Bright and Earl-y: "Best friend isn't a person, it's a tier" -Mindy Kaling

I was watching an episode of The Mindy Project a while back where Mindy Kaling so prophetically states, "Best friend isn't a person, it's a tier." I remember thinking, Yes! That is so true! After all of these years, why I haven't I come up with that?

In elementary school, you could only have one best friend. In fact, I remember two of my friends at the time breaking out into a fight on the playground over who was my "best friend." I was pretty popular I guess ;) Strangely enough, I'm still best friends with one of the girls today, so I guess she proved the other girl wrong!

As I've gotten older and have met new friends at different stages in life, I've realized that I consider multiple people my best friend. In the past couple of months, I've had three of my best friends (who happened to all be bridesmaids in my wedding) come to visit me in Arizona.

My best friend Katie (who happened to be the girl on the playground fighting over me...although I'm not sure she remembers that) came to visit last month and my best friends Karissa and Annette both came this month. I love them all for different reasons and loved spending time with each of them :)

Karissa's visit (Jan 15-18, 2016)
Karissa Bell (formerly Gardner ;) ) and I go way back, although we weren't instant friends. We laugh about it now, but we each thought the other was a brat and didn't like each other when we first met. Our older siblings had been friends growing up, but it took our friend Maddie Wilson (Jacobson) to really bring us together. I'm not exactly sure when the switch flipped and we became friends, but once we both realized we had misjudged the other, we became pretty inseparable.

After most of our good LDS friends moved away, Karissa and I really relied on each other. We spent countless summer days together, slept over each others houses constantly, hung out with the new crowds of APX guys each summer, attended EFY together, roomed together at BYU (although not in the same room. We both have pretty different standards of what "clean" is, but we love each other anyway! haha), and were both in the other's wedding.

After hearing about my miscarriage, Karissa booked a ticket to fly out from Colorado, where she and her husband live and go to medical school. It was a quick weekend, but we got in lots of shopping, pedicures, eating out and catching up. It was just what the doctor ordered!

Pedicures! (photos from 1.16.16)

Annette's visit (Jan 30-Feb 3, 2016)
Annette Paré (formerly Johnson ;) ) and I met in Helaman Halls at BYU. We roomed together that next year in a quaint apartment called Squire Condos. I knew she was a good friend when she offered to take the bottom bunk, but I'm pretty sure it was for my own safety. Sometimes I sit up in bed really fast when I'm supposed to be fast asleep. Don't ask...

Our roommate relationship can be summed up in this SNL clip...

SNL Roomies-Taylor Swift

Annette and her 2-year-old Eleanor came for a weekend visit. Owen and Eleanor got a whole lot of playing time in and Annette and I accomplished a whole lot of catching up!

Eleanor and Owen on a walk and feeding the ducks! 1.31.16