After the Disney Princess Half Marathon

Prompt: Write about the person who made the biggest impact on you.

Oh, to pick only one…. I have been blessed to have some incredible people in my life.

I’m going to have to go with my first Sarah though. She has been there through everything. The good, the bad, literally everything.

College, my first dating experiences, football, opening my first business, getting married, having kids, rocky relationships, getting divorced, health issues, going back to college, finding my career path. And she has had an impact on all of it.

We met playing intramural football in college. And we were GOOD. Our team was very competitive and if you weren’t there to play hard, you didn’t play at all. And that was Sarah. I fell in love with her zest for life and her commitment to do and be the very best. I remember nights when we would be in Arkansas until 3 or 4 in the morning and still get up for an 8:00 class because it was just assumed that you did the right thing, all the time.

When we met, I wore big sweats and “wife-beater” tanks most of the time. My hair was in a ponytail and makeup was pretty much non-existent in my world. She taught me the value of taking care of myself and helped me learn how to dress professionally and confidently.

She taught me to talk to people. It doesn’t come naturally to me. She showed me how to break the ice and start conversations. She taught me the importance of listening. She taught me to stay active in a conversation and really value the insight that people bring to life.

She was the first person I can recall who took an interest in WHY I was the way I was, and worked to help me change things.

She was there when I got married. She warned me that it didn’t seem right, but supported me anyway. She was there for me when Jaymin was born, even though she had her own messes at that moment. When I needed a place to stay, she let me live with her (for months). When I went back to Justin, she showed me some tough love and cut me off, because she couldn’t bear to see me hurt myself. But when I ended up in the hospital, she was right there, coaching me, encouraging me to stay away, letting me know she believed in me.

She helped me get back into college to pursue the career I really wanted. Then she pushed me through college when I was struggling with “doing it all.” She inspired me to run my first half marathon, then ran by my side to make sure I finished. She has encouraged me, listened to me cry, and been a rock when the storms of life tried to devour me.

Having someone like that in your corner doesn’t happen very often, and I am so incredibly grateful for the 16 years that we have been friends. It’s been quite the journey and I am looking forward to a lot more years of laughter and friendship.