Ryan | a birthday post

there are friendships that are meant for a short season that God uses to work in your life. there are also friendships that seem to never go away. those are the friends where it doesn't feel like work to  keep going. where every time you hang out you leave feeling refreshed. where even when you don't see each other in a while, you pick it right back up. i have a few friends like that. some i met at church, some i met in college but wherever i met them, today i am reminded to be thankful for them.

ryan is one of those friends. the first time i remember meeting him i was carrying around a huge clock  that made me look like flavor flav and i was passing off my little brother to his roommate. elijah came back the next day and told me wild stories of what they had done that night. (it involved ice i think.) i don't really know how we started hanging out but boy am i glad we did. he is one of the funniest people i know, he has fantastic dance moves and an imagination like you wouldn't believe. when we are old and having reunions i sure hope he is the exact same way because that, in a 50 year old will be something to behold.

i think we can all agree that the older you get, the more your birthday is not a big deal. i know i feel a little ridiculous celebrating in my mid twenties. (its all down hill from here!) but this week was ryans 25 birthday and i wanted to do something just a little bit special. i told him last minute that i needed a male model to practice on. (which was very true. . .) but i made sure to pretend i didn't remember it was his birthday. i said my friend jessi was going to come and film so i could get video of me "working." (that was not true. . .) well our friend cesia just happened to come along even though she had just gotten off a flight from california (thanks ces!) and so we took pictures here and there and then in the middle of a muddy road i told him i had a prop. . . so i pulled out his birthday present and spun around saying, "you didn't really think i forgot it was your birthday!?" which he laughed and said, "well i had hoped you did!" after his present i pulled out a pie (its a magical backpack!) and cesia lit the candle and we sang him happy birthday! it was a crazy little moment there in the mud but i hope we never forget it. and isn't that what life is all about now? moments and remember the beautiful people we share them with? well excuse me as i get all sappy. here are some shots from the day!

^^special thanks to jessi for catching the video! 

 happiest birthday to you ryan! thanks for being there always, you are a wonderful soul! if that wasn't enough visual stimulation for you, here is the short film we shot!

Ryan's Birthday from Abbey on Vimeo.