Monday's Paint a Picture Blog...

This week is the week for the last of the original five individuals who volunteered to take part in this blog series I started a little over a month ago.

As the saying goes, “save the best for last!”

Now, I don’t use that saying in meaning that this individual is any better than any of the other individual’s I’ve previously honored throughout this blog series. I say it in reference to her being a “best,” as in a “best friend” of mine. I also purposely chose this individual for the last of the group of five people because when it comes to things she gets really excited about (as in the case with this blog series, because she was really excited to read the blog entry about her), her patience tends to be tested…HA! So, in efforts to help her with working on her patience (as I know she is), I kept her in suspense to see just WHEN she would be honored on my blog! HA! You know I love you, Ellison!

Jennifer Ellison. I consider Ellison to be a best friend!

Although less than four years ago I would have told you Jen was “too cool” for me to hangout with (in my opinion), I have since that time gotten to know the real Jennifer Ellison; the Ellison who is one of my favorite people to be around!

While Jen and I lived in the same dorm our freshman year (but on different floors), we really didn’t meet each other until sophomore year when we ended living in a same dorm again (this time on the same floor) and we pledged the same social club together, GATA. Even then, as I alluded to earlier, I did not hangout with Ellison really. It was not really until some point during our junior year that we started to become close; and honestly, I can’t even remember what started it or why…HA, but boy am I glad we became friends!

I think as I reflect on my friendship with Ellison the thing that stands out most to me is the difference between knowing Jen as in her being “just another one of your GATA sisters” or knowing Jen as “one of your close friends.” You’ll have two different impressions of her depending on which group you fall into (and I don’t say that implying that either impression is a bad impression at all). Both are good impressions that she gives off; however, those who are honored enough to call Jen a close friend are lucky enough to get to see the real Ellison that she chooses to share with a limited few.

Ellison is such a fun-loving caring friend! As much as she likes to give off the “tough girl” impression, she is a very caring person. She definitely cares about those she is close too. She is one who will always stand up for her friends and not let others talk bad about them. She is one to “go” when a friend calls. If these were not enough of a reason to love Jen’s friendship, she offers so much more!

I think the thing that I love the most about Ellison is the spirit that she has about her and always gives off! She almost always seems so happy! I love it! Though I’ve seen her have her tough times, she bounces back so quickly. She normally appears so stress-free. It’s hard to get to Jen and to keep her down!

I can honestly say some of my favorite pictures I have are pictures I have with Jennifer Ellison! Our pictures almost always turn out so well, in my opinion, because we always just seem so genuinely happy! Once again…I love it!

I know one thing that definitely brought Jen and I closer throughout our junior and senior years at ACU was our times involving pranking…HA! I’ve had my fair share of times pranking with Jen, as well as pranking Jen. HA! I LOVED it! Gosh, I can just sit here now and reflect on so many good times I had spent pranking where Jen was involved in some fashion! I’ve been in car chases with Ellison, I’ve spooned yards with Ellison, I’ve “broke-in” people’s houses with Ellison, I’ve fished people’s houses with Ellison, I’ve been on top of Ellison’s house’s roof, I’ve window chalked MANY a cars with Ellison, and many many more pranks! I’m even proud to say my only scar I have that I can tell you what it is from is on my arm from a gash I got from Ellison’s gate during a night of pranking at her house! HA! One of the things I loved most about pranking with Ellison was the child-like excitement pranking would bring out of her! She has a child-like excitement that certain things can bring out of her and it is so much fun to see her in that state! She gets like a young kid on Christmas morning! I love it!

There’s also no doubt that she is one of my favorite people to sit around and laugh with! We have many stories that we reminisce about that literally crack me up every time! She is one of my favorite people to laugh with, as well as to make laugh! I take great pride in being able to make Jennifer Ellison laugh!

But not everything is fun and games with Ellison. I’ve also been lucky enough to have serious talks with Miss Ellison about topics such as religion or topics of leadership or discussing big decisions involving our social club. Having the opportunity to serve as an officer along side Jen for our social club our senior year led to some of those discussions, but either way, I enjoy talking serious with Jen as much as I enjoy having a good laugh with her!

