30til30: day 10, kandice

i have 30 days until i celebrate my 30th year of life. i thought i would share with you 30 people, events and situations that have shaped my life and who i want to be. it has been very challenging to come up with 30…i hope it inspires you as it has me.

this part of the list is in a specific order.

day 10: kandice

when michael and i lived in lafayette after we were married, i started spending time with kandice. she and bryan were married just five months after us and they were also involved in a collegiate ministry post-graduation. when i moved to lafayette to be near michael, i had to make all new friends. kandice was my first “peer” friend – not a student, not an older woman…right at my exact stage of life.

for some reason, i struggled with a lot of insecurity when michael and i first started to be friends with bryan and kandice. probably because i hadn’t had a true girlfriend in months, i struggled to not compare myself to her. kandice is beautiful and funny and a hoot to be around. she thinks deeply, asks tough questions and desires to walk closely with the Lord. i just wasn’t sure i could be as cool as she is.

but, as we became friends, i learned that it’s okay to be me. i don’t have to be just like kandice to be her friend. i have learned tons about contentment as i’ve grown closer to kandice.

she has been a dear sister to me as we’ve walked through several life-changes.

when michael and i were trying to decide whether to go to seminary or become full-time staff with our college ministry, bryan and kandice were contemplating going on ministry staff as well. we had actually decided it was something the four of us should do together…and then God directed us toward dallas. i was heartbroken to leave our friends.

though we live far apart, kandice has been a great friend over the last four years. we make it a priority to spend time together whenever michael and i are in indiana. she cheered me on as i entered motherhood and now i get to do the same for her…and it’s fun to be pregnant at the same time!

kandice has challenged, encouraged me and greatly spurred me on over the years – in leadership, as a wife, in my relationship with Christ. michael and i both have been given wonderful friends, but we only have a handful of best friends together – you know, couple friends we are both close to. we are blessed and honored to count bryan and kandice among those few.