Monday, March 7, 2011

dream wedding.





One of my dearest friends from high school, Christa Towns, is getting married Saturday.

I so have to do a blog post about this, because Christa was totally the girl in high school who wanted to be a wedding planner and already had her own wedding planned out to a perfect t. I think we even bought her a wedding planning book so she could start compiling all her ideas early.

Between college, making the gigantic leap to kindergarten teacher, meeting her wonderful cowboy and fellow teacher fiance Gabe, etc., Christa's values, priorities and obsession with all things wedding has changed (for the better) - but that in no way means that I've lowered my expectations for a great wedding or that it's a smidge less unfathomably unbelievable that I'm old enough to be at the point where I'm attending her wedding.

I mean, Christa's house was the high school house, where everyone felt comfortable: banging through the screen door, a hug from Debbie (her mom) and a wave to Kevin (her brother) whose eyes were always permanently glued to the glow of the computer screen, chilling in the hot tub, watching Alias on a weekly basis (Michael Vartan was definitely the groom in every fantasy wedding scenario), the front yard epically TP'd, etc.

And Christa,
Like the house she grew up in, equally as able to make you feel instantly comfortable, warm and loved.
The bravery and fierceness of her love.
The naturally sexy, scratchy voice that normally takes smokers years to perfect.
Being scooped into a perfect hug - I am really going to miss the fact that she no longer lives down the street from us and I won't get an immediate response when I text her need a hug asap.
Fills the room with her presence.
All the good people she surrounds herself with.
A balanced voice of reason - often my source of sanity.
One of those people you can't imagine not being a part of your life.



We both loved 13 Going On 30 in high school - which I would still proudly put on my top ten movie list.
So for the Penningtowns marriage, I envision the very last scene of the movie: newlywed bliss as you move into a warm home (even if it is in Luther), pink converses and (of course) Razzles.