OMG…… you won’t believe what happened to me last night! On Monday we picked up my dad and then we had plans on Tuesday to pick up my mom’s friend Jenny who was coming in for the wedding. Jenny has been planning on visiting my mom for quite some time so the wedding (plus my mom’s bday is today) seemed like the right time to visit. Anyway, her plane didn’t arrive until 11:15pm so I ran errands all day and then I suggested to my mom that I have John watch the kids so that we could take Jenny out to have a drink. Around 9pm I was just exhausted, on top of that I had nerves and allergies hit me, so pretty much I felt like shit. I fell asleep on my mom’s couch. I woke up in time to pull my hair back and wash my face and get in the limo to pick up my mom’s friend. I looked as bad as I felt but who cared? It was just Jenny a person I have known my entire childhood.

My mom, sister and my dad all went to the airport to meet her. As we walk in my mom says she forgot her camera and ran outside to the car. I remember thinking…who cares? Jenny is just about to get off the plane and why would my mom have to take a picture right there? Why wouldn’t she wait until the limo was there?? Because you can’t get close to the gate my sister and I were watching people walk through the gate through a huge window. My sister asked what Jenny looked like, all the time I am watching for her and describing her to my sister, I can’t see her. My dad who was on the phone with his wife was standing behind me and I heard him say, “I just saw her but I don’t think she recognized her.” I look at my dad and look around knowing that I hadn’t seen Jenny get off the plane. I turn again and completely freeze. Standing there is Sandy, my very best friend since I was 14. I knew it was her but my mind wouldn’t process the fact that she was standing there so I just froze. Then from what I can remember, I let out a huge scream and started hugging her so hard, we were both standing there crying. My sister said she even started crying as we both stood there hugging and crying for over five minutes.

Sandy had only been on an airplane once in her life, and this was her very first flight by herself. She lives in Wyoming and had to drive to Denver to catch her flight, then she had to switch planes in Minneapolis and ride in a little puny plane to Fargo. She had to arrange for someone to care for her three boys and she had to take time off of work. I still can’t believe that she would do all of that just for me! When I was in the 7th grade at Johnson Jr. High in Cheyenne Wyoming, Sandy and I had a Spanish class together. She was a cheerleader and everyone was in love with her, she was so cute and tiny in her little uniform and she never went anywhere without a crowd of friends with her. I was the smart and quiet kid that people forgot was there, I wore glasses and a ponytail most of the time. Sandy and I didn’t know each other until we were put together in Spanish class because we were the only two students who did so poorly in Spanish that we were not going to some special field trip because we were flunking the class. I was devastated; I had never done so poorly in a class in my life! The funny thing was that Sandy and I were the only Hispanic kids in that class! ROFL

Anyway, towards the end of 8th grade I somehow grew into myself with the help of my best friend Karen, I started figuring out clothes, makeup and hair and I discovered boys. Sandy and I still weren’t friends but she was friends with Karen also. That summer before 9th grade Karen had us both over to her house and Sandy and I just clicked. In 9th grade, Sandy and I found that we had 3 classes plus lunch together and ever since that first day of school we were inseparable. We had lots of fun, got into lots of trouble, and stood by each other no matter what. After I moved to California in my Junior year of high school we always kept in touch and even when we were both married and having children we kept in touch. We don’t talk every day but when we do talk we spend hours on the phone to make up for it. We have been there for each other through many pregnancies, through the loss of one baby, through 2 divorces and countless tears and even more laughs. If I could pick any one person to be here at my wedding other than Missy (my aunt and childhood sister) Sandy would be the person I would pick. I still can’t believe that my very best friend in the whole wide world is here!

On another note, the wedding is tomorrow!!!! I feel so not ready! I have so much to do today! I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July and I will be back soon. Thanks again to all of you for your lovely wedding wishes! When I return I will be an old married woman……can you believe that? ROFL

Graphic by MLL

My brother will be here today!!!!!!! I am so excited! Right now he is stationed on the USS Abraham Lincoln in Washington. He will be here for a little over a week. I know the time is going to go by way too fast but for now I am just going to enjoy having my little brother home! I don't know if I have blogged much about Gilly, he is the most awesome brother anyone could ask for. Well, to be honest when he was younger he was a major pain in the ass, and as a teenager he was even worse but even when he was pissing me off he had his moments where he was just so sweet. I don't know of many teenage boys who would hug and kiss their old married sister in front of all their friends. When Gilly went into the Navy we were so very proud but at the same time it was so hard to watch him get on the plane. I wrote him almost every day while he was in boot camp, he has always been strong willed, always questioning authority, so I just knew boot camp was hell for him. His letters home were hard to read at first, he hated it so much.

When he came home the change in him was amazing, somehow towards the end something just clicked for him and he actually appreciated what he went through in boot camp. Within a year he was a petty officer. We are all so very proud of him and the only hard part is that we miss him so much! Shortly after his visit here he will be going overseas. Of course I am proud that he is serving our country but if I am honest I am scared out of my mind. I worry about him so much, in my mind he is always the cool little kid with an earring and spiked hair who would go with me to parties at my friends house and make everyone laugh, the annoying teenager who would get pissed off at me because I wouldn't buy him and his friends beer, the scared 18 year old who cried as he boarded the plane on his way to bootcamp surrounded by his family and tons of his friends.

This November Gil will be turning 21, hard to believe! He will be spending his birthday away from his family and friends in another country far from home. I get sad just thinking of it. But for the next week or so he is ours and I plan to enjoy every single minute!