Not only is Ellison a great friend, she is also a very dedicated individual. When it comes to her job, whether that be her professional job, or even just her job as a part of the role she happens to be playing, such as the job and responsibilities that came with her officer position in our social club, you can always count on Jen to do it superbly! She handles huge events so well! She has a knack for making things come together so well. I admire the events she is able to piece together and coordinate. ACU is lucky to have such an individual for their centennial anniversary events’ coordinator!

Overall, I count myself very lucky to have Ellison as a best friend! She brings so much to the table in a friendship—laughter, seriousness, joy, happiness, and a good time! But you don’t have to take my word for it…

Jen is one of my bestest friends! After our hours-long talk at Arby's one day our sophomore year, I knew she would be a good friend for life! When no one else can tell that something is wrong, Jen is always the one who knows... she just knows. And she understands. Her crazy, outgoing personality, and willingness to say funny stuff that everyone else is thinking make me laugh all the time! And, as far as road trips go, there's no place I'd rather be than in the passenger seat with Jen driving! She's so much fun and I'm so blessed to have her as my good friend.
Julie Goen

Wow... so many stories! I remember a week during rushing when we were getting ready for a rush... one of the officers had the responsibility of getting the rush stuff together for a "western" themed rush, and she had assured Jen and me on numerous occasions that the rush decorations would be ready! However, Jen and I spent lots of time preparing for that not happening... and it was a good thing. After finishing up all of our duties on the day of the rush, we heard through the grapevine that one of the most important pieces of the decoration was not ready! So, with around an hour or two before the rush began, Jen and I started making phone calls to find bales of hay... and we found it on the last phone call... in Buffalo Gap! And we had to go get it! Jen drove, of course, and we hauled out to the little store in BG, bought gloves in the store, and loaded the hay with no help! Lots of bales! We hauled back to the Campus Center, put the bales out, and finished it all up... without many people knowing the crisis that could have been (maybe a little exaggeration!) But, it wouldn't have been complete without the hay, and Jen is the one who took her time to do that! She's awesome!
Julie Goen

Jennifer Ellison is a friend, confidante and sister to me. She makes my heart smile and my soul laugh. In fact, she makes me laugh more than anyone else I know, Over the past few years our friendship has grown and she has become part of my family. My parents consider her one of the kids and I think of her as a little sister. (Even though I forget our age difference at times!)
Jama Cadle

Jennifer exudes fun and is such a thoughtful, caring person. She always thinks of her friends and when she loves, she loves 110%. My husband, my parents and I are so blessed to have her in our lives. She is truly one of my best friends and I love her dearly!
Jama Cadle

A lot of people wonder how and why Jennifer and I became friends. After all, she is 8 years younger than me. And sometimes, I wonder too. But, right from the start, she and I hit it off and became forever friends. She has become a member of my family and is truly like a little sister to me (although I have to work on not treating her like a childJ). I can’t explain why, but I love Jennifer and would do anything for her. She has always understood me and has always been there when I just needed someone to listen. She is her own woman and definitely has her own opinions – sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t, but no matter what the circumstance we have a mutual respect for one another. I value her thoughts. She loves to laugh and she always makes sure I am up to date with the latest fashion trends and new music. I’ve been told by relatives that Jennifer use to dislike shopping – and now she out-shops me. We have many mutual friends that have thought we were related. It makes me laugh! I enjoy her company and hanging out. She is always thinking of nice things to do for me and when I’ve had a bad day – and there are times where I’ve had some really challenging days - she sends me a card or a little token of love and it makes everything better. From flowers to funky gifts – it’s something she has given from her heart. Jen isn’t an emotional person, in fact, there aren’t many who have seen her get emotional – but I consider it a privilege that Jen confides in me and has allowed me to see her emotional side. Jen can be reserved with most people and you don’t quite know what she is thinking. I consider myself lucky that I can read her facial expressions and body language and will instantly know what she is thinking. Jennifer is one of my best friends, she’s a woman of strength, a person of character and I can’t imagine her not being a part of my life. I am truly blessed.
Amber Peck

Jennifer likes to surprise me. I don’t know why, she just does. One year for my birthday she took me to Dallas for shopping and we had a makeover. I had mentioned it in passing once and she remembered and called my husband to let him know that she would be borrowing me for the day. We went shopping and had a great day – she had a better makeover than me and ended up spending more money J. I personally thought it was funny. I appreciate the fact that Jen remembers the little things. She truly enjoys making her friends feel special – so much in fact, that Jen put together another surprise trip for my birthday this year.
Amber Peck