Dedication to My Best Friend

Today was the reason I came back to Kentucky for over a month; spent a month away from my new home, new husband, and new kitten. And I have missed them all something terrible. Every single one of those moments was absolutely worth it to see my bestest friend in the entire world walk down that aisle today. To be able to share such precious moments with her and her new husband just touched my heart in a way that words could not come close to describing. She was unbelievable beautiful and I only add unbelievable because, to me, she has always been one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. And I'm actually pretty jealous of her husband for getting to spend so much time with her now. I am so thankful for being able to stand up as her Matron-of-Honor today because in a way, along with her parents, I felt as though I were giving her away. It took everything in me not to melt down into tears as I saw her swoosh into view at the back of the church and walk down the aisle.

Our Friendship's History
We say it started at birth because we were born one day apart in the same hospital. We didn't meet, however, until the 2nd grade. And on a whim, I called her one day and asked if she wanted to go skating with me. Who knows what would have happened if I had never called and I never really want to know.

She has been my most constant friend and probably my first "best" friend. She was always there for me when I needed her most- this includes boy problems, proms, graduations, sickness, and my own wedding last December. I remember asking her to live with me at the end of my freshman year of college because I realized that everyday I got to see her was a good day, a happy day. And I wanted to be happy and see her every single day.

Then, sophomore year of college, she became more than my best friend- she became my sister. She was there with open arms after a horrible break-up. She was there to call and schedule and doctor's appointment when I was really sick one day. She even walked across campus in something like 18 degree weather to drive my car back to our dorm so I could go home- I was too sick to go get it myself and without missing a beat, she began bundling up and asked for my car keys. And then, she introduced me to Christ. This alone changed my life, and without Sara, I don't know how I would found Him.

The Past Year
Sara is a better friend than I could have ever hoped for. She kept me strong while I planned my wedding while my husband was at tech school for his job in the Air Force. She is the one who demanded I moved my wedding date up 4 months so that I didn't have to spend an extra 4 months away from my husband and that I could just make a trip home for her wedding. Who helped to keep me sane when work, graduation, class, my mother and my husband-to-be were completely driving me nuts and stressing me out last Fall? My beautiful best friend, Sara. And who was the best maid-of-honor I could have asked for? My sister, Sara.

She is an even better friend for providing me an out of the MOH position, saying she understood if I wanted to stay with my husband in England and wouldn't love me any less for it. Part of me wanted to take the out but deep in my heart, I knew I would hate myself for the rest of my life for missing such an important day of her life. So today, I stood beside her, held her flowers, fluffed her dress, and carried tissues for her tears in my pockets as her Matron-of-Honor.

Would I do it all again, spend almost 6 weeks apart from my husband, just for this one day?

For Sara- in a heartbeat.




(A Special Thanks! to Jennifer Creed for the photo!)