunity into a dance party. And you know…that time that we played in the fountain to get some practice portraits…not caring that there was an entire BUS full of little children arriving to use said fountain.

So not only do I laugh so hard I can’t breathe around her. But she’s inspiring and giving. The way she lives her life for Jesus is so bold. She loves giving her time to anyone who wants to know more about God. She’s a great listener. She always encourages me and reminds me of the truth when I’m feeling discouraged. She doesn’t let me wallow, but instead reminds me to pray and to believe and to not doubt. She’s humble, and always admits when her pride is getting in the way of the Gospel.

I have had the privilege of just getting to live life with this unreal and beautiful person. We’ve gone through incredible hardships together and been there together as God redeemed them. We’ve seen our own lives changed and made new by Jesus. He has held us together even though we’re living in separate states. I am unbelievably blessed to have her in my life. I could never say enough good things about her and I love her dearly for constantly pushing me towards Christ, forgiving my sin, and sharing her life with me.

Happy Birthday Elizabeth! You turn that year older!

ps: elizabeth always let’s me take practice portraits of her. just another reason she is my favorite friend.