Everything I ever need to know...

....I learned from Jennifer Josephine Wandalla Bowler McDonald.

She has a long name, but Moe and I like to call her Jo, Jenn, Jen (I always seem to leave off the second "n," which she definitely prefers), and Jenny (she actually doesn't like being called that too much. But I insist).

1. Jenny taught me about manual cars. Did you know that if you push a manual car (that won't start) down a hill, it will start? Yeah, I know, it's kind of a miracle. We had to do that once to get home from our friend Heather's house. We just pushed that car right down that hill, it finally started, and we all jumped in the car for the ride home. I can't believe we made it. Jenny used to have a little cream-colored car named Sir Walter Raleigh. We were sophomores when she had that car. She got it from her older brother, Ben, who had purchased it for literally ONE DOLLAR from a co-worker at Frostop. And that car liked to die at stoplights sometimes. We would stroke the dash and say nice words, and Sir Walter would lovingly spark back to life and get us safely home. We gave that car a dignified name so that he knew we respected him.

2. She taught me about Frostop and how a life is never complete without it. Jenny used to work there. And when she was working, Moe and I would go visit. And I would order a mint oreo shake with cookie dough sprinkles on top because I could never completely decide between oreos and cookie dough chunks. Jen was the sweet employee who liked to do special favors for me. Jenny also introduced me to the too-amazing-for-words picadilly chip. Those things have more grease than that philly cheese steak I ate in Philadelphia that got all over my clothes. But boy are they delicious.

3. Jenny taught me how to be wrong. During the first months of our best-friendship, we were often at odds with one another. I definitely thought I was a smart cookie and I didn't like to back down or be wrong or do anything that showed weakness. Eventually, after several awkward car rides home from school (that Jenny so generously offered me), I learned that it's okay for little things not to matter. I learned that every little thing didn't have to be a big deal, and that my friendship with Jenny was worth way more than being right about something. And, I learned that I acutally was wrong a lot of the time. Jenny and her wisdom was actually very powerful- quite a formidable force.

4. Jenny taught me about The Carpenters. 9 times out of 10, the Carpenters were playing from the tape deck in Sir Walter Raleigh. But I don't remember listening to any songs on the tape except for "Close To You." I daresay that song is the theme song of our sophomore year. And still, when I hear it, I can feel the heat of a springtime St. George afternoon, can smell the rotting foam seats in the car, and can picture Jenny sitting there, her hand on the steering wheel, probably arguing with me about something that I haven't learned to me wrong about yet.

5. My friendship with Jenny taught me how to be a hard worker. I don't think I know anyone who is a harder worker than Jennifer Bowler McDonald. She always had a job in high school, she became a CNA after taking college classes our junior year of high school, she went to school early morning for both color guard AND jazz band, she played in the pit in all the high school musicals, she seriously worked all-night 12 hour shifts at the hospital before and after we started college, she has always had really good grades, she graduated with her RN like 2 years after high school, and now, she takes care of husband and baby and never complains. Somehow Jenny has always been able able to juggle everything and be successful in everything. She really is a hero. She has taught me that it's totally okay- and worth it- to work and sacrifice for something that you really want.

6. Jenny taught me how to make friends a priority. Throughout my 6 years since legally being able to date (wow it seems way longer than that), I have gone through many a time when a  friend or roommate gets many a boyfriend, and the story is almost always the same. Said friend gets in a relationship and for the most part, forgets about you. Boyfriend because priority number one, and best friend/roommate (me) gets very crudely left behind in the dust, wimpering and lonely (I should add that I'm not complaining, I totally get it). I said "almost" because Jenny is the exception. I will never ever never ever ever forget what Jenny did for me our junior year of high school. Moe was currently dating a boy and she had forgotten us almost entirely. We had resorted to scheduling disciplinary friend hearings with her just to have a conversation (we really did that. We left the court order notice on her car. We got annoyed, okay? But she's all forgiven now. Loved her always). So then, Jenny started dating a boy at school too. I got really scared because then it would just be me, awkward, chubby, and alone all the time with no friends. But Jenny understood my pain. She very fairly and kindly divided her time between me, the best friend, and him, the boyfriend. She hung out with me despite her likely (though never confirmed) preference to be with the boy toy because she knew that I needed her. She made me a priority, and I felt that. It was so.... nice. So good. I knew that I was important to her and that she knew that I would be permanent, while said boy may not be. Because Jen and I will always be friends. Best friends.

