A Birthday Tribute to My Jeni

I love Jeni! That's how I've greeted my Jeni since sometime freshman year, and it continues to be the most accurate way to describe my reaction to seeing this dear friend of mine. My little heart just swells with happiness every time I see her lovely face.
Here are just a few of the reasons I love my Jeni, in honor of the beginning of her 24th year of life (as in it's her 23rd birthday).
1. She is one of the very few people who has made me laugh so hard that I almost peed my pants.
2. She is the my only female friend who's taller than me and thus I have no qualms about the running leap hug (except for the time I did it not knowing that her back was messed up).
3. She is one of the most beautiful women I know, truly a unique and wonderfully crafted woman.
4. She is unfailingly generous, even when she's broke and out of time.
5. She loves, and shows it.
6. She is a sister in Christ, and a faithful companion in the journey we're both on.

Not only do I love Jeni, I admire and respect her for many reasons, among them being:
1. She just moved across the world with only her husband and the dream of becoming a large animal veterinarian. I've done a lot of travelling, but I don't know that I'm brave enough to do that.
2. She works her hiney off, but doesn't let her school work own her.
3. She loves her husband and friends very much.
4. She loves the Lord, and doesn't put up a front about her spiritual life. She's honest about her joys and struggles.
5. Her interests and expertise are broad (unlike mine). I don't know many people who could be equally successful as a poet or a research scientist, a medieval literature savant or a castrator.

Finally, a few favorite memories of me and my Jeni:
1. Telling life stories in s-group.
2. Driving to LA and going to the Ren Fair in San Bernardino.
3. Jamba.
4. Family dinner nights, especially blindfolded night and pirate night.
5. Staying up all night at our s-group slumber parties.
6. Her wedding (of course), and the preceding festivities.
7. eating our way across NYC last February after her Glasgow interview.
8. Hanging out in Spokane in April and July, and realizing that we don't have to do anything special or make big plans because we are family and just being in the same place is special enough.

For all this and more, I love Jeni, yes I do, I love Jeni, how 'bout you?