Today is my friend Erika’s birthday. I would love to tell you a little bit about her.

She is a beauty. A thinker. A worker. A love. A true friend and a wonder!

She is a person of true depth and goodness.

I still remember the first time I saw her. This is so wrong of me but I judged her hard core. She was so beautiful and confident  I thought, “Oh, she looks too good to be true. I doubt we’ll be friends.”

How lame was I?

And how wrong was I!

Actually, I was right about one thing – she kind of is too good to be true. I guess when I saw how beautiful she was, how stylish and put together – I figured that was who she was and what she cared about. Now, I will be the first to tell you that this woman can do fashion. She is put together and she is a hot tamale – but she is sooooooooo, soooooooooo, sooooooooo much more than her very beautiful exterior!

I think that as I got over my own stupid insecurities I could see that behind her flawless beauty was a heart that loved God – truly and completely. She cared about and loved and wanted the same things that I did. To be true to the covenants she’d made with God. To create a home where the Spirit could be. To be a devoted wife and mother.

One of the things I love and admire most about Erika is her commitment to live the gospel with her whole heart. She is so committed to doing what is right, no matter the cost and no matter the consequence. Oh, how I love and admire her for her integrity and her desire to do what is right.

When we met I was brand newly married and she was still single. She was one of the few people in the singles ward who would be my friend. Once I was married I became invisible to most of the members in the ward. It was kind of odd. But Erika, bless her heart, reached out to me in love – and because of her confidence and goodness we became fast friends.

We spent many, many hours talking over our goals and our hearts’ desires. More than once she wondered out loud if she would ever get married…Little did I know how many MORE hours we would spend talking over these matters of the heart as our friendship carried on.

Her time in London, when we met, became a moral crossroads for her. She learned a lot and had to make some very hard decisions. It was the beginning of a pattern for our relationship. I would stand back in awe, on the side lines, shouting out encouragement, as she was put to the test (and by test, I mean the test of life) and watched in admiration as SHE PASSED with FLYING COLORS!

Oh, if I had the time to tell you the epic story of how she met and married her wonderful, wonderful husband, Travis. Never, ever have I seen a couple be put through so much to earn the blessing of being married. On their wedding day I sat in the temple and wept as I watched the two of them. This much I can tell you, this is a powerful, wonderful couple. I love them. I actually crave them sometimes. They are so DARLING together – such a dynamic team. I wish we could be next door neighbors. I really, really do!

Erika has tons and tons of energy. Even when she is tired it seems like she could light an entire city with her energy. She is determined and hard working. She is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to get the job done. She is also really, really funny! We have shared some serious laughs.

Speaking of laughs – one of the things I love most about Erika is her ability to laugh at her mistakes. She is a wonderful ability to analyze a given situation, and herself in that situation – see it clearly and also see how to go forward. And when it is funny – she laughs about it. Isn’t that cool?!

One of my favorite memories of her is when we were running around London with a frozen turkey and a bunch of potatoes in her carry on suitcase.  THAT WAS NUTS! And so stinkin’ funny! The end result was awesome when we hosted Thanksgiving for about 20 people, thankyouverymuch. But getting that bird around London was NOT easy!

She is PASSIONATE! Deeply, deeply passionate. If there is something that matters to her…SHE CARES! She really, really cares.

She has many, many talents and skills – but the one I would like to mention right now is that she can parallel park an Escalade as though it were a Mini Cooper. And that ain’t small fries, my friends! That is skillz! With a “z”!

The other thing I love and appreciate about Erika is that she is a talker! (And very articulate at that) Do you know what happens when one talker (me) is put together with another talker (Erika)? LOTS OF CONVO, people. We are talking serious conversation! When she and I were last together we talked so much that I think we were still talking as she drove away. Did I run after the car? I think Poor Travis finally had to roll the windows up to get us to STOP.

Erika comes off as being so poised and put together you could never imagine that she is a person who has known and overcome the kind of challenges that would wither and destroy the heart of a lesser person.  Everything about her says, “CHARMED”, but I tell you what – she is real. As real as they come. She has true grit, substance and power. Her greatest power is manifest in her ability to love.

It has been a thing of beauty to see her love poured out upon her son. Never have I known a more devoted mother. She delights in her little boy. DELIGHTS in his every gesture and accomplishment. One time we were talking on the phone and he sneezed in her face and she laughed and said to him, “One day that will be inappropriate, but right now I think that is the CUTEST thing ever!”

The love I have for Erika and the friendship that we share feels to me that it started many, many years before our initial meeting in London in 2006. I think we knew and loved each other LONG before. What do you think, E?

Happy, happy birthday – my dear and wonderful friend! How I love you!