day 9: 10 people who have influenced me

warning::  this could get a bit long-winded and i may break this into two days!

1. lindsey jo - this girl is my rock!  my best friend since elementary school, we won't talk about specific grades, because someone didn't invite me to a party or two so i like to give her a hard time, i kid, i kid.  lindsey is so solid in her faith, never turned her back on God, always stood firm on who she was and didn't care and doesn't care what others think of her stance/beliefs/views.  i was the polar opposite when we went off to college and wanted all to like me and wanted nothing more than to fit in, but lindsey would just pray for me and read everything she could get her little hands on to me in our college dorm, haha.  we are definitely more like sisters, fighting lots at times, but now i have such a deep respect and love for her.  i don't know where i would be without her.  i look up to her, even though she is 9 months younger than me and probably 5 inches shorter than me, haha.  she is one of the most spiritually wise people i know.  i know that God blesses us and puts spirtually wise council in our lives for a reason, and without a doubt she is one of those people.  i love that she knows me well enough to know how to responsd/react to my craziness/insanity and still loves me just the same!  lindsey jo is the definition of a best friend and i don't know what i would without her.  love her more than she will probably ever know.

2. crystal elizabeth - i'll stick with the middle name thing!  crystal has been my best friend for the longest.  we have been friends since the sandbox in kindergarden.  crystal has influenced my life in many different ways, but mostly because she is very loyal, and also the definition of a best friend.  it doesn't matter what i do, what decision i make, i know that she is going to be there for me... she will be there to celebrate with me, to wipe my tears, or to work through whatever mess i have gotten myself into.  i also love that we may not see each other once a week or everyday like we once did, but when we do, we just pick right back up.  most of the time, we don't need an agenda, we just enjoy catching up and i love that.  when i am around her, i just have this overwhelming since of comfort and know that i accepted for me, and you can't find that just anywhere! i love her so much, and tell her and lindsey often that they are both more like sisters to me.

3. my grandmother - she is talked about quite often on here, if you haven't gathered what an impact she made on my life, go back and flip through just a few posts and you will see.  this woman helped mold and shape me into the woman i am today.  i am so much like her, it is not even funny.  i am getting to my mother's influence, but we all joke about how i am so different than my mother, but without my grandmother having my mother, there would be no me.  my grandmother was a worrier (check, i got that gene), she was so caring (i consider myself caring), she loved to shop (she passed that right on to me and skipped my mother, haha), she loved to be around people (not an introvert here), she loved working (me too), and wanted to do for others (she always cooked pintos and cornbread anytime she knew i was coming her way) - i did not get this cooking thing she had going on, haha.  i can only hope/wish to be half of wife/mother/grandmother she was one day.  i am telling you, if you didn't meet her, i am sorry.  she was simply AMAZING:)

4. my mother - well, i wouldn't be here without her, so has greatly influenced the woman i am from the time i was a newborn til now nearly 30 years later:)  my mom is very set in her ways, has a routine for every day of her life, but she is a great mom.  she raised my sister and me to be great women of God, to always put God first, to work hard for everything in life, and she gave me my dramatic side to life, the little bit of my adventurous side i have, and made me quite sassy and opinionated:)  ever since my grandmother passed away, she has stepped into the role of being like the glue that holds our family together.  she takes care of my grandfather, her father, with such compassion... i know she has passed this on to me, and i hope that one day i will take care of my parents in this same loving way.   my mother is also very spiritually wise, and i love that i can call her when i have a question regarding something i am studying.  she loves to read and unfortunately she didn't pass this to kendall or me, haha.  my mother overcame a lot in her life and God used her story to become a pillar in the church, a woman of great faith, a loving Christian mom, and she really is quite entertaining/funny:)  i am so blessed to have her as my mother!

5. kasey dawn - i met kasey when i moved to charlotte, and there is no doubt that God knew what he was doing!  kasey is my best friend from charlotte, and she is about to move to dallas.  i am pretty sure, i am somewhat in denial about the big move/transition that is about to occur, but i am SO happy for her.  she is pursuing what God has called her to do.  kasey has influenced my life a lot in the last few years.  she is the friend that isn't afraid to say the things that you need to hear, she loves you so much that she says these things; this is something that i truly admire/love about her.  also, there isn't a time when she doesn't back it up with scripture.  her support, love, encouragement, and friendship has been such a blessing in my life and words cannot really say how miss i will miss her.  kasey is always there for me, we hang out a lot and most of the time don't need a plan, we just meet up for dinner, run to target, grab a movie, whatever, and i will miss her so much, but as i said before, am so excited for her and the next chapter in her life.  i can't wait to visit her in dallas:)

i'll post the other five tomorrow:)