Matt's Special Post

I have this friend. His name is Matt. When I first met him, I hated him.

Tonight, over 12 years since I first met (and disliked) Matt, he said, "I don't read your blog. Do you ever write about me?"

See, here's the thing: my mama was raised in West Virginia. I was taught that if you don't have something nice to say, keep still.

And so with that... I'm kidding.

In all honesty, Matt is one of the most wonderful, loyal, artistic, creative, inspiring, genuine, sensitive, giving, caring, amazing individuals that I have had the pleasure of not only knowing, but being able to call one of my best friends. He's been both my harshest critic and my biggest advocate. He's been with me through thick and thin, good times and bad. He's seen me at my worst (a lot more than I think either of us would like to remember!), and my best. And no, Matthew, your comments will not be allowed to be made public.

Matt's a freelance graphic designer. If you would like to learn more about him, you can check out his website here.

We met working as orientation ambassadors at Georgia Southern. It was my second year on the team, his first. Right off the bat, we disagreed. He was opinionated, rude, sarcastic, always had to be right, had the BEST and BIGGEST ideas, and would NOT take no for an answer. He was a male version of me at the time. It was fate, kismet... my biggest nightmare.

We got over our differences (read: I got over my control issues and he realized who was boss), and we wound up being inseperably close. The majority of my favorite memories of GSU include Matt. Fortunately for most of you, this is a PG rated blog so those stories and the associated jokes will not be shared today.

At any rate, Matt has always been a staple in my adult life. I am incredibly thankful to have him as a friend. Today, he helped me take my three children to the park to let out some much needed energy. He clearly loved playing with them just as much as they enjoyed having him there. My daughter has not stopped talking about "Meestah Matt" since we got home. She insisted on telling him goodnight over Skype before she would even consider going to sleep.

So, Matt, in honor of your unconditional friendship, here is your special blog post. No, we will not be discussing (and I would still like to forget) Very Fresh, tequila shots at Park Place, and Charlie Brown. However, I will always hold swing dancing at the Velvet Elvis, SOAR 99's SROW skit, Mogwai and the Reeces Cups, and Facebook Uno close to my heart.

Oh, and that picture? That's me and Matt at my wedding. We were tearing up the dance floor! Ah, to be that skinny and agile again...

Love, hugs, and blessings,
The Mama