Betsy Bloggin' Y'all!

I'd like to dedicate this blog to my dear friend Betsy. She's taught me so much about life that without her, who knows what kind of mess I'd be. Let's look at the many examples of ways she's added to my life.

Kittehs
I'd been around a few cats in my life as a child and always found them okay. I was bitten by one as a kid (for good reason I'm sure) and ever since I just stayed away from them. My grandmother Ziggy had one while I was a teen and she hid every time I came over, so I never really even saw her! I'm told she was beautiful and quite a snuggler though. Anyway it wasn't until college when I finally reached my true appreciation for felines. Betsy and her roomate Amanda purchased a set of kittens from the same litter and named them Cho Chang, and Charles.

Cho is the darker baby, Char is the golden baby. The closer I got to Betsy the closer I got to the boys, and soon enough I was obsessed. I would sleep over at Betsy and Amanda's and wake up with one of them snuggled up to me in the middle of the night purring away. I had always been a dog person, but thanks to Cho-Cho and Chuck, I had made room in my heart for kittehs as well. I also thank Betsy for the line I've used (literally) hundreds of times about cats. Without fail, whenever I tell a group of people I like cats, someone will say "Oh I hate cats". That's when I quickly add, "You don't hate cats. You just don't prefer them". So true! People expect them to act like dogs, but they're not dogs.  As a matter of fact they're an entirely different species! Whaddya know?!
A few years later when I moved home, I asked my parents for a dog (we have a family dog at my parents' house named Matti who I love very much, but she is really their dog. I wanted something to love me unconditionaly the way Matti loved my parents). The day of my birthday came around and there was a box with the words "Not A Dog" on it - a sure sign that this in fact was a dog. I grabbed the box, and it was a solid 10 lbs if not heavier, so I had to assume it wasn't the Cairn Terrier puppy I had been asking for. I set the box on my lap and opened the lid, and this what was inside...

This handed me not only a huge shock, but a great laugh as well. Her name was Angel, and she was rescued from The Open Door Animal Sanctuary in central Missouri (a great place to donate to if you're ever interested! http://www.odas.com/). I renamed her Mia, and we quickly became inseperable. This has been the greatest gift anyone has ever given me! If it weren't for Betsy, Amanda and their two "broders", I wouldn't have my gorgeous burrito Mia. She may pee all over my new condo and she might get hair balls every now and again, but nobody said love was easy!

Lactaid
Though I hate to admit it, I always need it. She's always got it and ain't afraid to use it.

  

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My fickle lactose intolerance and severe addiction to dairy thank you...

Google Reader
Betsy had been suggesting to me for months that I look into this mysterious gizmo that will show you the updates from all of your favorite websites in one place. "Too good to be true" I thought to myself. And then one magical Saturday morning, I gave it a whirl. She suggested some of her favorite sites for me to subscribe to, and I've been hooked ever since. My favorites range from Hyperbole and a Half to Smart Pretty and Awkward and my most recent favorite, fetch dixon which has given me these gems that I like to share with you all:

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Without Google Reader, I wouldn't have several of the ideas that I've used for my condo! I wouldn't have known about special promotions from some of my favorite stores! And (most importantly) I wouldn't have any other blogs to steal anything from (and give credit to) to put on Life's Circles!

Perspective

Those of you who know me know that I can be, at times, somewhat sensitive. One of the most important lessons that Betsy has taught me is to understand that I can't control what other people are going to do or think. Many people have tried, but I think she's the only person who has succeeded in this monumental task. In college I would get myself into situations that I couldn't get of still smelling like roses. I had always wanted everyone to love me, and everyone to take my side on things. But over time (with Betsy's help) I was able to come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to be my best friend. Not everyone is going to agree with everything I do.



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But if I have a solid group of friends and a supportive family who backs me no matter what, that's really all that's important. She also has a very intuitive way of giving me her honest to God opinion without being harsh or too critical. She shares this quality with my sister and I am so lucky to have two people like this in my life. Sometimes it catches me off guard, but at the end of the day, I realize they're only doing me a favor, and usually saving me from myself!

There's tons more, like white wine, Twitter how-tos, and some seriously sweet dance moves... but I fear further Betsy blogging would lead her to believe that I'm in love with her (and further convince my father that I'm a "hamasexual")

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So for now, Betsy, please just look at this as a giant THANK YOU for being such an amazing friend, and for being so full of knowledge and for having kittehs.



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How about you? Have you taken time to tell your best friend how much they mean to you? You don't even have to do it via blog! Just pick up the phone, email, text them to tell them how much you appreciate them. You'll be glad you did!