Hello to all of Sharla's blog friends and welcome to this super special edition of The Richardson Zoo blog, with your host, Sydney Tenney! I have the honor of being the guest blogger on my sweet friend's blog and I am going to give you a glimpse into the life and history of Sharla and Sydney.
It all started with this sweet face. Holly and I knew eachother from school and she persistently invited me to church for about a year. Probably because she knew I needed to know Jesus, and also because she was concerned that I wore really short skirts. Honestly....ask her. I finally went with her and that is when I first met Sharla.
I knew I had found a friend when I met Sharla. She has the kindest heart and a way of making people feel so loved and important, all the while, still maintaining her sassiness....truly a Sharla trademark.
The last 6 years of my life have been better knowing Sharla.
We started off our friendship by conquering a corn maze together (along with baby Bryan Taylor)...
...she taught me the proper form of mouth opening width when going to the dentist...
...her sweet, lovely little cat leo ferociously attacked my head in the middle of the night on the day this picture was taken...luckily, I survived to tell the story...
...she convinced me that I would be a natural skier because I was athletic...that day we learned she sometimes isn't right about everything...or at least that...
...we spent great times together at camp...I have been so blessed to worship with her, learn from her, and have someone like her pour truth into my life...
...we toured the beautiful New York while also getting to serve on a missions trip...
...we watched plenty of 24 episodes together...
...had LOTS of fun with our Holly and amazing friends...
...spent precious time preparing for and being part of Holly and Tavis' beautiful wedding...
...took some good pictures together...
...and took some not so good pictures together...
...and you better believe we smiled a lot, and learned how to smile HARD.
It's hard to put words to how you feel about some people. Sharla really is one of the most genuine, faithful women I know. She has walked through some really happy times with me and some really hard times with me. Even in the hard times she stuck with me and was an encouragement and a strength in my life when it may have been easier to let a friendship fade. Her life and her love convinced me that there was more to life and more to God.
The thing I love about her the most that really loves the Lord and really knows how to pour out His light and His life. One of my most defining days was sitting on the floor in her living room, listening to her read 1 John 1:9 to me. That day I saw more of who God was, how faithful HE is, and decided that I wanted everything that God had for me.
I love you Sharla! Thank you for being you and for loving people so well!
Sydney
