Lost and Found

In January 2003, when I was fresh off the mission, I made a very good friend here. Her name is Amber. I was very resistant to this friend at first and wouldn't even acknowledge her except to roll my eyes. I thought she was a prissy valley girl (sorry honey!). Then I was called as Enrichment Leader and she was called as Enrichment Teacher. I still didn't take the time to really get to know her, but I didn't think she was dumb anymore. I hung out with one of her roommates quite a bit and one night after going to get ice cream we decided to chill at their place and watch movies. Well, somehow Amber and I got into a conversation and we did not stop talking until the sun came up. She is truly an incredible girl. We were inseparable best friends from that moment on. Everyone thought we were sisters because we look and act similarly. She decided to serve a mission and got her call to Brazil and left for the MTC around the same time that I moved to Provo. Neither of us was good about keeping in touch and we basically lost each other. I've regretted this for four years!

I went to Institute tonight for the first time in a very long time. As I sat by a new friend and waited for the very large and crowded class to start, I saw Amber come in and sit down. I nearly jumped out of my seat and climbed over pews to get to her. But the class was starting so I sat quietly and decided to find her at the social afterwards. I looked high and low, but didn't see her and thought she must have left. Disappointed, I thought I'd try again next week. I spotted a few familiar faces and chatted with some new people when I spotted a 2nd cousin who I have not seen in months. As I was chatting with him, I spotted Amber again. Not wanting to be rude, I continued my conversation with my cousin. I saw her leave the room and was sure she was leaving, and again reassured myself that I could catch her next week. I bumped into a few more old friends and decided to leave. As I walked toward the door, there she was, chatting with someone. I walked up from the side and put my hand on her elbow. She turned and freaked out! She was so excited to see me. We were laughing and hugging and speaking in excited-girl-decibels and generally making a scene. It was great. I will not lose this one again!