Guest blogging, as Sarah...vs Mommy

Geoffrey’s sisters asked me to write a little letter about her in honor of her 30th birthday. I pondered a few days on how to start it. Then I decided to Google her name to see the definition. You see, I am a firm believer in the name meanings. My daughter Macie means “upbeat and happy.” My son Isaac means “one who laughs.” Both meanings are so true to their nature. So I look up Geoffrey, and it means “God’s peace.“ I think that is a good fit as well.
I have known Geoffrey most of my life. She lived down the block from me in a yellow house on the corner. We had many play dates, almost sleepovers, and good times hanging out on the corner of the block. I remember eating cheesy tortillas for snacks, and also cucumbers with salt sprinkled on top. My most favorite snack that I remember from her is popcorn with parmesan cheese on top. That came years later though.
The house I do remember so well is her two story white house close to the cemetery I believe on 8th Ave. She had a room on the 2nd floor with a secret hideout! It was covered in New Kids on the Block posters. She LOVED NKOTB. That’s the house where we had many sleepovers with popcorn covered in parmesan cheese. She has always been very independent. I love that so much about her.
The time she spend in MN after one of her surgeries I remember writing her letters after letters telling her all about school, boyfriends, friends, and just life in general. I had her phone number to the hospital written on a scrap piece of paper and it sat on our family china cupboard. I remember days calling my mom at work and asking “can I call Geoffrey!?”
Then there was the day she calls me shrieking “I just met Sheryl Crow!!!!!!” I can remember it so distinctly. She was SO excited! I was so excited hearing about her experience. Now every time I hear a Sheryl Crow song I think of that day.
Over the years of high school we did drift a bit, but she was always my dear friend. Someone I always called my friend. We have history, and friends with history like that don’t just go away.
Now I am going to fast forward years later . The year of My Space and Facebook. I was very new the social network world. But my dear friend Geoffrey wasn’t. She found me online and we reconnected. Since then our friendship has blossomed so much. We go to know each other as adults and found we still have so much in common.
Our 10 yr class reunion we got to hang out, and my kids absolutely fell in love with her. In reality we hadn’t seen each other in years, but really we just took right off. We still have so much in common. Coffee, books, design, cooking… the list goes on.
Now really I could go on and on and on, but I will cut to the important stuff. We got to spend a week together in the summer of 2010 when I invited her to come and stay with me. I’ll never forget the morning she was getting on the train. I got a text saying “Sarah my train is 10 hours late.” or something like that. It was so late that it didn’t come in till 1:00 A.M.
Geoffrey introduced me to the world of The Pioneer Woman. I immediately fell in love with the website, cookbook, her story and all. We are The Pioneer Woman’s 2 biggest fans. So much that we got to spend a girls weekend together meeting PW in Montana. This is a weekend I will never forget. I can still remember details of the trip and just smile. I wouldn’t have wanted to spend it with anyone else. We rocked that trip!
I have a friendship with Geoffrey that I truly cherish. I find her strength amazing. She has a bravery that I wish I had. She has a faith in God that I respect so much. Her spunk makes me smile, and her sense of humor makes me laugh.
The meaning of Geoffrey, “Gods Peace.” I find it so fitting and perfect, because everything Geoffrey has been through, she really does find peace in it all. Her surgeries don’t define her, but her strength and finding peace in it all does. She is amazing, wonderful, thoughtful, brave, creative, beautiful, caring, loving, faithful, and a fighter. She is Geoffrey, my friend.
Happy 30th Birthday Geoffrey!!!
　
Love, Sarah (T.)
PS: YOU ROCK!!!