Lové

My best friend is the most spectacular person in the world. I emulate her because she embodies everything I would like to be. She's tactful, graceful, brilliant, beautiful, and successful. Even her name is lovely.... She and I attended LMU together, and I hated her when we first met. She was more brilliant a writer than I could ever hope to be, and while we were never competitive, she makes me want to be a better person. She's a bitch to watch Jeopardy with, because she knows every fucking answer. We really have nothing in common on the surface, but I love her more than words will ever express. She was with me through my darkest times and is a huge reason why I pulled through them.

She was my roommate, my maid of honor, she was there at the birth of both of my daughters, and second in my heart only to my children (equal to and sometime comes before Nikolai). Even if we don't speak for months, it always seems like time never passed when we do start talking again. And when things go wrong in my life...I can't make things right until I talk to her.

She called me yesterday and informed me that I would be her Maid(en) of Honor. I've never even been a bridesmaid. My girlfriends never get married, and when they do, I'm not really close enough to them to be considered. Which is great for me, since I generally hate weddings.

Actually, we both hate weddings. They usually aren't what they are suppose to be. They turn out to be an annoying precession of events that completely alienate guests... kind of like watching slideshows of people's vacations at the Grand Canyon. Basically, a lot of weddings are like torture. There are exceptions of course.

Marriage, in general, is something that I am wary of. While I'm happily married (about 85% of the time, hehe)...it's probably the hardest thing I've ever done. Being a mom is easy and natural, but staying married is a challenge. Nikolai and I went into it blindly and forced into it in a lot of ways... but here we are making up our own rules as we go along and have faith in our love and our family. We are grateful that we love each other more than we ever have in the almost 14 years we've been in one another's lives.

For Stefana and Steve, I have never been happier about two people getting married. During her Maid of Honor speech at my wedding 8 years ago, Stefana said, "The two of you were a foregone conclusion…" Well their wedding day is the same. Their love is unique and genuine, and it breaks all the rules… and it's perfect. They are perfect for each other, and I adore them beyond measure. I am honored to be a part of their lives, and share their wedding day with them. Te ubesc!