Shannon. When I first met Shannon, she was a Senior in High School and I was a freshman in college. It was my first year counseling camps and I was at, what would become one of my favorite camps EVER, Bethel Camp. I remember the moment like it was yesterday. Now Shannon will tell you that this is not true, but I swear, she HATED me when we first met :0) I realize now that this was more my insecurities than reality, but at the time, it was reality to me. You see, while I have many friends in my life, one thing that people LOVE to do to show their love for me is to tease me. And I do make it easy. I mean Im 4'11''...so insert short jokes here, and Im insanely adorable, so of course people have things they LOVE about me. This particular day was in the middle of July. I am a very fair-skinned red head. In high school, my friend Drew used to call me Wednesday, not because I loved that day of the week folks, no, because my skin, especially in the middle of the summer resembled that of Wednesday Addams from the Addams family. I had come to grips with the fact that my skin was never going to be tan and I learned to deal with it :) and now that I think about it, Shannon is a fair skinned red head too. ANYWAY....This particular day, a boy named Tyler, who was also a Senior, was with his group of friends, Shannon being one of them, and all the sudden he started calling me Casper and the whole group began to laugh. I was used to be teased, but as I said, it was my first year counseling and while I was used to my guy friends from college teasing me, I just assumed that this whole group of people hated me and was going to laugh at me for the rest of the week. Because Shannon was in the group, she was guilty by association :)
Later that Summer, in fact that August, Shannon came to Vennard College. We would end up being neighbors at school, well okay, so there was one poor girl who lived in between our rooms, but we lived on the same hall way. I remember the day she came moving in, I saw her she said Hi as she had remembered me from camp and all the sudden I realized she didnt hate me at all. Her mom was there with her too and it was as if I knew we were going to be friends :) Shannon and I did become very close!
As I said before, the poor girl that had to live in between our rooms, well I felt very bad for her. Because Shannon and I are both night owls, and I cant forget to mention Jilly Bean at this point too :) Jill was my neighbor on the other side. The 3 of us girls LOVED to stay up late laughing, talking, and being super loud :)
I cant tell you ALL of our secrets, but we had some GREAT times at Vennard and in that hallway.
There was the time that the guys played a HUGE prank on us. Suffice it say, it dealt with a phone, a ladder, alot of sneaky hiding and many times of them hitting our dorm room windows, us screaming and thinking it was a ghost and even a time of prayer later when we convinced ourselves it was a demon. We can laugh about it now, but at the time, we were freaked out. In fact, that night, everyone stayed in my little room. On the couch, my bed, and my floor :) it is a night that we will never forget. Our many nights of giggles and laughter to the point of poor Lavonne, the girl who lived in between us, coming out of her room begging us to be quiet so she could sleep. Several games with the phone ;) but thats ALL I can say about that one. oh the memories!!!
Shannon didnt live in the dorm for a long time. She met the man of her dreams and they got married. I remember being one of the first people to know when they started dating, when they got engaged, and feeling the excitement of having someone who wanted me to be the first to know :) THAT is one of the perks of being a bestfriend!! I even got to be a bridesmaid in Shannons wedding. The first time I had ever been a bridesmaid and I LOVED it!!!
But even after she moved out, she was still my bestfriend, we just didn't get to have as many late nights. :( BUT...when there was drama in the dorm, my bff had a house that I could go to get away from it all :0) Shannon quickly became my sister, not just my bestfriend. I got to experience going home with her on a few occasions. Little tiny Moville, the people there parked in the middle of the street, I couldnt get over it, but I loved being there with her. When I met her mom, she took me right in, her mom cared for me just as much as my own mom cared for me. I remember nights when we would sit up til 3 am just talking. Shannon, Deb, and Me. I LOVED those nights.
But as with any relationship, it had its hard times too. I still remember my "dark year" at Vennard College. I got mixed up with someone I shouldnt of, and I wanted to impress him, he was cute, he gave me attention, and that was the end of it. I didnt do anything HORRIBLE, smoked a few times, nothing big, BUT it was big enough to upset my friends because they knew I was not living up to the person they knew I was. Shannon and I had a HUGE fight about it one day, so big that we were yelling at each other in public, it was bad, BUT it was a life changing moment for me, when I finally realized she was yelling at me because she cared.
Shannon was also the first person I ever had the courage to tell about my moms depression. Shannon never judged her or me because of it. In fact, she was the first person who fully understood what I was feeling and WHY I was feeling it. Shannon was a person I could confide in and I shared more with her than I have ever shared with anyone before in my life. Yes, this, was another privilege that best friends have :)
Shannon and I have been able to be there through the tough times. I still remember the day Shannon called me, I was the first person after her family that she called to tell me that SHE WAS PREGNANT!!! I was going to be an auntie :) Shannon was so excited. She came over to my apartment a few weeks later and we were talking about how fun this was going to be. I also remember the devastating call a few weeks after that, from the Pella Hospital, it was Deb, Shannons mom, calling to tell me that she had lost the babies, you see, there were 2 babies in there, we didnt even know that yet! Shannon had lost both of the babies, and she almost lost her own life! I couldnt believe it, I didnt know what to say, but I hopped in the car and traveled to 20 miles to Pella. I cried on the way there. I prayed, and I didnt know what to do or say, but I knew I needed to be there for my sister. That is when I learned another lesson as a bestfriend, its not about the words that you say, its just the fact that you care enough to stand beside your friend, listen when they need it, talk when they need it, laugh or cry with them, just BE THERE! God blessed Shannon later on with a miracle in Gabriel William Hora and then, just 10 months ago, with Thaddaeus Allan Hora. They are 2 of the most beautiful boys you will ever meet! and they are the best nephews, EVER!! I LOVE being their auntie and I even have the privilege of being Gabes teacher right now too :) Yes, another perk of being a bestfriend, no a sister to Shannon :0)
Shannon would also be there for me during MANY hard times, and is still there for me to this day, in fact, just tonight, we talked for over an hour about some very tough stuff that we are both going through! Shannon has been there through everything that we have gone through with my mom, just to listen sometimes, sometimes to share amazing advice, just, as I said before to be there by my side.
Shannon and I are alot alike. She is the first person in my life to understand anxiety and even walk through it with me. We are both older sisters and are VERY protective of our little brothers. We both love people and want to help them as much as we can. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us, but whats great about having each other, is that, before we do something stupid in our emotions, we call each other, vent about it, maybe even go a little crazy with each other, and then, we are able to cool down and calm down and think through it. :) It is not uncommon for us to spend HOURS talking on the phone :) Especially if we begin talking about something that we are passionate about!
I have SO MANY memories with this AMAZING woman! But what I want you to know about her is that she is beautiful! She is amazing and incredibly strong! Whatever comes her way, she although it may be tough for her, she always ends up holding on to God even tighter. She has taught me how to do that too! She has taught me that God is always God, no matter what we face in life. God NEVER CHANGES and neither should our identity in him!
Shannon, THANK YOU for being such a huge part of my life! You truly are one of the best parts of it! I love you Shannon, my bestfriend, my sister, :) I cant wait for the things God still has in store for our friendship as life continues on!!
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