Meet Briggs

I haven’t done a blog like this in eh, 6 months, and therefore I am way overdue. You know it’s coming, I know it’s coming. It’s SHOUT OUT time. You may remember previous similar posts honoring very adorable and funny friends Becca Feagin, Megan Templin, or BEEF. Whos SHOUT OUT is this, you might be wondering? Well, she’s blonde, she’s funny, she likes elephants and cinnamon dolce, and she’s not an idiot…you guessed it, introducing Miss Bethany Brueggen (SHOUT OUT)!!

A little background: I met Bethany at a concert like all the BEST friendships should begin. As you already know, most of my closest friends are much more attractive, infinitely smarter, and on a different playing field of holiness than me …and Bethany is no exception. I lovingly call her “Briggs” like I am her high school soccer coach. Or “YODA” when I am coming to her as ‘Young Patawan’ for advice about the things and mysteries of life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Or “skank” when she wakes me up at 5AM for Crossfit Training. There is NOTHING, and I repeat NOTHING that infuriates me more than the sound of her alarm at that hour.

I digress.

Bethany is one of a kind, and is absolutely fascinating. Some things you should know about her include, but are not limited to the following:

Briggs is what I like to call, a blonde goddess. As in, we, as a collective group, sometimes have to assist people with picking their jaws up off the floor when she walks into a room. Everyone who knows her would agree with this statement except for her. God love her humility. But she can rock soccer sweats better than most girls can rock an evening gown. And as if to make the playing field a little more uneven, she wears trendy clothes EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Just for the hell of it!!!>?! As much as I hate her for this when we go to dinner and it looks like she is buying dinner for a homeless girl she met on the street (READ: me)…it makes her legit.

Briggs laughs at all my jokes and makes me feel funnier than I actually am. I should pay her for laughing so hard sometimes. In response, I want to hang out with her 24-7 all the time, which isn’t possible because she would go insane from lack of “alone time”…a feeling that I cannot relate to, but love her because of/in spite of.

Beth has the best ideas, ever. Especially the ones she says out loud.

Briggs has graciously adopted me as a roommate (IN THE SAME ROOM) and has even set up a twin sized tiny bed for me next to her big bed (its kind of like a dog bed), so that I can have slumber parties with her on multiple occasions throughout each week without stealing and cocooning in all of her covers. Sometimes she yells “Ally GET ON YOUR MAT!” and I laugh uncontrollably and then obey because remember…it is HER room. And despite the fact that she doesn’t really appreciate my “Piano Cascades + Thunderstorm” sleep soundtrack, she still makes the best roommate ever.

Bethany is in better shape when she is out of shape, than I am when I am in shape. Are you guys following that? She skipped up a 14,000ft mountain one weekend. SKIPPED, y’all! I was on my death bed and she was giggling and frolicking vertically for 6 hours. You can read about said experience HERE.

In other news, she may also be a ninja. This fact has neither been confirmed nor denied. Strong evidence supporting this assumption can be found in the fact that earlier this summer she scaled two 10ft fences back to back to sneak into a pool. While descending from the second fence, she got her pants caught on the prong and dangled there in the air with torn pants and a bruised shin, and STILL nobody saw her!! We layed out at said pool for 20 minutes after this event until the rain started. It may have been the hardest I have ever laughed.

Briggs is the only person that I would have wanted with me, while laughing and crying as hard as I could simultaneously the other night. We have an unspoken respect for each other despite the fits of emotion that we have both witnessed in the other. I have cried harder in front of her than anyone else (except for 1. The time I spilled my Sonic drink on the worst night ever with Becca, and 2. The time Brittney surprised me in the Houston airport, everything went wrong and then when I finally found her, WAILED like someone had killed our mother—ALL low points) And seeing that I have only known Bethany for 4 months, that is really saying something.

In all honesty, I actually do not have adequate words for the affirmation that I could lavish on Bethany for her dedication, adoration, discipline, and love for the Lord. I feel sometimes like her and Jesus have this crazy intimate friendship and relationship that only people like AW Tozer, CS Lewis, and Matt Chandler can fully understand. And Paul from the bible. She is a modern day Paul(ette). And I know that God is going to do something BIG in and through her, and I am so excited that I get to be a small part of it. She loves people harder than anyone I know. I learn from her daily and she holds me to a higher standard than any friend ever has. I don’t get away with shiZ. Not even cussing. One time she called me out in front of everyone for lying about kicking a raft with our raft guide, Chip, still in it. I claimed I did no such thing. I did. I totally kicked the raft. And Bethany loved me enough to tell me. Seriously though, she loves me like Christ loves, and doesn’t disown me when I act like an idiot baby…that’s just about all you can ask for in a friend.

Briggs, as aforementioned, wakes me up at 5AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays to put on running shoes, and run around Wash Park to meet up with our trainer, Aaron, who kicks our butts for an hour, until we have trouble walking. Or vomit. Whichever comes first. I usually want to kill her for the first 20 minutes of being awake, but I have begun to love those mornings. After crossfit, we walk through the Wash Park gardens on the way back home and pretend we are in Narnia, and sometimes I scream “Let the wild rumpus START!” and she laughs even though she is probably embarrassed of me and has never seen Where the Wild Things are. It’s one of my favorite Denver memories in motion.

Speaking of movie quotes, she supports my movie and TV show addiction and even tries to guess the movie quotes that I use in my everyday language. Even though she has only seen about 3% of all awesome movies, we are taking baby steps towards educating her cinematically. And she has been willing to learn. She even watched youtube videos with me for an hour the other night. God bless her precious soul.

Bethany participates in seasonal Bucket Lists with me where we make a list of a ton of awesome things to do during that season, and so far we have checked all but one or two off the list.

Another fun fact: Briggs is scared of heights, but only when she is not strapped into something. Example: Carnival ferris wheels: PETRIFIED and gripping the rails. Skydiving: did it without blinking. What tha WHAT?!

In conclusion: all of these things are a lame attempt at describing to you how much I love, appreciate, and admire my blonde best friend who functions as my sister while Britt is so far away. I cannot thank God enough for loving me enough to place her friendship in my life and for giving me someone as cool as she is to do life alongside while here in Denver. I aspire to be more like her on a daily basis, which in turn makes me more like Christ. Bethany is a faithful friend to constantly point me towards the cross, and she brightly reflects the glory of God everywhere she goes.

So there you have it. She is my best buddy, and I really don’t hate it.
My hat is off to you, Bethany Brueggen, my crazy, funny, slack-lining, soccer playing, sometimes reclusive, beautiful, joy filled, perfect road tripper, passionate, evangelistic, nomad, wack-job of a best friend. I couldn’t love you any more. You really are a frister*.

(*pending the approval of my littlest sister on October 15)