Sarah Cooper: "Coop"
My roommate who just recently moved to Austin, TX. One of four in my "Best friends who live in other states" collection. She knows me better than anyone I think; a true naked friend.
A favorite memory: Late one rainy night, we were driving to Oregon. Sarah knows I hate driving, especially in the rain, so she was doing the honors. At one point, she pulled over because she was tired, "to rest just for a little while." Not wanting to get home any later, I said I would drive; but, she refused to get out of the driver's seat. We worked it out, but it was our first real fight.

Tania Bailey: "Tan"
Lives in Lacey, WA. We were suite-mates in college. She is the mother of Kaleb and Hannah, and wife to Jacob. She is a friend of my soul.
A favorite memory: I was sitting in the dining hall one afternoon, with a bunch of our mutual friends. She walks straight over to me, ignoring everyone else she knows, and is obviously very upset. My hand grabbed, she led me out the front door, sat me down on the stone bench, and crying told me she was pregnant. We both cried.

Esther Thompson: "Ep/Eppy"
Lives in Nyack, NY. I have known Esther since I was 12, and we became best friends in high school. (She is one of few people in my life who knew me then). My roommate for 3 years; and, I was her maid of honor when she married Josh.
A favorite memory: We went to an out of town wedding, and were spending the night at a mutual friend's cousin's house. She woke me up in the middle of the night (we were sleeping next to each other on the floor) to ask me to pray for her because she had had a bad dream. We could always wake one another up, no matter the hour, when things weren't quite right.

Kami Obrecht: "Kami O/Kam"
Lives in Fort Collins, CO. I taught with her in Taiwan. She is one of those amazing people who can see with clarity and compassion simultaneously.
A favorite memory: Trying to get back into Hong Kong (and eventually Taipei), from mainland China--we found ourselves stuck outside the border, and our plane was leaving less than 2 hours, but we were going to the wrong side of Hong Kong. Through some deal making, we arrived at the airport 10 minutes before our boarding time. We both drank wine on the plane.

Erin Canavan: "Ai-Ren"
Went to college together, and on a mission trip to China. She is one of the last of those left in Redding. The girl is remarkable.
A favorite memory: After a really hard night of venting over a lost love, I told her how stupid I felt for being so torn up. She looked back at me, with a slight glisten of tears on her eyes, and assured me I need not feel stupid; but, that unreturned love is one of the most painful things we will ever experience.

Matt Will: "M-Dub/ Matty"
Lives in Redding, but is moving to the Philippines soon. Met Matt his freshman year, and so we have been friends for 5 years now. The only man I know who can make a close friendship with me work. He does however, like to remind me of a crush I may have had on him for a short time; but, I think if you knew him, it would be pretty easy to see why I did.
A favorite memory: I was pretty jacked upon returning from Taiwan. On day 5 of being back in the U.S. I had a small breakdown in Matt's papason chair. Not saying a word, he just came over, sat on the floor, put one hand on my foot, and prayed for me without words.

Sarah Herring: "Sarah"
She is a mentor and very close friend of mine. I lived with her my senior year of college, and count that as one of my wisest decisions.
A favorite memory: Distraught over my quickly approaching graduation, Sarah sat me down on the hearth in her house and gave me some brilliant advice... "Listen Tracey, don't make any rash decisions, and don't eat a whole pizza." It has stuck with me.

Jordana: "Jordanini, Yordinka, Jordi, Doni, Yordana, Dona"
A new roommate. She is beautiful, unique and deep. We bonded over mutual breakup stories.
A favorite memory: Over Memorial Day, we went camping on the Eureka Coast. Having not planned too well in advance, we were disappointed to realize, at 1:00 am, that all the camping places were full. So Jordana, Sonja, and I slept in the back of her 4-Runner. I remember her waking up in a huff. I love that memory. I will finish more later.