100 Things About My Best Friend

I've been thinking lately about how great Stacy is and I thought I'd share some things about her, from my perspective. In the past we each wrote a list about ourselves, but here is mine about my Littlemiss.

Resist the urge to skip to #95.

1. She is cute.
2. She loves to do things for other people, and if you've ever been on the receiving end of such a treat, you know how great it is.
3. She works REALLY hard to make things nice for her family and friends.
4. She is very good with song lyrics.
5. She LOVES food, and exercises restraint.
6. She dedicates herself to whatever she sets out to do.
7. She is passionate about a lot of things.
8. Her enthusiasm and energy are infectious.
9. She cooks well.
10. She will drop whatever she is doing to listen to a friend.
11. She will never forget your birthday.
12. Even though she enjoys so many types of music, she unapologetically loves pop music.
13. She likes celebrity gossip, but doesn't worship them.
14. She's a Royal Family watcher.
15. She is a fantastic writer. Just check out any of her favorite blog posts and you'll see what I mean. They're on the right side of this blog, just a little bit below this. Go ahead. Find them.
16. She's a detail-oriented person.
17. She is spontaneous. Applebee's at 10 pm for late night appetizers? Sure. Hey, do you know what sounds good? Won-ton soup. It's 9:55 and they close at 10. Let's call!
18. She is frugal.
19. But she will spend money on someone important to her, just because.
20. She is someone who appreciates the little things in life, so it doesn't take much to make her feel loved. Honestly, little things go a long way.
21. She is loyal and will fight for someone close to her.
22. She often puts her own goals second to make sure our family has what it needs or wants.
23. She dresses well.
24. She cares about being healthy.
25. She was as excited as ANYONE when she saw Hogwarts rising up above the scenery at Universal Studios.
26. As firmly as she believes in something, she will change her mind if there is a good reason or evidence to switch. She avoids being ruled by dogma.
27. She plans really fun things for us.
28. She is super smart.
29. She likes to play games.
30. She does not like to play mind games.
31. She is an open book--what you see is what you get.
32. She is very thoughtful.
33. She is a fantastic mother.
34. She is a fantastic wife.
35. She sings well.
36. She has a cute smile.
37. She has a young heart but also knows how to act her age. It's like the perfect balance between being really fun and trying too hard to relate to teenagers.
38. She loves teens and treats them very well.
39. She gives people the benefit of the doubt.
40. She is slow to judge someone.
41. She will defend her friends.
42. She gives good advice.
43. She is tactful.
44. She rethinks conversations she's had with people just to make sure she hasn't said anything offensive.
45. She is a really interesting storyteller. Her tangents only add to the enjoyment.
46. And even on a second pass, those stories are really fun.
47. She has awesome hair.
48. She puts up with my shortcomings, and has for a long time.
49. She is articulate.
50. She is always looking for new ways to learn or "better" herself. I actually hate that term since it implies we are flawed by nature. I'd like to think we are all our best in any given moment.
51. She gets giddy at the thought of completing a blog meme.
52. She gets equally giddy at the thought of doing word games.
53. She will blow off everything to watch a show with her daughter, or to play a game with her son.
54. She constantly helps us expand our circle of friends.
55. She is a good group organizer.
56. She is a great counselor and often passes her skills and knowledge onto me and the kids.
57. She talks to our children like they are adults in training, not babies who are growing up.
58. She is always looking for new and innovative ways to educate our children.
59. She can get really excited, like a kid on Christmas, when she gets into a good book.
60. She knows exactly when I could use a little boost and then does something about it.
61. She often makes me lose my head and forget what I was doing.
62. She has incredible integrity.
63. She can call a spade a spade. Misrepresenting reality is NOT on her agenda.
64. We laugh a lot together, and that makes me smile.
65. Her laugh is infectious.
66. She is not afraid to let loose and belly laugh when something cracks her up.
67. She will always make you feel like you are the only other person in the room.
68. She will do exactly what she says she will do.
69. She was raised in a different culture. It adds so much richness to our life.
70. She spent her childhood thinking about the life she wanted, and then she went out and got it.
71. She doesn't take herself too seriously or get too bent out of shape about things that don't matter.
72. She loves sitcoms.
73. Ambiguity in movies and books don't worry her. In fact, she prefers it.
74. She puts up with my excitement when the Giants are in the playoffs. She's put up with a lot over the past three years.
75. She likes my friends.
76. She loves to play hostess.
77. She gives a great response to a surprise.
78. Screaming tweens at JFK when the Beatles arrived on U.S. soil? Nothing compared to her love and reaction to sushi. It's almost "When Harry Met Sally." TMI? Maybe. I may pay for this later.
79. Food is central to any gathering or event. Vacations included.
80. We are so in sync sometimes that it's a little like Twilight Zone.
81. Her mind is always going, which is frustrating to her sometimes, but a lot of great ideas come from all those gears turning.
82. She sends me texts while I'm working just to see how I'm doing.
83. She cries at the same things I do, and we both know it, so we try not to make eye contact sometimes. It makes it worse.
84. She's huggy.
85. She can fit very comfortably on my lap.
86. She has this little dimple near her eye that really shows when she smiles a lot.
87. She has late-night cravings that are off-the-wall sometimes.
88. My life is never dull with her around.
89. She has an impish side to her.
90. She started our homeschool group.
91. She does not like shopping.
92. But, she always gets fun surprises when she goes grocery shopping.
93. Her hand fits perfectly in mine.
94. She has simple tastes when it comes to jewelry and fashion.
95. She really does want a peaceful world where everyone is treated equally.
96. She is beautiful, inside and out.
97. She makes me smile.
98. She said yes to the most important question I could ask her.
99. She is my best friend. You knew that already, though, didn't you?
100. She loves me.