For a Very Special 30 Year Old-30 Reasons I Love Sanam

Happy Birthday Sanam!You will always be my Nammie, even when we are 80 years old, taking selfies together. In honor of your 30^th birthday, I thought it would be appropriate to list the 30 reasons I love you and why you are so special to me. I know you never like to make a big deal of your birthday, but it’s a very special year!

I cannot believe we’ve known each other for 12 years now.  That’s a dozen years!  We were babies when we met back in university.  We were completely different people and I was extremely innocent, watching Disney movies with rose-colored glasses.

Over the years, we have stood by each other through all of life’s battles.  Some chapters of each others lives have been more eventful than others, but no matter what, we get to ride this crazy roller-coaster called life together.

I am so grateful for your friendship, for our gym dates, for all the advice you give me, our random laughing sprees, and our random adventures for things like lottery tickets.  Here are 30 Facts and Reasons Why I LOVE YOU:

1. Love You For: Laughing at everything, especially when something ridiculous happens to me. You always are the first to laugh with me, maybe sometimes at me as well haha.
2. Fact: I don’t understand, but you are not a fan of chocolate.
3. Love You For: You don’t expect much and I love that. Our love for each other, our friendship isn’t based on demands, on how much time is spent with each other.
4. Love You For: Being very independent. You really don’t need to roll with a crew, even though in reality you should. Someone to take paparazzi pics, another to hold a fan at all times, and someone to have your Starbucks coffee ready for you at a snap of a finger.
5. Fact: You hardly ever fall or lose your balance, but when I do, you say uh ohhhhhhhhh.
6. Love You For: Being as obsessed with reality TV as I am. Who else can I chat about Shahs and Khardashians with?
7. Fact: You are a super good driver and super speedy to. I feel like your like lightning when you say coming! While I run on Persian and Asian time, you are extremely prompt.
8. Love You For: Getting excited over the most random things, like bubble tea or Cinnabon. But when you do get excited, we have to make it happen or you get super sad.
9. Fact: You are a super girlie girl, but you know your facts on sports. You used to play b-ball and softball, which I only learned last year!
10. Love You For: You crack me up with your snaps on a daily basis. Especially when the wind is blowing just right.
11. Fact: You were a model when she was a little girl. I have seen her walk down the runway.
12. Love You For: I have hardly seen you mad, but when you are, it’s not the typical crazy temper. You control your anger very well.
13. Love You For: Keeping a close-knit circle of friends, but for those who are in your circle, you would do anything for us. You have always made me feel special.
14. Fact: It’s fairly obvious, but you are absolutely stunningly beautiful. Even my momma is obsessed with how beautiful you are.
15. Love You For: Our pedi dates and the fact that picking a color for both of us is so difficult.
16. Fact: 99% of your closet is black and when I try to convince you to branch out, you still go back to black. LOL.
17. Love You For: Even though you are always dressed up as if you are walking down a runway, most people will be surprised that you are a big homebody. We love to go to bed at a decent hour, we both get exhausted going out all the time. A perfect day is a pedicure, gym, TV, maybe some kabobs for dinner and falling asleep early. If we are super adventurous that day, maybe a fro-yo for dessert somewhere in between.
18. Fact: You love Doritos, Skittles, and Diet Coke.
19. Love You For: Being the best gym buddy someone could ask for, minus the fact that you won’t join me for Zumba.
20. Fact: You are not as much of an adventurous eater and that’s ok.
21. Love You For: Without a doubt, 100%, I talk more than you and you always listen, no matter how ridiculous. You listen, laugh, advise, and you don’t sugar coat. You deal with my many questions to you, including my favorite questions…What do you want from life, many friends will just gloss any situation over, but you say what’s on your mind even if it’s not what the other person may not want to hear, but at least it’s the truth.
22. Fact: You don’t deal with crazy people, except for me, but I’m fun crazy, not crazy crazy. There is a difference.
23. Love You For: Not living in a fantasy world. A lot of people we know do, but you understand reality.
24. Fact: Nordstrom and Michael Kors is your favorite places to shop. Nordy’s is your go-to.
25. Love You For: Loving your doggies so much. You are a good mama to them.
26. Fact: You graduated in English and have never worked in that field. You moved from working with kids, to mortgages, now to real estate.
27. Love You For: That you love taking random pictures and selfies. I was looking through our photos, such good memories.
28. Fact: You hate returning things. You’ll do it, but sometimes, you just say whatever.
29. Love You For: For the longest time, I thought you didn’t hear all the men hitting on you when we went out. But I found out, you just learned how to become really good at the power of ignore.
30. Fact: You are my family. It is tradition for us to spend holidays together and birthdays!

Thanksgiving 2014Thanksgiving 2015Family Birthday Dinner- January 2015These are only a few things I love you for, but the real love and appreciation I have for you can’t really be written.  I just know I love you and you have a very special place in my heart, especially for all the things you have done for me.  You have always been that friend who picked me up when I forget which bus stop I parked at, the one who is my emergency contact, my ride to the airport, and my rock I lean on through all my difficult situations at work, with friends, and my love life.

All I have to say is thank you for 12 years’ worth of memories and cheers to another 30 girl.  That will make us 60.  As they say, if you stay friends for 7 years or more, you usually stay friends for life.  You are stuck with me and I thank God you deal with me every day.