my best friend is 27.

twenty-seven reasons i love you:

1. you are the most compassionate person i know - you would give all of your money away to homeless people if i'd let you
2. you are hospitable when i come to your house and i always feel very welcome
3. you wanted to go to africa before it was cool
4. you are self-aware. you realize things about yourself and if they need changing, you take the necessary steps to do so
5. you love your husband well
6. you love the rest of your family (both sides) well
7. you always try to see both sides of every story and help others to do so
8. you are fabulous at your job - being a counselor to high schoolers is ridiculously hard
9. you are encouraging (for example, when you found out i started exercising you sent me a subscription to Health magazine)
10. you do thoughtful things (like buy me a book full of coupons only good in new york city)
11. you know what is important to me and support it with everything you got (like REVO and merry everyday)
12. you are honest in a tactful way
13. you can read my thoughts and finish my sentences
14. you always have fun ideas (hey! let's walk to the gas station in our wedding clothes! and bring the guitar! and laugh!)
15. your sense of humor is so unique - you make me laugh at things that are probably only funny to us ("drive by fooding," by far, is the funniest thing you've ever said)
16. when you love a song, you play it repeatedly (i got five on it, anyone remember that song?)
17. you like to vacation at the beach the same way i do: great company, minimal talking, a cooler of bottled water, a good book, and some chairs underneath an umbrella
18. you danced to can't touch this the other night and it was hilarious
19. speaking of dancing, remember when you were on the dance team in college? yup, love you for that too.
20. you don't blindly accept me; instead, you encourage me to be who i should be
21. you are nice to people on the subway
22. you like things to match both color-wise and symmetrically
23. the other day you broke both of your shoes. who does that? you do. love it.
24. you like to read, and when we don't have CDs or an iPod in the car you will read aloud to me
25. you always have chapstick and hand sanitizer.
26. your life goal is to tell the world about Jesus
27. one time you said to me, "part of who i am is your best friend and i wouldn't be complete without that." i feel the exact same way.

happy birthday, bethany. i hope it's the best year of your life so far.