"Flakes Don't Do Friends" - by Heather

A well known saying among my immediate and extended family is "Flakes Don't Do Friends." Now chances are that if you're reading this, you are most likely the friend of one of us Flakes (or thought you were till you read this!) but please don't consider this a new way of friendship "break-up," it's not you, it's us...and we still want to be friends.

So what does "Flakes Don't Do Friends" mean, anyway? I think the logic goes something like this: there are so many kids in a typical "Flake" family, that we've already got more best friends (siblings) than we could have hoped for. (Is that why my parents had so many kids, so they wouldn't have to leave the comfort of their home and drive us to a friend's house on Friday nights? Well, it can't be proven, but I've got my suspicions...)

In any case, that saying is just a saying and never stuck. I love my siblings to death and they are my best friends and I look up to them in every way, but I wouldn't have made it to where I am and who I am today without my friends.

I wanted to dedicate this post to all the amazing things my friends have done for me over the years - things that I can never thank them enough for. Things that they have done that make me want to be a better person. So here's my short and completely incomplete list:

In college, I struggled to gain confidence in myself and my abilities, you built me up

When I became a mother and didn't have a clue…neither did you and that made me feel better

When I was having a crappy day, you brought me cookies and a nice note

When I need to vent - you let me complain for…like…an hour!

When my house was flooding in the middle of the night and I was hugely pregnant and my kids asleep in their beds and my husband was across the country, you came over in the middle of the night and brought your shop vac and sucked out as much water as you could

When my skirt had a hole in it at church, you quietly told me and helped me cover it up

When I hadn't seen you in years and my family of 6 was driving across the country, you let my family crash at your house and fed us delicious food! and sent us on our way all within a matter of hours - you are a saint!

You stayed up late talking to me and making me feel special

When my husband was gone on rotations for school to different states for 9 months, you came over and watched my kids so I could have some time to regain my sanity

When I had been killing myself to lose a few pounds, you noticed and said I looked amazing!

When I was struggling with someone but didn't tell anyone about it, you called me out of the blue and said you felt like you needed to call and…did I want to talk? 

When I had my 4th baby, I wouldn't let you throw me a baby shower so you threw me a "Service Shower" and everyone signed up to do different service for me: dinners, massages, mowing my lawn, watching my kids, baking me cookies, cleaning my windows, etc.

When my family and I were moving to a new state and thought we had the moving and packing "taken care of" ourselves, you showed up at 9pm on a Friday night with their little kids to say goodbye and when you saw the state I was in, you and your spouse and your little kids, gave up your Friday night to help finish packing and cleaning the things that were already "taken care of"  - you all didn't leave till past 11pm!

You insisted on helping, when I said I didn't need help (but you knew I did)

You let me be your bridesmaid - even though I said I didn't like your future husband

You told me you like my haircut, even when I knew it was hideous!

You came and picked up my kids so I could pack, then you played with them, fed them dinner and bathed them  - seriously, you're the best!

You made me look pretty for my first formal dance

You swapped baby sitting with me even though you only had 2 kids and I had 4!

Like I said, this list is horribly inaccurate of all the ways my friends have blessed my life. But I just wanted to put some of these out there. 

Friends are the best! I'm sure you have just as many amazing experiences with your friends as I do with mine. What are some of the ways your friends have helped you? Maybe we can all inspire each other to be that much better of a friend to those around us.