My friend, Lucy, is my best buddy overseas. We are kindrid spirits and never run out of things to talk about.

Dude, it was like... I mean... you know... it was... I don't know... we always have, you know...   fun together.

My first of probably many nights spent at Karaoke.

I hang out with these ladies who live in the Buddhist temple and they are so sweet. I look forward to seeing them every time I go to their town.

I hung out with my "little buddy" when she came up to Iowa to see me off before I left the country. Renee is a wonderful, life-long friend, and you gotta appreciate great friends like her.

I love playing cards. Here are some of my fiercest competitors. Our game of choice is Nerts.

It is so hard to get up early to go running, but I've been able to do it when I have a friend waiting on me. And I never realized how MUCH I can talk while running, until Steph and I started running together. She is a dear friend and I've have lots of great memories with her.

A couple of my friends and I went out for a night on the town - consisting of pizza and a trip to Wal-mart!

My ski buddy, Dustin Engle, and I at the end of our week in Breckenridge.


I had an amazing time catching up with many great friends at my 10 year high school reunion. Pictured here is Jolynn Kelsey and Sarah Kook.

After sharing a vacation in Mexico this past summer, I have developed a real friendship with my cousin Rachel. It has been great to get to know her as she is growing up.


Renee and I drove down to the Wichita Mountains in southern Oklahoma on a Saturday to hike up Mt.Scott.

I was able to spend some time with my former roomate and fellow ex-Continental. Here is Sarah (Knaak) Sells and I at Starbucks.

My parents came down to Oklahoma to visit recently.
No one can bring a party to life like my mom.

I found a Nintendo 64 on Ebay for a great deal, so I decided to revisit some old-school games such as Mario Kart and James Bond 007.  Gabe, Emily, and Renee came over to help me break them in.

My best friend, Renee, came all the way to Asia to visit me.

My friend, CK, always has the right words at the right time. She has wisdom beyond her years and perspective to spare.
In short; she is a great friend!

None of us will ever forget going to the Hard Rock Cafe for C's birthday - as he stood on his chair, holding up his birthday dessert like the olympic torch. So hilarious!

Here I am with my new sisters in a small town in Asia. We had an unforgettable and life changing day together.

Although I am a total sucker for any sort of fun activity going on at any random moment, I also have a side that loves nothing more than a moment of honest conversation when a friend will let down their walls and we can just be really open. I had one of these moments the other night and it allowed me to get to know some cool things about an amazing friend of mine. Thanks Heather. That is a great memory for me!

Carrie and I spent the last several months developing the songs she has written over the years. Here we are at our debut concert, sharing the final versions of the songs with our friends.

Here is my ladies JOY class at our "good bye" pot luck.

What would I do without my best friend, Renee, to join me in all my most important moments in life? She loves my family so much, and is always happy to make the 12 hour drive up to Iowa with me whenever I need to go.  Here she is at my "graduation party", May, 2007.

My best friend from college, Stacia, married my brother's best friend, Andy. What an unforgettable wedding!

Thanksgiving dinner with the Besse family. Dustin is one of the highlights of my ski trip each year in Colorado. I was finally able to spend some time with the rest of his family!

My dear friends, the Bredviks, took me to Mount Yale to climb my first 14'er. This is our climbing group at the summit.

I had a great time this summer vacationing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, with several friends and family members.

We gather together each year in Breckenridge, CO, for great snow skiing and a retreat of fellowship.

I went whitewater rafting in Nebraska with the M.C. group on our 2005 tour. I even got to guide the boat through the rapids several times - and we survived!

I was able to spend a few days with my long-time friend, Sheri McQueen, while I was on tour in Los Angeles.