hijacked birthday post

Those of you who are reading this now need to know some imperative information.
1. It’s me, Melanie. I am Hijacking Bri’s blog again.
2. It’s Bri’s birthday!
3. I am here to reveal some truths you may or may not know.
4. I am very wise…. (Okay, so that one is debatable, irrelevant, and not imperative but it had to be said.)

If you are reading this, you know Bri on some level.
Maybe you work with her, maybe you know someone who worked with her, maybe you are a neighbor, maybe you lived in the south with her, maybe you are related to her, maybe you are married to her (hi Brady!), maybe you blog stalk her, maybe you met her in the grocery store or at the gym or through a friend or maybe she excitedly struck up a conversation with you cause you used the word “y’all” in front of her….

However you met this girl… she stuck.

She instantly became your friend.
She became someone you could talk to,
Laugh with,
Confide in
And depend on.
That is Bri.

She gives you everything she has.
She is exhausting to watch.
If you know her well enough to know all the hats she wears in one day, you will agree (you feel me, right Brady?).

First there is the Wife one. That’s number one.
Then there’s the Mom hat. Running a very close second.
Then there’s the Daughter hat.
The Sister hat.
The Friend hat.
The World’s Best Employee hat.

Those are the big ones.

But it’s all the unsung, unseen hats, that really make me wonder if this girl has some kind of super human strength in which eliminates her need to sleep, because how else can she do all she does so well?

There is the Empathy hat. Put on for friends, but also for complete strangers.
The Kindness to Her Neighbors hat. Dropping important things to help them just because they asked.
The Nurse hat. No, not the certified kind, but the kind who looses sleep, misses meals, and rearranges her schedule to hold a sick hand, rub a tiny sick back or give a needed hug.
The Organizational Guru hat. I dare you all to go inspect her closets they will have you in awe and feeling like a pig in no time.
And there’s the Genius hat. I don’t say this lightly either. Bri just tends to excel at ANYTHING she does. You know those people and most of the time you hate those people.

But Bri isn’t one of them you hate. She is just the kind makes you want to be more, do more, and love more….

Being friends with Bri is one of the things I think we can all count as a blessing in our lives.

(Even though she really does make me sick sometimes… in a good way.)

Happy Birthday, Bri…
Thanks for listening to me.
Thanks for teaching me.
Thanks for laughing at me.
Thanks for empathizing with me.
Thanks for organizing for me.
Thanks for being there.
Thanks for your friendship.

Ok… now’s your turn. Go ahead and wish this girl a happy birthday. Tell her what she means to you. Thank her for what she has done for you. Tell her how she makes YOU sick….
Or something like that.