I Would Like to Introduce...

...my bridesmaids!

My sister, Lizzie, will be my maid of honor. There really was no question in my mind about this, but Lizzie seemed a bit surprised when I asked her. We haven't always gotten along that well, but we have grown much closer as the years have gone by and I couldn't imagine getting married without her as my MOH. When I called her to let her know her MOH duties (from one of my wedding guides), she added that another one of her duties would be to tell me to "shut the hell up" if I get out of control! That is classic Lizzie and I love her!

Side note: One of the MOH duties listed is "unofficially calms the bride's nerves." My question is this: what is the difference between unofficially and officially calming one's nerves?

Besides my sister, I will also have three of my girlfriends beside me on the big day. Two of them are my friends from college: Christine and Becky, and the third is my friend that I met at PSHS: Heather.

Christine was actually one of my residents when I was an RA in Haynie Hall at good ol' ISU. I think one of my first memories of her was having to reprimand her for having her boyfriend on the floor without an escort. (Haynie Hall was, at the time, an all-girls dorm and men had to be escorted at all times.) We became fast friends and grew close even when other residents complained that I was showing favoritism. This may lead you to believe that I let Christine get away with things, but she can tell you that was definitely not the case! She was always causing problems! One of her favorite pasttimes was doing little things to get under my skin. (And Becky was often her partner in crime!) She lived on my floor for one year before moving to Hewitt. We remained friends and eventually rented an apartment together with two other girls. Despite the fact that Christine and I are quite different, we never stopped being friends. We have gone through some issues together, but we have always come around. Christine is a lot of fun and always makes me laugh. I'm looking forward to sharing this experience with her.

Becky was also a Haynie Hall resident, but lived on my friend Bova's floor. I don't really remember how we became friends...I think Bova might have introduced us...but I like to joke that I wished for her to be my friend when I would see her in Linkins Dining Center! (Ah, Linkins!) I have so many memories with Becky and will never forget that we always had the best times together when we weren't really doing anything. In fact, we spent almost an entire summer together doing nothing...including not going to class! She would spend the night at my apartment and when the alarm would go off, we would look at each other and ask, "Should we go today?" More often than not, the answer was no! After graduation, I would visit her in St. Louis and she would come to Joliet, too. We even took a road trip to Texas where I received my first speeding ticket! Becky and I have had some issues as well, but when it comes down to it, we will always be friends!

Coincidentally, Heather also went to ISU, but I didn't meet her until she came to work at Plainfield South High School. She didn't start there until January and I wasn't sure how to take her. I couldn't really read her and I wasn't sure if she liked me. However, we clicked and soon became inseparable. We worked together very closely at South and were always there for each other. It was difficult for me to leave her and go to Joliet Central (and she didn't make it that easy!). She was one of the main reasons that I would have stayed! We have stayed close even now that we are not working together and she is always there for me to vent. I don't know what I would do without her. She is always blunt and honest with me and wants nothing but the best for me. She is a great friend. Oh, I almost forgot...she is the one that introduced me to Randy! If she hadn't taken me to that birthday party, I wouldn't be planning this wedding! Thanks, Heather!

I may be biased, but I think I have an awesome bridal party. They are fun girls and will help make the big day run smoothly! I look forward to sharing everything with them!