happy birthday viva!

(Warning: the following post is full of embarrassing pictures and stories. I would just like to apologize in advance for the fury it might cause to an innocent victim.)

Introducing...the lovely Miss Jennifer Banks. Otherwise know as "viva."

Where did viva come from, you might ask? Well, her mother (and heaven). But the name came from her freshman year in college, when a loving roommate, (me) started calling her Jenavive instead of her given name. It was quickly shorted to viva and the name still lives on to this day.
But in case you want to call her by her real name, it's Jenn. With 2 N's.

Viva has a secret talent that only a select few know about. Those select few have been sworn to secrecy. Only under special occasions has this talent been shared. I am a good friend, therefore I will not reveal this secret, only that it involves Gollum from Lord of the Rings, and tootsie rolls.

Jenn loves sweetened condensed milk. plain.
She also likes pretzels.

She hates beans. of any variety.

Jenn always had a stash of treats hidden away in her room somewhere.

Viva never had a desire to go to Las Vegas, until her roommates had a horrible influence on her and convinced her to go on a road trip to sin city itself. Surprisingly enough, innocent little Jenn loved it more than all of us combined. She also must have been bored in the back seat and made a friend, Stuart Little, from her kid's meal at Wendy's.

She loves taking pictures just as much as I do. Which explains why I have thousands and thousands of pictures on my computer from freshmen year. (are you regretting that now, viva?)

Viva likes Boston accents. I mean, Vivar likes Bah-ston accents.

She knows everything you need to know about cooking. And she taught it all to me. She is the reason I put paper towels in my bags of lettuce to soak up the moisture, the reason I know how to mince garlic without a mincer, the reason I know how to boil eggs, and the reason I am obsessed with the chex mix that has probably added 15 pounds to my life in the last three years.

We used to call her the momma of our dorm. She took good care of us when we were sick and made us dinner all the time.

She has the best laugh of all time.

One time, we tried to throw a surprise party for Jenn. We spent all day sneaking around and spreading the word to everyone in the dorms. We thought we were doing a great job of keeping it from her, but she know something was up when Whitney whisked her away to get pizza and she bought 5 boxes. Needless to say, Jenn wasn't very surprised. But she was still a good sport.

She just graduated in December from Utah State University in Family Consumer and Human Development. I couldn't be more proud.

She is now a nanny in California, 5 minutes from Laguna Beach. I couldn't be more jealous.

Viva can build one heck of a miniature snow man.

We used to make trips to Walmart. Daily.

Viva hates to drive more than anything on this planet.

She loves the shows Survivor, American Idol, and The Office.

After being taught my entire life that cookie dough was bad for me, as in i'll get salmonella and die bad for me, viva introduced a new concept into my life by proving to me that indeed cookie dough is not bad for me and that I will not die from eating it.

One time, viva and I were involved in a love triangle. You see, I had a major crush on a boy who we both had a class with. Viva also shared this same crush, unbeknownst to me. Well, he confessed his love to her while I was on vacation but she never told me until after he got married. ha ha ha.

Another time, we were involved in another love triangle. She had a boyfriend (don't worry, I didn't have a major crush on this one), but I never left them alone. I was their third wheel wherever they went. And she didn't mind all the much.

She's the only person that beats me at Rummikub.

We once had a war with powdered sugar.

She has the best memory of all time. She reminds me of things I've completely forgotten.

She once fell in the ocean while standing on a very sharp and jutted out rock. She got a little scraped up. And then some people told her they enjoyed the show.

Um, also...

She is my best friend.
Happy 22nd Birthday, Viva!