Happy Birthday Ashley!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHLEY! 

Ashley has been my best friend for a very long time! We played together when we were 3 years old and then "re met" when we were 9/10ish. Ashley is such an amazing example to her younger siblings and everyone around her. She gives off this joy that makes you want to smile, even when you don't really want to. We've done a lot of things together: thousands of cookies baked, many tv shows & movies watched, much fangirling, waiting for books to come out together, and writing a blog. 

     People say that "Friends are the family we choose." And I'm so glad I chose Ashley to be my family. There is a quote from Winnie the Pooh that reads, "A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left  inside." A day spent with Ashley is ALWAYS better than one without! 

       I went through something in my life that was very hard on me. I'm not going to go into details, for I haven't even talked to Ashley about it, but through it all Ashley was there and helped me in ways she doesn't realize. Proverbs 17:17- “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” I'm so thankful to have a friend like her who, is someone you want to always be around, who cares and prays for you. There is a quote that says, "As we grow up, we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones." I can testify that Ashely is a real friend that I always want in my life. 

   Happy Birthday Ashley! Thanks for everything! I love you! -Maddie 

She sprouted love like flowers, 

Grew a garden in her mind, 

And even on the darkest days,

From her smile the sun still shined.

                        -Erin Hanson