besties

i took a bunch of pictures of pops the other day.  i swear i did.  and in my head i have written an entire post about her.

google did not agree with my post.

technology failed me and refused to import my pictures that support the "in my head written" post.  it made me crazy.  i spent several hours trying to figure it out.  there was another way- but it wasn't the fastest easiest way and it drove me insane that i couldn't figure out technology and master the best avenue for sharing the photos!  (that sentence is all sorts of grammatically incorrect, but i don't care.  it demonstrates my frustration.)

moving on.

when technology DID import photos from phone, this is the one that kept resurfacing: 

literally.  it duplicated itself about 4000 times.  grr.

except.  i can't really feel grr about it.

these are my besties.

they are my "go to" gals.

and nobody can feel "grrr" about their besties.  i mean...  of course there are moments...  but those moments are shadowed by ALL THE OTHER MOMENTS.  these are the girls that "show up" for me.  they watch my girls (or ask their sitters to), they listen to my moaning about this or that, they run with me, they play with me, they engage in projects with me, they shop with me, they loan me stuff, they tolerate my weaknesses and they love me "in spite of" (or at least they pretend to and i am none the wiser).  these are my front line.

they are my girlies (aside from the other three you are tired of hearing about...  e,d, and p).

and of  course, there is always a story.

the story:

i was a-ok with leaving chicago.  but for one component...  my besties.  i could leave a city.  i could leave a house.  i could leave a career.  i could leave just about anything for the sake of following Jesus and seeking adventure...

but my besties?

woah.  that was a hard one.

this picture represents them.  it is missing many (kara, leslie, lindsay, holly, steph, meg, lakita...  and the list goes on), but it does depict the core group of girls that made my life in chicago(proper) rich.

the snap was taken at my going away party- hosted by veronica.  veronica, knowing me well, hosted the best of the best going away par-tays EVER!  i swear....  it was filled with amaze-ball peeps, champagne, lemon meringue treats, creamy cheeses and was NOT a surprise.  she hit all the nails right on the head!

i have fond memories of that night!  it was difficult, for sure!  but it was filled with joy, laughter, fun and kind words from the most amazing people that i miss and think about to this day.

one thing sticks out in my mind from that night, greater than the rest of amazing things....  and it is this:

it wasn't a surprise (i hate surprises!  i really do!  i like to anticipate and plan and look forward to...).  i love that she knew that.  i cherish the fact that i had time to plan and prepare my mind for the evening.

because i planned, i went to hobby lobby and bought my girlies a crystal heart that holds a gem in the center and i tied it with silk sting.  i gave one to each girl pictured above.

and when i gave it to them i told them that i would hang it in my home and think of them and pray for them when i looked at it.

and when i passed them out to the girlies, my besties, brooke suggested a reciprocal agreement.

she suggested that we all do the same...  and that when they looked at their crystal hearts, wherever they were placed, that they might pray for me.

she suggested that they might pray for God to have favor on my new besties...  that He might bring women into my life that would fill me with an abundance of love and closeness.  that they would "know" me and be by my side.

if only brooke could have known!

(a snap from my desk...  can you find my crystal heart?)

and as one can expect, God, the maker of heaven and earth, follows through when we ask for things in His name!

He is good.  He is righteous.  He cares for us.  and He meets (and exceeds) our expectations.

my california besties rock.

i could tell you a story about each of them...  i could.  but it would never do justice to the place that each of them holds in my heart.

the best part of each of them, for me, is that i know they are a part of my life because of an answer to prayer.  they don't necessarily pray.  but a few girls from a few years back do and did...  and God heard those prayers.  and He responded.  and they are NOT in my life because of coincidence.  it is intentional and it is because i worship a God who said clearly to me...

"for i know the plans i have for you, tasha.  i have plans to prosper you and plans to give you the future that you hope for."  (jeremiah 29:11)

and that picture doesn't do full justice to the plans God had for me...  it's missing some girlies...  but it represents a God who is in the details and a God who answers prayers.  i don't know why this continues to leave me in awe...  but it always does.

the God who created the UNIVERSE cares about an itty bitty me.  He really, really does!!!