Happy Birthday Allyson

Allyson Elaine Bishop Winslow!!!!

Happy Birthday!!!!

Today is not just Ally's birthday but it's Ally's special birthday! Because today she is 29 on the 29th!!!! I hope your as excited about this as I am! This is it today only when the importance of your birthday is like square rooted or something! 

Ally is not just an ordinary friend (not that any of my friends are). She is my oldest friend. How old? This old

V-Day at Camp Longhorn after the second grade. 

Ally has been in my life for over 20 years!!! I get extremely sentimental when I talk or think about our friendship. Ally and I became friends through our moms who became good friends. She was warm and easy to get to know. She was kind and sometimes shy. Ally was there when I broke my arm ( I wont go into the story, but she knows its a good one and plus Abby will vomit if she has to hear it one more time), Ally was so brave as we were growing up. I was not. She gave me endless encouragement as I struggled to do many things (jump off the blob: about 5 years of encouragement, water ski: she is an amazing water skier and slalom...I finally got it, there when I chewed my only piece of gum: for her and abby's birthday party, every time I got up to bat or serve.) Ally always had confidence in me and thought the best of me. That is her gift. She sees the best in people and naturally bring it out. She is selfless and always has the interest of others at heart. There isn't a person on this earth she has crossed wrongly. She pours her heart into whatever she does. She has done many amazing things: marathons, nursing school, law school just to name a few amazing things. 

I'm really sorry that all of our middle school pictures were too blurry to post. There were some good ones!

The thing that I love about our friendship the most is that the Lord has always been at the center. Ally fell in love with Christ I'm certain at birth. The baby next to her in the nursery is certain to be in Heaven as anyone else who has stood beside her. She always knew the love of Christ and relished in it. Ally reminds me of the St. Francis Assisi quote; "Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words." At an early age the Lord used Ally in my life. She invited me to vacation bible school and it was there that I knew and understood for the first time who Christ was how he died for me. My life was never the same. She has prayed for me countless times and I for her. I know many probably has a similar story of how the way Ally cares for them or lives her life pointed them to Christ. She has always been my lighthouse. 

And Ally is really funny. We have had some of the best times goofing around. None seem to make since now in hindsight. But the vague sense of high pitch chipmunk squeaks seem to ring a bell.