Happy Galentines Day!

If you think the above title contains a typo, oh dear poor soul let me educate you:

Haven't you heard? The future is female.

Since I can't be in a dozen places at once to celebrate with all my Galentines today, below are a few things I love about some of the ladies in my life and what I've learned from them.

Friendship goals

Emily 

#tbt bffae with @emilyhgibson through ridiculous dance team costumes, on and off camera. 😆

A photo posted by Jenny King (@jkitsmejenny) on Dec 24, 2015 at 10:49am PST

Who can say they never fought even once with their freshman year roommate? Or that they're still bffs with their bff from 5th grade? In fact in middle school we determined that "bff" was not strong enough for this friendship, so instead coined the term "bffae" meaning "best friend forever and ever" as our one and only descriptor. Emily is my definition of loyalty. Plus, I'm sure she has extremely embarrassing footage of me somewhere. (That she would never release publicly because again- LOYALTY.)

Casen

Wonderful trip to visit the Austin bff. 💚💛 #texas #home #austin @casenita

A photo posted by Jenny King (@jkitsmejenny) on Aug 28, 2014 at 12:24pm PDT

Casen fits one of my favorite Shakespeare quotes - "though she be but little, she is fierce" - to a tee. Her determination to chase after dreams despite obstacle after obstacle is ridiculously inspiring. She will also sing show tunes with me at any time (very important in a friendship...with me).

JoJo

#NYE in #NYC with a BFF 🎀

A photo posted by Jenny King (@jkitsmejenny) on Dec 31, 2015 at 5:35pm PST

How did it take us over 25 years to find each other? JoJo has shown me more grace and love than I'll ever be able to repay. Leslie's many compliments to Ann in Parks and Rec work well for our friendship (you are a beautiful tropical fish, JoJo) but the most applicable might be- "Ann [JoJo], you are such a good friend, you're a beautiful, talented, brilliant, powerful musk-ox. Thank you, ox." Thank you, JoJo.

Katie

When looking for pope-mobiles, always bring a friend. #vaticancity #travel #roma

A photo posted by Jenny King (@jkitsmejenny) on Jun 3, 2015 at 2:22pm PDT

I'll never forget calling Katie up and saying something to the effect of, "my cat died and I'm going to Rome tomorrow." Her automatic response of "yes, I'm in" is the metaphor for our friendship. She's always game, always up for the challenge, ready to help. She's such a healer.

Victoria

@bayloraxo sisters cheering on our bears! #sicem #cottonbowl #axo

A photo posted by Jenny King (@jkitsmejenny) on Jan 1, 2015 at 1:11pm PST

Victoria and I bonded on our first night as new members in Alpha Chi Omega and never looked back. We were constantly mistaken for each other at Baylor and can I just say, it's a relief to be mistaken for a great person. I'm lucky enough to still have a strong bond with a group of sorority sisters and Victoria is one I can always call with a question or prayer or if I just need a general reality check. 

Karen

Catch up with my work bff and the littlest Becker! #latergram #sicem #gofrogs 💚💛💜

A photo posted by Jenny King (@jkitsmejenny) on Dec 24, 2014 at 12:55pm PST

Leaving GFAA for grad school was one of the hardest things I've done and not continuing to work with Karen was a big part of that. I learned a ridiculous amount of things from her and have so much respect for her, it doesn't even phase me that she's a TCU fan (just kidding mostly, Karen). I became a better teacher and person because of this one.

Those are just a few of the many, many gals that have impacted my life in wonderful ways. Women are amazing and I believe the more often women recognize and celebrate the amazingness of other women, the better the world will be. 

To galentines the world over,

How to Finish Your First Year of Grad School

1. Have your amazing roommate and friends throw a lovely birthday surprise day for you.

2. Put on a kick-awesome 4th of July party to show your European classmates how Americans celebrate freedom.

3. Perform your end of year show (which just happens to be an all-female Shakespeare comedy that you play accordion in) at the Cockpit in the heart of London.

