She is 23!

Happy birthday to my dearest, most wonderful, best friend Aubrey.  I just realized that I have not yet done a birthday post for this very important person in my life...so here's your first birthday post Aubrey (but it's definitely not the first post dedicated/totally all about you.  I just did a search.  You are at least mentioned in at least 41 of my posts. Wow.)

I sure got lucky meeting her at BYU. Mom always told me that the friends you make in college are the ones you will keep forever. Aubrey proved this true because, for me, she is that friend.

I am so very grateful for Aubrey.  There is no one like her.  Seriously, no one.  She gets me and I get her.  We met freshman year at BYU - we lived on the same floor.  I wish I could say it was an instant friendship and, don't get me wrong, we liked each other and we hung out here and there, but it wasn't until the end of the '07 basketball season that we entered each other's lives for forever.  We were roommates our sophomore and junior years and then neighbors our senior year.  We were only neighbors because she didn't sign the contract early enough.  Our whole ward was asking if we had had a fight or broken up.  We were always together.

Aubrey and I both got boyfriends around the same time and then went through the break up around the same time too.  She was just a few weeks ahead of me in both of these and I am so grateful that she knew exactly how I was feeling because she had just been there.  A little blessing.

Aubrey loves the students I work with.  You would be amazed at how many people are uncomfortable around students with severe disabilities.  The first time she came to visit the class that I aided in, I was worried.  I didn't want her to get dirty or feel weird with some of the behaviors the kids had.  She didn't notice any of that at all.  She got right in there with the thick of them, the slobbery, the stinky, the messy and all.  She sang with them.  She loved them.  She listened to my stories of all the stress, the fun times, and the love.

Aubrey has this amazing ability to entertain and make people laugh.  She is hilarious.  I wish she still had her blog.  It was phenomenal.  A good read that was so her.  Then she can dance.  Ohhh can she dance!  I remember getting ready for dance parties while we were roommates.  She always got ready to "Cyclone" by Baby Bash.  Every time I hear it I can see her at the sink, curling her hair, singing, and dancing.  She always told people she was half latin.  They believed her...But when I told people that I had family from Argentina, no one would believe me.  I never thought that was fair.  We both loved aerobic dance too.  We were a hoot to watch! Check this one and this one out for a good laugh.

Oh and did I mention that together we were the greatest BYU fans in the whole world.  We would do anything for football and then practically give our lives for basketball (we would camp out in snow just for front row seats!).  Doing those things alone just wouldn't have been any fun and in fact, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed my BYU life as much without her because I would never have done that alone.  I remember the first time we put up a tent outside of that Marriott.  Aubrey walked by and saw that there was a tent out.  I don't even remember what game it was for, but it was a few days before gameday.  She called me and sounded very urgent.  "Tati!  There is a tent at the Marriott!  We have to get one up NOW!"  That night we became the second tent and made friends with follow fans that we still do all things sports with.

Then in April of 2010, we graduated from BYU.  We both cried that day.  I think we were the only two sad to graduate.  We lived our life to the fullest at BYU.  We danced, we laughed, we cried, and we grew together.  We knew that our lives were changing and that we only had 2 months left together.

June 18th.  She left me for the world of New York where she is thriving and being influential in the lives of others.  Lucky them.  But lucky for me,  I have seen her a few times.  AND she is coming out here in a month!  I cannot wait.

Aubrey,  I couldn't have asked for a better friend.  You are everything I could have asked for plus some.  You are a light to so many and have been such an example to me.  I am excited for the next stages in our lives and knowing that while we might be almost as far as we could be from each other, you are still my best friend.  I wouldn't be who I am today without your influence.  So happy birthday!  Know that someone (a lot of someones) love you in Provo, and that I have the greatest birthday present for you - you just have to come out here to get it (and I am just not quite as good at sending things in the mail as you are!)

                         

                          

love love love you!

(These pictures are not in any order.  It took me an hour just to pick these ones, we seriously have 1,000's of pictures together.)