Matt and I met in seminary. I can't remember the exact said meeting, but my first significant memory of him was my second birthday in KY. Some friends and I had decided to go see the Indigo Girls, one of my favorite girl bands of all time, at UK. At the last minute, one of the girls had to back out. Did I mention that this was an all-girls outing? Somehow Matt got wind that we had an extra ticket and jumped at the chance to go! During the concert, I look over and Matt is on his feet, hands in the air, eyes closed, full-out swaying to the melodic tunes of the Indigo Girls. It was at this moment that I knew we would be friends for life! A few months later, he and I teamed up to throw a going-away party for our good friends, Becca and Toby. It's on this date that we declare our Friendiversary, July 4th. Since that particular day, Matt and I have been a constant part of each other's lives. We've laughed together, we've cried together, we've sang Amy Grant together...oh wait, I would never. I've listened to him sing Amy Grant (loudly) as we've driven with the windows down through our favorite KY roads. We've created our own language (name yet to be determined). If you hear it, you would think we're ridiculous, but we find it amusing. My favorite thing about Matt is his ability to process. This comes out best in his writing. I mentioned his blog at the beginning of Lent. He recently moved to Nashville to pursue his passion of writing. I have no doubt we'll see great things from him. I think seminary was formative for both of us in becoming who God was truly calling us to be. The road was not easy but we did it together and for that I am thankful. Happy Birthday, Matty....I love you!

**The above photo was taken at my 29th birthday party. We call it our "geriatric prom" photo:)