Tcup

Sometimes people come into your life at the weirdest times, I’d be lying if I were to say that isn’t a contributor to what makes you so close sometimes though. Tanea is one of those people for me, I often thank her for becoming my friend when she did because I was kind of a wreck and she had to deal with me crying on the reg. But that’s the thing, she never has once shamed me or made me feel less for my journey. She has done nothing but encourage me and tell me she’s proud of me. She has been a constant light in my life since I met her, so once we were forming this friendship I quickly came to the realization that I would try and do right by her to the best of my abilities.

I call Tanea, Tcup and my Montana bestie. In fact we want to get matching tattoos, I want to get a tiny teacup and she wants to get a tiny peach because she’s my Tcup and I’m her peach💕

Tcup is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met, she says some off the wall shit sometimes and it absolutely unhinges me. I never go a visit with Tcup without laughing. She is such a hard worker and always seems to make people feel as special as they should feel. When Tanea and I met and realized we were both from Colorado, I think it was a comfort for both of us. We both were missing home in our own ways and although we didn’t know one another before Montana, it gave us a little piece of home to lean on. I remember the day I left town, she was the last person I said goodbye to. And for her to be the last face I saw meant the world to me. I remember being a mess that day, rolling into the Sportsmans warehouse parking lot with my uhaul behind my car and I went in to go find her but I couldn’t. Just as I was going out to my car to go call her I saw her in the parking lot and I absolutely lost it just after I had regained my composure. With tears streaming down my face I ran to hug her and we just held each other crying for a bit. I pulled out friendship bracelets to give her as a parting gift. One had the moon and one had the sun. We both wanted the other to have the sun because we said that the other person was our sun. We decided I would get the moon one though because I am a moon girly, I love the moon so much. I haven't taken it off around my ankle since leaving Montana, and I think of my tcup every time I look down and see it.

When I left Montana that day, I think we both knew it was what was best for me but it didn’t make it any easier unfortunately. I often try to imagine what Montana would have been like without her and I can’t ever really picture it. She was an important, foundational piece of it and we were able to form a long term friendship from it.

The only thing that changed with Tcup and I was the distance. We FaceTime often and talk almost every day.

So, when she told me that she was pregnant I was over the moon about being an auntie and I was even more thrilled to learn that she was moving back to Colorado before her baby boy joined us in this world.

Although still almost a 6 hour drive away - our hearts were full that it wasn’t 13 and we were just more at peace knowing that we were in the same state again.

This is Tcup and her husband Brad’s first baby, what an exciting period of life for them! Tanea deserves to feel all the excitement and joyous parts of pregnancy and of being a new mom. Hello, she is literally creating a human soul as we speak. So because of this it was IMPERATIVE to celebrate. And do all the fun things that come with having your first baby. We all joined forces to put together a Baby-Q and maternity photos for her and the weekend was absolutely beautiful.

I rolled into the springs at about 8am and it was really gloomy skies. Tanea and I both had been watching the weather and it was not looking promising, it was supposed to rain during the whole baby-Q that we planned to be outside. Regardless of this when we saw each other you could imagine the excitement we both held. We hadn’t seen each other since I left Montana that day and it showed in our happiness when reuniting.

I was also stunned because Tanea had warned me that her bump was a lot bigger than it looked over FaceTime and she was right. She is seriously the cutest pregnant woman I’ve ever seen and I’ll die on that hill. We spent the day setting up and getting ready for people to arrive kind of accepting the fate that we were dealt weather wise.

When party time rolled around people kept trickling in and everyone was eating and enjoying each others company. We lasted almost the whole duration of the party outside and only had to go inside for the last hour. It was an amazing turn out, a really fun party and not super rainy either. We were so grateful and so thankful for everyone taking time out of their days to come to a possibly rainy bbq. All the people that showed up for Tanea and Brad was a testament to how great of a couple they are. I couldn’t get over the fact that I was there, celebrating what we were celebrating - what an utterly special day and I was so grateful to have been a part of it. Tcup and I reflected on the party after and made the judgement that it was one of the funnest baby showers we’ve ever been to. We liked that men and women were there and how the laid back nature of a bbq/cookout theme felt.

The next day was spent hanging out with Tanea’s family, relaxing watching anime, playing board games, taking her maternity photos, and eating pasta. I was able to spend some time with Tanea’s family during this trip and they are really amazing folks, I greatly enjoyed getting to know them and look forward to future visits with them.

By the end of the weekend I felt a sense of restfulness because I felt like we had done what was so important to get done, and that was celebrate my best friend, celebrate her being a new mom, celebrate her and Brad’s new chapter, and make her feel as special as she is.

I am honored to have been apart of this weekend in Colorado Springs with my Tcup and I cannot wait to meet their little boy.

Ryan and Grandma - thank you for letting me stay in your home.

Tanea and Brad - you guys are going to be the worlds best parents and I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to raise an amazing human.

Thank you for allowing me to be apart of this day and time in your life.

I cannot wait to see what the future holds for you guys❤️

Please take a minute to admire that my best friend is the most beautiful woman in the entire world and how cute her and Brad are😭

Meeting baby Leon for the first time was filled with lots of snuggles, stares and endless toe sniffing. He is perfect, Tcup. I love him and you both so much!