Happy Birthday CP!

I am so embarrassed at how late this is, so I am not even going to say when her birthday was, but I didn't want her to think that I forgot her completely.
There are not words that I can use to explain the impact that CP has had on my life. It all started when I moved to Seattle, from Reno NV, when I was 12 years old. I was the new girl and made a startling appearance with my frizzy red hair and big bangs. It was quite an impression, I'm sure. Courtney Pettit was the only other red head in the school and was well known for it. She was very cute and for some reason when I first saw her, I did not like her. She immediately had the same reaction, so we remained in different groups of friends and tried very hard to not associate with one another. The only precicament I seemed to face was that she was in my ward and was kind of the "queen bee." So, that pretty much sucked for me.
A few months later, I had a birthday party. My parents forced me to invite Courtney. Coincidentally, her parents forced her to go as well, so we then HAD to spend the evening together. That was the turning point for us. From then on, we were joined at the hip everywhere we went. Her Dad use to refer to us as "double trouble," and we were. We went through every stupid decision together. She was my partner in crime! Junior High was rough and after what seemed like an eternity, we finally made to high school! I was a cheerleader, while Court was a manager for the football team, so we spent many after school days watching practice and laughing at the silly boys we were dating.
CP and I have been through so much but have also learned so much about each other. Some of my favorite things about her are;
Courtney is incredibly ambitious. She is a "go getter." Laziness is the last word that I would use to describe Court. She is an incredibly talented writer and is hopefully, going into the field of journalism. She is currently the manager of a very classy tanning salon and has always been one to be promoted quickly. Court is full of awesome ideas and always has a plan for how to get there. She budgets money like no one I have ever seen and is always aware of her boundaries.
Courtney is selfless. When financial situations were tough, she figured out a way to make it down to Utah for my wedding, because she knew how much it meant to me. More importantly than physically going to places with me, she has always been there to calm me down when I have been crying on the other end of the phone. She sent flowers to my family when my grandfather passed away which, is something that I will never forget.
Court and I have always had this tradition that when one of us was having a really rough time, we would bring the other one a chocolate sundae! There were countless times, when I would be having a rough week and Court would show up at my door with a big smile across her face and a huge sundae in hand.
She's always done everything that she possibly can to be the BEST friend that she possibly could to me. When I was planning my wedding, she called so many times to offer any help or to just listen to me vent about everything that was stressing me out.
Courtney is Hilarious! We have an inside joke about the nickname "Miko." We were in a nail salon when we were 16 and we were getting ready to leave, when the candy bowl caught Court's eye. She looked both ways, as if she were crossing the street, and then snatched one faster than anything I have ever seen! It reminded me of the raccoon on Pocahontas, so the nickname stayed for a while. She has a way of just making me roll with laughter when I am least expecting it.
Courtney has a special gift as well. It is incredibly difficult to stay mad at her. She is such a genuine person and has a way of giving beautiful apologies, that make you forget why you were ever upset with her. It rarely happened, that I would ever be mad at her, but when it did it did not last long.
I am so grateful that Court has been in my life for so many years and that we have had the opportunity to experience so many things together. From being; Partners in crime, to walking arm in arm across the graduating stage and then to having her as a bridesmaid in my wedding. I hope that we have many more wonderful memories to come. I hope CP knows how much I love and appreciate her. She has been my best friend and I hope she always will be! I love you CP, happy late Birthday!