My Two Most Dependable Friends

Kestin Page

It doesn't matter when I need this guy: he'll be there for me.  Although we hardly ever see each other now, he was probably my best, most truest friend in High School.  We have a lot in common.  One of my favorite things to do is just sit back in his car and listen to him while we drive around aimlessly, with his "old soul" music in the background.  Occasionally he'll call me out of the blue, and we'll update each other on what's going on (he usually has cooler stuff going on than I do) and talk about anthropology and literature.  I love this man.

This comic typifies the goings on in my relationship with Kestin.  The one asking the questions is Kestin, and the one following with the camera is me.  This is courtesy of XKCD comics.

If you want to read more about him, go here.

Megan Moulding

(Megan, I hope that you forgive my commandeering of your photo for my blog.  It's one of my favorites of you.)

I think of her like a sister.  I've known her for my entire life.  We can call each other up and ask if we want to get together to do something, and if one of us doesn't want to, we say so, and no one is offended.  My relationship with her is the most honest one that I've had in my life.  Despite the ridiculously small amount of time we actually hang out anymore (especially when I'm at home, considering we're next-door neighbors then), I never feel like I've fallen out of friendship with her.  Some of the most fun conversations I've had with her have been over Instant Messenger.  We have very similar personalities.  We never really talk about sad stuff that's going on in life, but I think that I attribute that to the personality type we are, which is more of an internalizing personality than an externalizing one.  When we do go off on rants, it's usually about the exact same thing, just different names involved.

While we're about the "reminds me of you" comics, I thought I'd take time to say that Calvin and Hobbes is the Megan comic.  There's some strips that make me laugh, because Calvin's saying things that I can picture Megan saying.

So, here's to you two, the best friends a girl could ask for.

I Have This Thing...

Lately my saying has been "I have this thing..." which is usually followed by the word where.

I have this thing where it isn't supposed to snow until at least Thanksgiving, if not the day after.  The weather should follow my commands, because I don't want to be thinking it's Christmas before Thanksgiving.

I have this thing where I don't like to drink any hot chocolate until January, and then I have this thing where it can only be peppermint hot chocolate with candy cane chunks in it.

I have this thing where I need a small tree that I can name Kestin for the holiday season, and even possibly after it.

I have this thing where I can't look him in the eye and talk to him at the same time, because my semantics are all weird, and I sound like a complete idiot.  For instance, I said this thing to him, "Well, my dad has to go early, but you can ride with us if you want, my aunt Brenda and my mom and me."  You can?  Who am I kidding?  I made it sound like he either could ride with us or go on his own.  Gee, thanks Chels.*

I have this thing where Frank Sinatra can only be listened to in the winter, or on rainy days.

I have this thing where he has to smell a certain way for me to feel like I am going to have to compete with a whole bunch of other girls for his attention.

I have this thing where I worry that if I look him in the eye for any period of time, he'll read my mind.

I have this thing where I have to go see the Christmas Village, but I can't go unless there's someone there to hold my hand, keep me warm, and enjoy it with me.

I have this thing where if I read Terry Pratchett, I think like Death.

There are countless more of these "I have this thing" sayings, but I think I'll stop here for the night.  It doesn't seem right for me to continue on, because some of the things that I think that start with that phrase are really strange, and I don't want you all to think that I'm insane and/or paranoid.

*I just tagged his name, because if he reads this he's going to remember that conversation and know it's him I'm talking about there anyway.

My Kestin

I wish he were straight (and LDS), because I'd date him if he were.  I've known Kestin since High School, when we used to skip class together to go out to eat and wander through Walmart, just to come back to the journalism room and have discussions about things such as why the letters z and u were unnecessary in the english alphabet.  We have different belief systems, yet he is one of my best friends.  We think almost exactly alike, and that makes it easy to find things we like to do together.

The last time I saw Kestin was over six months ago, so it was really nice to see him again.  He's got a nice apartment in Salt Lake City.  We went to eat at the Blue Lemon, and then proceeded to his favorite consignment shop in town.  It is fun to look at all the vintage stuff there.  After that, we went to the Nordstrom's Rack, and then decided we'd go window shopping some more in Lofgren's.  As he puts it, "Furniture porn on a rainy afternoon."  One of the coolest things we saw there was a lamp that looked like something Apple would produce.

We went looking at realty afterwards.  As we were looking at houses (yes, we have the same taste in furniture AND houses), he says, "I call this looking at realty porn."  Later, he said, "You know what I am?  I'm a creeper.  I drive through these neighborhoods looking for houses to steal."  Statements like those are why I love Kestin.  With the same tastes, I think that it would be awesome if we shared an apartment.  The only problem with that would be that people would frown upon it.  I don't think anyone I know would approve.

Still, it was nice to see him again.  I hope we do something again soon.  I'd hate to have to wait another six months before I see him again.

Proposition 8 Overturning

As I listened to the news last night and heard that Proposition Eight in California had been overturned by a federal judge, I couldn't be angry.  Hearing the gay and lesbian celebrators shout, "separate church and state," it reminded me that no matter what happens, the church can discriminate against who they allow in the temples to be married.  Even if gay marriage rights are finally allowed in america, it won't force the LDS church allow gay marriages to be performed in our temples.

My mother was furious about the news, and I looked at her and said, "There's nothing within the constitution that defines gay marriage as legal or illegal, and making it illegal does, in fact, deny those people rights.  Under the first amendment our church is protected from legal attacks when we don't allow gays to be married in our temples.  I don't condone the practice of gay and lesbian relations, but I'm not going to condemn those people."  It calmed her right down.

One of my best friends is gay, and he was at that celebration last night.  I saw him on the news.  It hurt to know that he doesn't communicate with me as much anymore because I am LDS.  He thinks that I'll start to rag on his beliefs, I think, when in reality, all I want is for him to know that I respect his decision based on his beliefs, even if I don't condone it, and I want him to respect my beliefs in turn.

I think we forget sometimes that our church practices Christianity, which means we accept others and hope they come unto Christ.  We shouldn't be judging people, and should be, in fact, doing what our church leaders asked, that we "act in a spirit of mutual respect and civility."  I think that both sides are guilty of overlooking that statement, which was said many times before when the vote for Prop 8 was going on.  If we, as LDS christians, would show respect, love, and civility towards our brothers and sisters who are gay/lesbian, we would, I believe, in turn receive that.