Ode to Andrea

This is one of those posts that I don't want to do, but feel like I have to.  I don't want to do it because it will make me sad, but I want to do it because I want to remember all of the wonderful things my friend Andrea has meant to me.
  Andrea is one of my best friends in the whole world.  She is quite simply the nicest person ever.  Ever.  If I asked anyone in my ward who the nicest person is every single person would say Andrea.  She's just that nice.  And she moved this weekend. Which breaks my heart.
   Andrea would do anything, for anyone.  And I've seen it time and time again.  Yes, she'll tend your kids with no notice.  Yes, she'll bring you dinner.  Yes, you can use her car.  Yes, she'll do anything you need.  Once she bribed my kids, with promises of Krispy Kreme donunts, to go with her to run errands just so Derek and I wouldn't have to take our own kids to Tyler's tennis match.  We should be taking our own kids!  And who wants extra kids with them running errands?!  And enough to bribe them with donuts?!  See what I'm saying ...
   I have done a million things with Andrea over the last few years.  We have swapped kids millions of times - if one of us didn't have the other's kids at our house - there were plans to be together soon.
 I have worked out with her - running, spinning, swimming, classes at the gym (only Zumba once because we decided we were definitly not coordinated enough for that!). We served together in the Priamry Presidency. We went to Education Week together at BYU and had a blast.  We have done a million things together as friends. 
    We have supported our Ironman husbands together.  Which means we have gotten together while our husbands were out training.  We have gone to race after race together to watch them.  We have traveled to race after race for them.  Together, we have gone to St. George twice, a 10 day trip to St. George, Las Vegas, Disneyland, and San Diego, and the ultimate trip to Hawaii together.  One of my favorite memories of Hawaii was when we saw each other for the first time there.  Andrea went over 1 day before me, and we saw each other the day after I got there.  I was so excited to see her, and when we saw each other we hugged and hugged like we hadn't seen each other in years (and I'm sure it had been no more than 3 days!).  But that was a long time to not see Andrea, and I missed her.
   Then there's Derek and Brady - now those 2 are tight. They got into triathalons together and must have trained thousands of hours together. They did races and races together. They served in the Elders Quorum together.  They have the kind of relationship where one night Derek said to me, "I'm going to go over to Brady's and get a Creamie."  (They always had plenty of Creamies at their house!), and I said, "You can't.  They're out of town."  Derek simply responded, "I know their garage code ...."  And off he went, and got his creamie.  Now don't think the open house policy was one-sided.  Look what we came home to hanging in our garage:

Yeah, it's a deer head.  Hanging in our garage.  Still there too.  My kids thought it was the best thing ever.

This is me & Derek, Alison & Doug (the 3rd part of our tri-trio), and Andrea & Brady

 

 

 
   And then there's our kids.  Her daughter Brynlee and my Bailey are like Siamese twins.  They are always togeher - and if they're not together, they're asking to get together.  Every day the girls come home from the bus stop together.  Every day they ask if they can play.  Every day I call Andrea to see if it's ok.  We do this every day.  I am dreading next week when Brynlee doesn't walk in my front door.  I'm sad for Bailey - who will miss her best friend like crazy.

    Then there's our boys.  Logan has grown up with Andrea's two boys Nash and Ridge.  They are like the 3 Musketeers.  Going to "Nashie and Ridgie's house" is what Logan has done for almost all of his 5 years.
   But Brady got offered a job simply too good to turn down in Utah.  And they'll be lots closer to their families.  Of course they had to take it.  And I'm glad they did - because it's great for their family.  On the day Andrea called to tell me they were moving I told her, "What I want to do is tell you not to go, and cry and cry when you do go .... But what I will do is tend your kids, clean your house, and help you pack - because that's what you deserve, and that's what you'd do for me."
   I was thinking a few weeks ago about how much I adore Andrea, and how much I'm going to miss her and I thought of that song from "Wicked" that says, "Because I knew you, I have been changed for good" - and then I thought how fitting that was because a bunch of us went to Wicked together, and Andrea was there ... and then I remembered that Andrea and Brady did have tickets to Wicked to go with a bunch of us, but then Andrea's aunt wanted tickets too - and couldn't get her hands on any.  So Andrea gave up her and Brady's tickets to her aunt and her cousin.  So at Wicked, I sat next to Andrea's cousin.  And that sums up Andrea perfectly - the nicest person ever.  And because I knew her, I have been changed for good.