My dear friend

I have been very blessed in my life with some wonderful friends, especially since we moved to Calgary 6 years ago. So I thought I'd share a little bit about one of my friends, Alanna. We've known each other for about 3 years, I think. We work together, actually, she got me the AMAZING job I told you about in the last post. She is such an amazing person. My life has changed because of this girl. She is so much fun. I can be a pretty serious person. I struggle with being optimistic and grateful for things in my life. I'm pretty good at being a pessimist. Since I started working with Alanna though, I am starting to see the world in a different light. I laugh A LOT more than I used to. I have FUN at work, so much fun some days that I kinda feel bad, like it's not okay to laugh that much at work or something. She gets me to do things I would never, ever do on my own.

This photo was taken on Wednesday. Our small group from our church was having a potluck. The couple hosting the potluck sent out an invitation and *jokingly* said we had to dress formal. So Alanna asks me if I want to dress up with her. Seriously, I would NEVER have done this on my own. I'm way too concerned about what others think and fitting in, etc., etc. But Alanna loves to have a good time and joke around and stuff so she convinced me to dress up with her. She wore her high school grad dress and I wore my bridesmaid dress from my sister's wedding. It was AWESOME! We made people laugh really hard and it was actually quite fun to get dressed up. I think I can count on one hand how many times a year I get dressed up like that! (btw, the black velvet cape is mine. My grandma made capes for me and my sister for my sister's wedding a few years ago. She got married on December 21st so we wore the capes to keep warm!)
Alanna is really good at her job. She is a guide for the company I work for. I was lucky enough to go on some trips with her this summer and I was seriously in awe at the talent this girl has and how she is EXACTLY where she should be - doing what she loves and is SO good at. I admire her for that. She is so good with people. She is generous and funny and kind. She has a big heart and cares deeply about others. She is confident and beautiful. She is creative (this girl makes INCREDIBLE jewelry). She inspires me. LOVE this girl!