I have mentioned my friend Annabel before on my blog. I posted pictures of her wedding a couple years ago and various pictures throughout. She has become one of my best friends. You know, sometimes you develop a friendship with someone that withstands the test of time. I actually call these friends, "life-long friends" because I know we always will be just that.
Annabel and I met while doing The Will Rogers Follies at BDT. As we auditioned, we helped each other as we rehearsed the steps. She and her sister complimented me on my double pirouette. Ultimately, I was cast as Z's Favorite and she was my understudy as well as one of the Ziegfeld girls. It was a super fun show to be a part of!!!
As time progressed, we sat by each other in the dressing room, bonded over the horrible cattiness of that show (we were picked on a bit), and about a month before we closed started hanging out outside of work.
I remember our first dinner date. We sat at P.F. Chang's in park meadows outside and watched a beautiful sunset. We talked about lots of things including religion. She respected me as a Christian as she herself was a Christian (something else I guess that bonded us together in a sea of non-believers and scoffers backstage). She asked me that night, "What is the difference between regular Christianity and Mormonism?" I told her there was a lot. But I tried to sum it up by using a metaphor. I told her that I thought regular Christianity was like bread and water. It was good and it would sustain you. But that Mormonism in comparison was like a marvelous feast with succulent meat, mashed potatoes, vegetables, bread, drinks, desserts, etc. We went on to talk about the Book of Mormon and she told me honestly how far fetched it all sounded. I agreed with her. She asked me for a BOM and the next time I saw her, I gave her one with my testimony in it, which simply said, "I feel closer to God when I read this book". I could tell she wasn't really all that interested in pursuing it, but it did make it so we could talk freely about why I do things or don't, my values, etc.
Throughout the next couple of years, Annabel and I probably hung out every week or two - going out to dinner or shopping and we'd talk about life. Part of what she'd tell me about was her dating life. It seemed she just met scummy guy after scummy guy. She wanted a Christian man to marry. Doesn't seem like that hard of a thing to find. But it is! She'd find guys who said they were Christian but only went to church twice a year. Or guys who were willing to go to church, but didn't really understand how a Christian man should treat his girlfriend.
A couple of years later, she was introduced to a Mormon guy named Quinn. He gave her multiple incentives for looking into the Mormon religion a little deeper. And once she did, she had some many "coincidences" that it seemed more than just chance. The truths resonated with her and she had the desire to be baptized. It was hard because her family and other Christian friends did not approve. Ultimately though, after the stress of their wedding subsided, Annabel decided for herself to get baptized. I only recently got a hold of these pictures. It makes me happy to look back and see the journey that has happened and that I've gotten to observe it.
This past June and July, Annabel took out her endowments (Denver temple) ...
...and got sealed to Quinn for Time and All Eternity in the Salt Lake Temple. Several of us went to Utah to be a part of it.
So I had to include this as one of the highlights of my summer. It was very special. And now... Annabel and Quinn are about to have their first baby (due Valentine's Day)! I can't wait to meet this little princess who will now be born in the covenant.
