98 Days and a Little About High School

 

Hi friends! There are 98 days left until I get to marry my best friend! What a blessing it has been to spend almost six years of my life with the man who is my everything. I want to dive a little deeper today and explain how we met. In 2017, I was a junior in high school and he was a senior in high school. I was in a pretty toxic relationship at the time. I also did not have a ton of friends in high school. It was not always that way though. I entered high school with a multitude of friends. I had sleepovers like all the other girls and I went on shopping trips with my best friends too. However, when it got to be junior year, all my friends had dissipated. I had some stupid falling outs and I had some big falling outs that crushed me. No one seemed to want to stick around through my hard times. Then I found Sam. I was sitting in the women's bathroom eating my lunch because I didn't have friends to sit with in the lunchroom. If you didn't have anyone to sit with, the lunchroom was a room that caused anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem. So, as I sat in the bathroom, an acquaintance of mine walked in. She was very curious as to why I was in the bathroom eating. So, she invited me to sit at her table. I walked up to the table and that's when I saw him. We met eyes and he immediately extended a hand and said: "HI I'M SAM"! Later I found out we actually had an environmental science class together. We were the best of friends, and still are! He saw how much I was struggling in my current relationship and was determined to help me get out of that situation. On October 29th, 2017, we went to a trunk or treat at my home church. We dressed up as fun and happy hippies and decorated our trunk as such. Ever since that day, he became my friend when I had none. He became my shoulder to cry on when I had no one to turn to. He became my sense of joy and freedom when I needed it most. He never left my side even when that would have been the easiest option. We have grown so much together, and have been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows together. I want to speak a word of encouragement as well. When you find your partner, everything changes. When all things seem to go wrong (which recently it has seemed that way), there is still one MAIN thing that is going right--your relationship with your partner. Also, for those of you who feel like you don't have a ton of friends right now...I have been there. I have lived it. And it sucks. But, if you keep being yourself, you will automatically attract the people who are meant to be in your life for the long run. I am incredibly blessed with amazing friends who are now my everything. They check on me, we have dinner, we pray for each other, and we have girls' nights in. If you feel like you don't have a friend, reach out to me. I will happily be your friend, check in on you, and make you feel important. Friends keep us strong and they keep us feeling like we matter. Everyone needs and deserves a friend. I am truly blessed that I get to marry my best friend, be a best friend to others, love the people who seem to need a friend the most, and I have the privilege of having God as my best friend too. Just know that you are not alone. 

With all my love,

Your Friend Lauren