"Welcome to our castle"

When I was a sophomore at BYU I lived on a street called 50 East. During my time there, I quickly befriended a spunky redhead who was incredibly talented and witty. We developed our friendship while attending ward prayer, open mic nights, and 80s classic skating. Toward the end of the year, we even double dated together (relationships which I think only lasted as long as they did because she and I had so much fun together while being “courted” by the two young men).

We both applied to study abroad in London for Fall 2004 and we had a blast traveling around Europe together with some close friends we made there. We were roommates the following semester at BYU. When I got married a couple years later, she played the piano and sang a beautiful song for our reception that she had written herself. A lot of stuff has happened since, but pretty much all you need to know is that she has truly been one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

Sometimes when I’m running up the stairs to my current apartment, I have flashbacks to when I could hear her footsteps sprinting up the hallway to my apartment from around the corner and then bursting through the door dramatically. I really miss that, especially since she’s now a big shot in New York City and the likelihood of it happening again is small. But today is her 25th birthday, so even though I won’t be bursting through her door with Taco Bell, ice cream, and a sweatshirt hug, I still want her to know how much I love and miss her! So Laura Ann Ostler, happy birthday to you: the sassiest little filth I’ve ever met (and you know I mean that in the nicest way possible). I hope all of your wishes and dreams come true!