A tribute to my best friend...

Hello everyone,

Today's post is more than just about sharing a recent layout I completed. Perhaps the fact that my daughter's  upcoming 4th birthday has triggered some nostalgia and has prompted me to take stock of my life and those around me. At any rate, I began thinking about people I value and cherish outside of my family members. The person who immediately came to mind is my best friend Josephine (or affectionately known to me as Jo), to whom this particular blog post is dedicated.

Jo and I have been best friends for 18 yrs. I miss her terribly. She moved to upstate New York late 2001 with her then boyfriend (and now husband) who got out of the service. She has been my rock for as long as I can remember; being there during life's triumphs as well as personal catastrophes and of course, everything else in between. A true best friend, she knows me better than I know myself at times! Our friendship transcends distance and time - no matter how long we go w/out talking we ALWAYS pick up where we left off. And when we have our little tiffs (let's face it, 18 yrs of friendship we will get under each other's skin from time to time!), we are able to work through it and come out strong - solidifying our connection more than ever. She has been the one friend in my lifetime who has managed to never judge me-even if she knew I was making tremendous mistakes. She allowed me to make those mistakes (which ultimately have had a role in shaping me and allowing me to be where I am now), and picked up the pieces along the way when needed - forever encouraging, always loving, and most of all enduring support. I love her with all my heart and cherish her beyond measure!

I recently created this layout of a picture of us taken in Lake George, NY in June 2009 when we got our families together for a family vacation getaway. We were able to get some beautiful shots of Lake George and the surrounding area, which I will share in later posts.

(I apologize for how dark the photo is showing up!)

Here's a close up of the two little birdies sitting on the branch:

I used the KI Memories Friendship line for this layout. The birds are just so dang cute!!! I love it! Its a little difficult to tell but some of the embellishments are popped up with dimensional adhesive, including these beloved little birdies! When I saw this line at my local Joann's I immediately thought of this picture. The colors tie in to the beautiful background of our location. (We were fortunate to be able to have neighboring cabins for both our families not a 100 yards away from the lake and our own private beach on the lake!) To further tie in the matching papers, I outlined them using my Signo Uniball Roller pen in white - an absolute STAPLE in my arsenal of scrapping supplies. I also added some bling to the title b/c the letters looked too washed out.

Who are some of the people outside of your family that you appreciate? What about them makes them so special? How do they enrich your life and do they know how special they are to you? I challenge you to examine these very important people in your life and tell them just how much they mean to you. They may already know it, but it never hurts to remind them and I assure you they are just as grateful for you too!

Thank you so much for for visiting today :) I hope you have a wonderful week!

xoxo,

Karen