4. Somehow say goodbye for the summer to these amazing, beautiful, talented, lovely people you get to call peers.

My first few days back in Texas have been extra sweet, but (as you can see from above) I was well-prepared for this homecoming. 

To summer and London and East 15 and Texas,

2013

It seems a little silly to do a "2013 Wrap-up" kind of post, but I'm not sure why. It's very stereotypical, but as I sit in Starbucks typing on my Mac in my leggings, Ugg boots, and sorority fleece, that aspect isn't bothering me for some reason.

Yes, I know George Clooney is judging that previous sentence.

Maybe it's the fact that my entire year has felt like a wrap-up?

The process of (secretly) auditioning for grad school, getting in, actually saying yes to that adventure, keeping the secret for months, finally telling everyone, packing up my classroom, promising students I would send them postcards, moving out of my first adult apartment, driving away from DFW, leaving my family and Texas, starting a new chapter, falling head over heels for London, performing at the Globe, finishing my first term, getting emotional over saying goodbye to my classmates and new city for just a few weeks, coming home, seeing how much my nieces have grown, reconnecting with old friends, spending time with my whole family....it's all felt like conclusion after conclusion. A little epilogue that began in early January and snowballed down the hill to fill up the rest of my 2013.

There are lots of big obvious 2013 moments I'll never forget. The thing is- y'all know all those. There's blog post after blog post devoted to them. For some reason, when bringing up these experiences now I imagine my tens upon tens of loyal readers to be slightly...over it.

The thing is, there are smaller moments too- just as important as any of those big ones. In fact, sometimes the little things stick with you in more tangible ways. And no, I haven't written whole blog posts over them. Here are a few of those little 2013 moments and what they meant to me:

Potential

     I'm not big on selfies (no really, go check my instagram - we're talking less than five total) but as I was riding the tube Wednesday morning, January 23rd to audition at East 15, this picture needed to be taken. 

Bittersweet

     One of my coworkers snapped this picture right after the school was told that I was leaving. It was an end-of-school pep rally of sorts and afterwards two of my absolute favorite students came up to me with tears streaming down their faces. These were two fourth grade girls who were a part of my audition-based girls dance team. Missing their final fifth grade year was a heavy burden on my heart. I could barely say "I love you" before they both hugged me for half a minute. It ended with smiles and reassurance, but my goodness it felt like someone was literally pulling on my heartstrings.

Joy

     As soon as I snapped the pic of my two nieces the day Chandler was born, it automatically reminded me of this one of Clay and I. Trouble was, no one else could remember it. I was determined to be proved not-crazy, so I went digging through the OVER TWENTY photo albums buried in our den cabinets. As soon as I found the picture, I couldn't wipe the grin off of my face. These two pictures paired next to each other will never not make me smile.

Gospel-centered community

     My DFW church The Village uses this concept of "gospel-centered" heavily in its mission statement. Never ever have I experienced such a Christ-centered, healthy relationships as I have with the people I met there. This was taken the morning after Jody and I spent the night at Hannah's- the last time we would see each other before I left for London. It's another bittersweet moment of course, but mostly when I look at it now I see the magnitude of grace and faithfulness these two have shown me in just a few short years.

Faithfulness

     JoJo and I had plans to make a Christmas card to mail to all our friends and family around the world, but time and money got in the way, so instead we just put the pictures up for all our Facebook friends to enjoy. The blessings of both having this girl as a flatmate and the ability to even take Christmas pictures on the Millennium Bridge before rehearsal at the Globe perfectly encapsulate God's faithfulness for me this year. 

Love

     Let's be honest, my parents would have preferred me not to move to London. Their single daughter moving overseas was not high on their "Wants of 2013" list. But they love me. A lot. So my mom traveled to London three times during the year with me during the whole process. (This is us at the top of the Shard in July.) The sacrifice and care my parents have shown me throughout my life and this year continually amazes me. Without their support, getting where I am today would be near impossible.

Okay, enough of a look back. Here's to looking forward- new year, here we come!

To 2014!