my ex-neighbor-turned-bffl totoro

Surprise!

It has been exactly 3 years since I came to the realization that my freshman year neighbor Totoro (aka the wonderful, beautiful, mega-watt blessing Qstine Li) was an amazing person who loves me and helps me to become a better person everyday (you know, in addition to Jesus and all.)

As an eager beaver 18-year-old, I wrote the following:

I am pretty excited about our King of Prussia trip on Saturday. It's going to be freakin' amazing. And I am pretty excited about the next four years to come (plus more.) They're going to be freakin' amazing. And I am pretty excited about our growth as friends, as hall/roommates, as people, as sisters in Christ. We're going to be freakin' amazing.

Flash forward to the present. This upcoming Saturday, we will be going to servants meeting and celebrating a fellow 2012 sister's birthday. The next four years from today are rather uncertain for both of us, but we're trusting that God will lead us exactly where we need to be (but hopefully less than 3 hours driving distance from one another). Our growth as friends, as hall/roommates (which sadly ended after our sophomore year), as people, as sisters in Christ has been anything but easy, but oh-so-full of grace and love nevertheless.

When I look back at the last three years, I am suddenly flooded with a ton of memories and emotions that are so overwhelming that I feel my eyes prickling with moisture (ahemisupposetheyaretears) and I feel a lump in my throat that thankfully does not keep me from typing properly, though I'm sure it would keep me from speaking properly in person. Yes, we've shared many meals and prayers and Meyerson study/"study" times and Penn Chamber rehearsals and short walks from point A to point B. We have gushed over the cuteness of our family groups, laughed uncontrollably over silly things, fawned over Brooke Fraser's absolute girl-crush-worthiness, taken a ton of photos, and "liked" one too many things on Facebook. But we've also disagreed on a handful of things, failed to understand one another and reach out to one another, and gotten too tired or too busy to truly care.

You see, at the end of the day, we are two broken people who believe in a perfect Savior who came to put the pieces back together. Apart from Him, this friendship is nothing too extraordinary. Has it been 20+ years since we've been best friends? No. Have we been forced to maintain a friendship from opposite sides of the globe? No. Has either one of us had to take a bullet for the other? No. (Though I think we would if we had to...? :P) But there is something untouchably amazing about this bond — and it's because Christ is at the center. Aaaaand I guess we still got some of that A-town swag.

So, what to say, Miss Chipmunk? I am so very thankful that you are in my life, and I can't wait to see how God continues to grow us individually and collectively, as super coolio counterparts, for the next few decades until we see Him face to face and THEN we can really have the most epic dance party where we don't have to eventually stop to finish homework or sleep. I ♥ you :)