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