from an article originally posted February 13, 2015...

I’m back. Kara has many, many friends, but since I’m one of the ones who writes, y’all tend to get stuck with me a lot.

I recently did an interview regarding Kara and friendships, and one of the questions the interviewer asked me was, what’s one thing people might not know about Kara?

It didn’t take me long to answer. She’s funny, I said.

Kara writes these lovely, heart wrenching, life-changing blogs. (And of course she wrote the book The Hardest Peace. If you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? It’s the perfect love story to curl up with on Valentine’s weekend. It’s about a girl and her savior and their love for one another. It’s about choosing to believe in the midst of life’s hard. I can’t speak highly enough of it. All OF THE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SHOULD READ IT. Now, back to the story…)

In the midst of all of these lovely, serious, life-changing things Kara talks about, she’s super funny and witty and sarcastic. All things I love.

So I thought I’d share some funny bits… another glimpse into Kara for those of you out there who aren’t privy to this side of her.

About a year ago, Kara and I went on a writer’s weekend together. She was under contract for The Hardest Peace, and I was still writing fiction without a contract. Little did I know that a few weeks later I’d be offered my first publishing contract for Falling for Texas. (Yay!)

Anyway, we stopped at a coffee shop on our way to Denver. I slaved over my words, and Kara wrote a ton all while playing on Facebook and writing a blog post. She’s a fast writer and it comes out sounding beautiful right away. She’s totally annoying that way.

After we slept at the hotel, I woke up feeling… not so well. Let’s just say I was in the bathroom. A lot. It was an introvert’s nightmare. We were stuck in this hotel room together—I certainly couldn’t leave—and the bathroom did not have a fan.

I can’t even believe I’m sharing this story. Anyway, as I’m hanging out in the bathroom, I hear Kara yelling from the room.

I have my headphones on. I can’t hear a thing! My music’s really loud! Don’t worry about me!

I started laughing and thinking, I love this girl. She makes the most uncomfortable comfortable. And while it still goes down as one of my embarrassing moments with a friend, it’s also one of my favorite stories.

Kara has also been known to steal clothing from people. Remember the grace dress a friend gave her early on in her cancer journey? If you’re wearing something she likes, she’ll tell you that you should give it to her because she has cancer.

She’s done this to her sister. She’s done it to me. Who knows how many countless friends are missing clothing items because of this girl? If you see pictures of her in a cute green coat, know that it once was mine.

What are we supposed to do?

When your friend says she wants your coat and then reminds you she has cancer, you just laugh, shake your head and fork it over.

I got a new jacket recently, and when I see Kara eyeing it, I can admit I clutch it to my chest. She’s not getting this one.

Kara and Jason still laugh. A lot. Cancer has robbed from them, but not their sense of humor.

I’m thankful for these two, and I’m especially thankful for the laughter we’ve shared—and will continue to share.

Thanks for loving our funny girl, as I know you all do. 

 Jill Lynn Buteyn is a wife, friend, and disorganized mom who writes fiction as Jill Lynn. If you want some more snark in your life, you can find her here:

www.Jill-Lynn.com
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