Seven Things Made Better By Devyn

Welcome back to the greatest week of all time: my birthday week! (kidding, sorta)
Today I present a new contributor. She's been around in the comments and is making her debut today in a wonderful Devyn-centric post. Lilian has a lot of dirt on me...I hope she has lost all of those memories and replaced them with more important things like her little kiddo.  Anyways, here she is!

A quick note to Lilian J:  #1 How fancy are you as someone who just has a last initial?  Totally jealous.  Anyways, I find it funny that we can't find time to write eachother more than a couple times a year.  What I find to be quite humbling is that you took the time to write this for me.  Thank you so much, can you just go me one more favor?  Please ensure my large readership that I DID NOT pay you for these kind words! - D

Seven Things Made Better by Devyn:

I have known Devyn since high school, a time when many of us were riddled with teenage angst, pointless cattiness, awkward haircuts, and pining for any particular older (or younger!) boy that caught our attention. Now, several years later, I still feel blessed to have Devyn in my life, and in honor of her birthday week, here’s a list of seven things Devyn has improved in my life. So, cheers to you, Devyn, and Happy Birth-Week!

1. Accounting: This was supposed to be one of the dullest classes in all of the Tucson High elective options. However, due to Devyn’s good humor and wit, it became the highlight of my week. Of course, our natural inclination for all things nerdy didn’t hurt, but this early morning class went from being “schedule filler” to delightful.
2. Birthdays: I’ve recently heard from an acquaintance that she lost interest in birthdays past the age of 10. Sad, really, because I still enjoyed celebrating my birthday well into high school. This is largely in part due to Devyn’s knack for making all of her friends’ birthdays special (maybe a subliminal bribe to have us do the same for her? Notice an entire week of blogs dedicated to her birthday!). The cakes decorated in bright colors, cartoon characters, and various candies coupled with the little gifts Devyn would carefully pick out for each person gave us all a reason to come to school on our birthdays.
3. Sarcasm: Ah, the art of sarcasm. Devyn has perfected this biting humor with a large dose of funny mixed with a bit of put-in-your-place observation. A sarcastic comment from Devyn will leave everyone laughing and thankful to be on her good side.
4. First jobs: Devyn’s first job was at Target. She loved it. Almost too much. Devyn’s loyalty, determination, diligence, and zealousness for excellence put all of the other teenage employees to shame. If I had ever had a chance to see her store’s break room, I’m sure her face was plastered all over it with proclamations of Best Employee Ever. This approach to work is a clear example of Devyn’s high-quality character that we, as her friends, deeply appreciate.
5. Family time: When most young people are loosening the apron strings, Devyn was anxious to hang out with her family members. In high school, watching her love for her brothers and parents encouraged me to show my mom a little more affection and realize that life is too short to not spend some more evenings at home. I so appreciate her example, even today, of someone who knows that people are the most important aspect of any life, and there is always time to show our loved ones how special they are.
6. The name, Devyn: Seven by Devyn. Heavyn by Devyn. Never have I met someone with such a love for their name. In perhaps the ultimate compliment to her parents, Devyn is infatuated with her name. I’ve known other Devins (notice the lamer spelling), but Devyn’s appreciation for her name (especially the “y”) makes me feel like it really is the coolest name out there. And she owns it, so we better not copy her!
7. Friendship: Devyn showed me all about loyalty in friendships. She showed me that little things are not worth the heartache (note pointless cattiness, above) and that humor is always the best anecdote. As with her family, Devyn takes her time and connections with her friends very seriously. She and I don’t talk very often, but when I got married in 2008, who was more than willing to make the most beautiful, shiny, brightly-colored cupcakes ever? And who is faithful to comment on the pictures I post of my daughter? And who is always quick with a response to any message/text/etc. I may send? My precious Devyn.

Thank you, Devyn, for showing me the bright side of things and for allowing me to be your friend for this long. I’m sure the loyal readership will agree that you are too wonderful for a short list of Seven to define!