3 Lessons from the Wedding Day - by the Maid of Honor

The wedding is done, my best friend is a MARRIED WOMAN! Ridiculous. Amazing. Hilarious. I hope it sinks in soon, I haven't been able to make myself change her name in my contacts list yet. Who cares about the marriage license and her social security card and passport?? It's not official until the best friend changes the name in the phone!

To wrap up my blogging on this fantastic wedding, I wanted to share with you three things I learned from the wedding day:

#1 The Couple's Attitude Makes the Party - We've probably all been to weddings where the groom is basically dragging his bride out the door or the bride is so detail obsessed and overwhelmed that her plastic Barbie smile is downright painful. My friends demonstrated that if the couple are having fun mingling, dancing, eating, drinking and enjoying the attention without feeling the pressure of a dozen traditional moments for the sake of a dozen traditional moments, EVERYBODY HAS FUN.

#2 Parents Have Power, Especially Moms - What is scarier than a mother on a rampage protecting its young? Nothing. Not even a dental hygienist with a drill and a grudge. Moms and Dads of the couple, use your power for good, not evil. I was with the bride's mom most of the day and she was the best. Calm and having fun with a big smile the whole day! That's how it's done.

#3 A Snafu is the Better Story - So relax. We had to stuff the bride (in her gown) into a child-sized bathroom stall. The wedding party's bus got stuck behind an accident for 20 minutes on our way to the reception. One of the little kids made loud awkward noises and gestures all throughout my toast (I'm very excited for the future blackmail material though). Unfortunate in the moment... best stories of the night!! Enjoy it all.

The gorgeous bride and her not-so-little boy

And God Bless Us, Each And Everyone!

Christmas self-portrait (look really hard, I'm there)

Well, we're all still here. Good one, Mayans. Though I'm quite pleased since that means I'll now be able to see Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables after Christmas. There are other reasons I'm glad too but that one is quite compelling... ::dreamy sigh::.

I hope you all are finished with holiday preparations and can spend your Christmas Eve relaxing at home in front of a nice fire, maybe have a special somebody rub your feet and bring you a hot beverage or two... no? Wait, you still have presents to buy? Cookies to bake? Gifts to wrap!? SLACKER!! Oh hang on... I'm not done either... that's right. :) But for all you OCD holiday preppers out there, I hope you recognize that it's really ok. Not everything has to be perfect! My house sure isn't. As always, I encourage you to look past the trappings of the Christmas season and remember the wise words of Dr. Seuss: "What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?”

Please remember the families from Sandy Hook this Christmas in your prayers and take time to let go of any grudges, hurtful competitiveness and jealousy you may have, especially toward family. You have no guarantee you'll get another chance. I encourage you to give the gift of yourselves this Christmas, just like the little Christ child:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior  which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Gospel of Luke, 2:1-14)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Thoughts on Sisters

I love having sisters. I also love being around other groups of sisters! You can't really understand the wonderful insanity of being one of three or more girls in a family unless you experience it. I got to thinking about what a blessing sisters are last night when I was hanging out with some friends. There are three girls in their family that are right around the ages of three of us girls in my family. I'm convinced this is a recipe for fun. We need to get together an adventure or two.

But back to my sisters. I can't image not having them around. There are five sisters and two sisters-in-law, spanning 24 years worth of age difference, and we all have ridiculously strong personalities in our own ways. (I'm a little worried my baby sister is my clone though...) We have the delicate girly natures, the rough and tumble girls, the adventurous ones, the quiet stay at home types, the athletic ones, the artistic ones, the night owls and the early risers. Basically, I think that if my sisters and I had to rule the world, between all of us we could get the job done. They always challenge me to be more compassionate, patient and to keep laughing. God knew what He was doing putting us all together! I couldn't do without them.

me and two of my gorgeous sisters

So for all of you out there who have sisters, work on those relationships every day and treasure them! Nothing is more beautiful than seeing sisters hanging out together, joking around, teasing each other, praying for each other and just having fun. We are a witness to love in a unique and powerful way, so lets bring that witness to the world!