THE BEST.

Tonight was the Train concert. We were in the cheap seats. It was amazing. The cheap seats were actually an awkward second row side view. Cheap, not because of distance, but because of location. This was the view.

That included like, being able to see the set list. And talk to people. And BE ON THE SECOND ROW. But they were "cheap seats" because they were from the side and not the front. Side note: the roadies for Train are pretty cool people.

I am going to take a moment to inform you all about concert etiquette  Contrary to everything that you were ever taught in school, when you are at a rock concert you stand. And you scream. And you dance. And you sing. And it is amazing. However, the people behind us didn't seem to understand that. They sat there. Looking rather unamused. And very upset that my butt was in their way. Like I cared. Oh well. I'm over it. It wasn't a big deal. I was just shocked at the amount of people who refused to stand up. Or clap. Or be at all involved in the fact that they were at a concert. I mean, if I was on stage, and I looked out and saw those people, I would feel like I wasn't doing my job.

On a completely unrelated note, I GOT A DRUMSTICK. It was thrown in my general direction, and then it was on the floor, AND THEN IT WAS MINE. So yeah. My trophy.

YAY. And that was my night.


LOVE YOU ALL. SO MUCH. AND TRAIN. I LOVE YOU TOO. AH.

Yeah I'm that girl.

Yes I like editing papers. I know it's a bit strange. But I enjoy it. Kim walks in and goes "will you look at my paper?" and I smile like crazy and emphatically nod my head and say "Ohmygod YES!" And then we spend almost an hour working on her paper. Which is pretty good bt dubbs.

Also. I love reading all your blog posts. It makes me happy to know how well all y'all are doing.

I also love writing letters. There are several traveling the country in your direction as we speak. If you want one, let me know, and if I haven't already sent you one I will send you one. Oh, and small packages. That's a thing, too.

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND I MISS YOUR FACES.

But not as much now that they're all on my wall staring at me. You know how it is.

Lots of love!

Skylar

Sunday: Church

I love church. I really do. As much as I whine about being up early and having to sit and pay attention and all that, I really am going to miss it. Why? Because everyone in that church knows my name. Most of them know my story, and more than a few know my plans. They have always been genuinely interested in what I (and the other youth) are doing with there lives. Like this kid:

We sang a song in church yesterday. It was amazing. It's sad that you missed it. 

And then there's this one:

She's pretty. She's smart. She has more blonde moments than me. I love her a lot. 

And then there's this kid. (Robie) I love him a lot, too. Because he's ridiculous. 

And somehow I managed to not get a picture of Stacie on my phone anywhere which depresses me. 

And there's Tina. But you know what she looks like. 

I've been with them for various amounts of time. Some, like Daniel and Haley, I've known pretty much forever. I've only known Robie for a few months, but I love him just as much. 

I don't have a picture of Cole and George, but they're super adorable, and I love them, too. 

I'm going to miss my church family as much as I miss my actual family. But hey, I got an umbrella, so everything's cool. (It's an amazing umbrella. I love it so much.)

Lots of love, 

Skylar

P.S. I want to grow up and be Becky Jones. She's just that cool. 

"What's the point of having friends if they're only going to die?"

This existentialist question brought to you by.......(drumroll).....THE FANTABULOUS ARIEL BAILEY!!!!

Is fantabulous a word? Not sure. Whatever, it is now.

So I made the mistake of actually pondering this question this morning as I was not getting out of bed. I mean, yeah sure, we can always say, "Well humans are social animals, so without contact with others  we'll die." Yes, that's true. But have you ever tried to figure out why we have the friends we have?

I hadn't. So I did. This morning before I decided to actually get out of bed.

Some of my friends make me feel important, like I'm the center of the universe and my presence makes them infinitely happy. Yeah sure, intellectually I know that all of their friends get the same ecstatic reaction when they walk in the room, but it doesn't lessen the emotional response to someone else's joy at your existence.

Then I have friends who make me feel inadequate. But not in a "you aren't good enough to live" kind of way. In a "you have so much potential, why don't you use it?" kind of way. I'm fairly sure these people don't know it, but they're the ones that make me feel like I'm slacking off, and cheating the world by not being as awesome as I could be. So then I work harder to be awesomer. They make me study harder, be nicer, be healthier, and generally get things done.

Then I have the friends that don't let me get away with anything. These are probably the ones that annoy me the most, and therefore the ones that I need the most. When I say "Hey will you get that?" they say "no." Not something I hear as often as I should. These people are the reason that I'm not always a total lazy bum. Though most of the time I still am.

I have friends who know me better than me. They're the ones that say "Don't do that, you'll regret it." or "The red shoes. If you're gonna buy shoes, buy the ones you really want." They don't let me talk myself out of, or into, things that really aren't in my best interests.

I also have friends who are more enthusiastic about my successes then I am. It makes me feel worthwhile, and like I have truly achieved something, whether it's something like cleaning my room, or getting into college. They freak out and jump for joy and happy dance with me, even though they don't have to.

Then there are the friends that don't let on that they're judging me. I always feel like I can tell them anything, and if they have an opinion about it, they don't let on. They're like diaries, letting me talk to them without really commenting or reacting in a way that makes me feel inferior or trivial.

And there are the friends that always have fun, that put me in a good mood, that can always cheer me up, that give amazing hugs, that provide intelligent conversation, that don't make me think too much, and that dance to horrible music with me.

That's why I have friends. Even if they are going to die someday. So, Ariel Bailey, there is the answer to your question (though Maggie's answer was funnier). I have friends because, besides my evolutionary hard-wiring, I need them to survive and keep me sane.