Ode to my wife

Today I wanna make a shout out to a friend.
A friend who I met in an unconvential way and completely by chance.
A friend who I couldn't make made it through the past two years without
and I am pretty sure I won't make the rest of my life without.
Katie Rose Bastian.
Rose is not her middle name.
Rose is my middle name.
She doesn't have one so I gave her mine.

I can tell you that Katie Bastian came into my life for a reason. Katie is absolutely everything I have needed the past 2 years and then some. I cannot fathom life without her. I know I am not always an easy person to deal with and unfortunately, Katie gets to see the full spectrum of crazy that few outside my family get to experience. But she takes it all in stride, and she loves me anyway. It really is like a marriage. Because on the days when I can't stand myself, she loves me. If that isn't friendship, then I don't know what is.
I prayed for Katie. I didn't know it was her I was praying for at the time, but I was praying desperately every single night to have the pain of Nathan's absence taken away from me. My answer came in the form of a friend. A friend who knew what I was going through. A friend who really listened and cared. A friend who could laugh with me and fill a bit of the void Nathan left. No, Heavenly Father didn't take away my pain, but he gave me someone to help carry it.
Life is so different for the both of us than it was on the day we met. So different then how we thought it would be. We aren't the same people. We have grown and evolved and so much of it was done together. We have seen some really dark nights, but we have stuck through them together and seen the most beautiful sunrises. It almost makes me laugh to think back to the thoughts we had back when we first met. We had no idea the adventure that was waiting for us! It hasn't been easy in any sense of the word, but having her with me is the only reason I've survived.
I'll never forget the nights spent laying on Katie's grass, talking about life and the vast possibility that was, and is, our futures. Or the nights I just laid on her couch doing nothing, just so I wouldn't have to be alone in my apartment. I'll never forget our walk around the Bountiful Temple and how she always knew how to calm me down. Or when we made dumb music videos on her mac and how she laughed at me even when I wasn't funny. I'll never forget her advice and the way she challenges me to be a better person. Or her strength and determination even when things seemed impossible. Living with her has been the biggest blessing. On my last night before Nathan came home, she vrought me creamcheese brownies, diet coke, and a giant cheeseball. She somehow always know what I need. And even when she herself is struggling, she handles it with such grace and faith. She has always been one of the biggest examples to me.
I will always be thankful for the blessing Katie has been and I know will continue to be in my life. I never knew a facebook support group could provide the biggest blessing I can think of. But life really never does make sense. That's something Katie has taught me. One Step At A Time. It's all we can do. I don't know where life is taking us, but I do know she will always be there with me.