7. Jenny introduced me to Lord of the Rings. Moe helped too. But we watched them all at her house, and she loaned me the books to read. And her little sisters were obsessed with watching the special features on the extended version DVDs. The Bowler house, for a little while there, was overcome with Lotr mania. But I loved it. Those books and movies changed my world, all because of Jenny. And Moe too.

8. Jenny very lovingly fed my Harry Potter addiction and made it seem very much okay. She taught me to appreciate my crazy passion for things. She used to help me with my parties and such. One specific time, actually for the preparation party before book 7 came out, Jenny came to Pebbles in my Pocket in St. George, while I was working, carrying notebooks and literally all 7 Harry Potter books, and sat by the counter for several hours to write the jeopardy questions for the party. We wrote like 20 questions for each book. It was insane. But little miss devoted Jenny was with me every step of the way. And she gave up her day to sit, while I got paid, to make up questions for the party that I was throwing.

9. Jenny taught me that a person could look absolutely perfect and gorgeous without wearing any makeup. She is one of those very naturally beautiful people that you see and wonder how a person can be so beautiful. And her hair is so stinking thick and amazing!

10. Kind of a sidenote: Jenny has this amazing little library in the basement of her parent's home that was the source of most of my for-fun-reading in high school. I would sneak into that closet, pick a book, read it, and then pick another one. That is actually where I got most of the Tennis Shoes books. I never would have thought to finish that series if Jenny didn't have the books.

11. Jenny taught me how to have more fun at girls' camp that I ever thought possible, despite my already brimming obsession with it. Jenny and I, being in the same stake, were able to go to camp together as YCLs two years in a row. The first year, at Beaver High, Jenny and I managed to be the first girls to climb that horrible, wobbly, giant ladder. Teamwork, baby. It was all us. The second year, at the stake camp on Cedar Mountain, Jenny and I prepared weeks in advance for awesomeness. We sewed Batman capes. Yes, Batman capes to wear at night when we were out and about pulling pranks on people so that we could hide under them in the darkness and not get caught-- plus, we looked really cool. We also brought Batman bandaids and an entire extra tent and plastic tote bin to hold all our supplies. We set up the extra 2-man tent in the middle of the forest so that no one would find it. It was the designated "Bat Headquarters" and we used it as a secret place to plan our schemes. The extra tote was for toilet paper, shaving cream, water guns, etc., for pranks. Worked like a charm. we had a blast with out our secrets, and no one ever caught on. That same girls camp year was  the year of the glowing toilet. Creepy, right? But Jenny and I had an unhealthy amount of fun together at camp. If I had to live through camp without Jenny, I would still love it, but not nearly on the same level.

12. Jenny taught me that it is totally acceptable to attend the same movie at Flood Street multiple times in one week. I'm pretty sure we did this too many times. Pirates, Cinderella Story, Sahara, Phantom of the Opera, etc. One night we convinced her little sister, Angie, to see Sahara with us. She had been like, "I think I've read that book. I don't want to see the movie." And she described the entire book/movie plot (which was the same thing) and we told her straight up that they were entirely different and that she would love the movie. We convinced her they were separate entities. Why we lied and forced her to come to the movie with us, I'll never know. But it was fun.

13. Jenny was a staunch advocate of ice cream in all forms. Frostop, Iceberg, Dairy Queen, you name it. We hit a different place every day. For real.

14. Jenn taught me how to clean her room. haha. I swear, most weekends Moe and I would get to her house to do something, and she would still have to clean her room before being allowed to go anywhere. So, we would help her. I remember that she always had random piles of tithing money everywhere, so we would have to combine all of that, fold clothes, stack up all her books, make her bed, hide the laundry in the closet, etc. I should mention, however, that a lot of the time, Moe and Jenn were waiting on ME to get there. I was the inconveniently late one, and that was especially ridiculous considering the fact that I lived about 5 blocks from Jenn, while Moe lived solid 15-20 minute drive away. Jenny's room, by the way, was the headquarters for our little game, and many hours were spent in there scheming, planning, not sleeping despite the late hour, eating pizza and caramel treasures and mint oreos, etc. Moe, Jen, and I used to sleep cross-ways on her big bed so that we all fit. 

Jennifer Bowler is one of those people who knows what her priorities are. She knows who and what is important, and she makes sure that they know that. She cares and she guides and helps and rescues. And really, I wouldn't be the same person today without my Jenny. She is just really good a being a friend. She knows how to listen and she gives good answers. She really just taught me what it means to be a friend- priority, loyalty, caring, acceptance of oddities (haha), etc., and all of that by example.

Love you Jenny. Happy happy birthday, 7 days late.