My best friends wedding.

Now that I am 20 years old I have wisdom & I carry knowledge & sophistication (pshhh).  Along with that wisdom, knowledge & sophistication came my first 'tear jerking I'm-really-proud-of-you moment.' I always laughed at the mom's on Dance Mom's when they would cry after their daughter did an incredible job on stage (who am I kidding, I laugh through the whole show).  But really, you've seen your daughter dance hundreds of times, what's so different about this time?  Proud tears I guess.

Well no, not 'I guess' I now know and understand the emotion of being so proud of someone that salty water wells up in my eyes.  So my freshman year of college I met this really cool girl named Leah.  She was way too pretty & sweet & every boy in the world wanted to date her.  Well this really cool girl named Leah decided that I was pretty cool too so we became best friends.  I got Leah all to myself for about 2-3 months before I had to start sharing her with my friend Brandon.  Lucky for him, I approved.  I more than approved, I got the privilege of being more than just Leah's best friend to Brandon, we built a friendship and it became something I treasured.  I tagged along often, we were 3 pees in a pod.  You know I was there when he asked her out on their first date?  Awkward for me.  I also got to be there when Brandon got down on one knee, in front of a completely empty terminal, to ask sweet Leah to be his bride forever.  

I don't know anything about marriage, because there is no way in heck I am getting married in the next 10 years so my mind is not even in that place but I did catch onto a few things, I mean I was living with a bride-to-be.  Leah was preparing to be a wife & Brandon was preparing to be a husband, that is all I knew & I had to understand that.  

Anyway, onto the good stuff.  I was standing up on the stage in $20 payless shoes & in a really pretty plum dress, Brandon was standing at the alter in his tux & pretty white shoes, You're Beautiful by Phil Wickham was playing & in walked the most beautiful bride I have ever seen.  She was head to toe in a beautiful lace dress, I look over at Brandon & watch one of those 'I'm-going-to-take-over-your-face smiles' do exactly that, take over his face.  Flash backs of redbox runs, family dinners, signs, retreats, Sunday mornings, bathroom talks, cry-fests, scrubs & late night drives to McDonald's started to flood  my mind & my heart, I was overcome & that's when those proud tears began to stream down my face.  I got to watch this relationship unfold from day one & here I was watching it begin all over again.  

I'm really blessed to have these two beautiful people in my life.  You two are young, but your faith is strong & that is what's going to lead you.  I believe in both of you individually & as a couple.  Being able to watch two of my favorite people become one, was such a rewarding experience.  Love you both so much!! 

 Grocery shopping like big kids.

 Brandon & I decided that from this night forward we would be brother & sister.

 Youth Camp with FUMC Carrollton 

 Wesley Spring Retreat.  We hiked in TOMS, cheer shoes & converse. Oh & we almost DIED climbing this rock. 

 We MET each other on this night.  Looks like we've known each other forever, huh? :) 

 The night they got engaged!

Before she became Mrs. Brandon Clark.