May You Stay Forever Young...

So its been a minute or two since I last posted, but Im just now having a bit of free time to do it!!  It was a ridiculously CRAZY weekend, but so worth it.  Saturday I married off my best friend to one of the single most amazing men I have ever met.  It has been a long and stressful last 7 months - planning, and practicing, and making, and coordinating - but THE minute my beautiful BFF and her wonderful husband to be locked eyes as she danced her way down the isle - it made every stressful feeling/moment/sleepless night worth it.  They are so amazing and genuine.  They have a friendship that most people only ever get to experience briefly, if at all.  They compliment each other in every silly little way, and its so refreshing.  Its a love that gives you faith in love.  Its a love that reaffirms what God has truly blessed us with on this Earth.  Jeff & Kris - I am so happy for the both of you.  You 100% deserve the love, laughter, and happiness you bring to one another.  God has smiled upon your marriage - and will only continue to do so.  

Aside from the initial wedding day jitters - everything went off without a hitch.  I got to spend the weekend with some of my favorite people in the world.  I made some wonderful new friends, and got to bask in the presence of the ones I dont get to see nearly enough.  There was so much laughter and joy ALL WEEKEND.  As I woke up snuggled to my best friend in the wee hours of the early afternoon - I could hardly contain my excitement for her!  I woke her up and we giggled about the fact that by this time tomorrow - she would be Mrs. Jeffrey Powell.  =]]]  EEEEEKKKKKKK!!!!  She deserves this happiness more than anyone.  After a 'post party night morning hangover killer beer' we hopped in the car, got us a rehydrating beverage, and set off to the hairdressers.  She was pre-curling the clip ins and needed approval.  Hahaha I love us and our skeevy clip in weaves.  Her hair was ready before our day ever started.  It amuses me.  Then we found ourselves with NOTHING to do for the next 4 hours.  So what did we do?  Sat in the bathroom floor, painted toesies, and laughed until we cried.  Those are the moments that make lifelong friendships.  We talked about love, and life, and those ridiculously inappropriate things you dare only talk about with your best friend. It was so nice to see her so happy and giddy - over this wonderfully amazing man.  The man shes always deserved but never thought she'd find. 
Four hours later - it was GO TIME!  I made my way out to the Wedding Ranch and she made her way to the hairdresser to start the process.  Two hours later (I was beginning to worry she was going to be late!), I recieved a text from her - it read:  "OMG.  I'M A F&^%$*G PRINCESS!!!"  I laughed so hard.  What felt like another hour later, (but couldnt really have been anymore than 10 minutes later), I see a flash of Green Lightening pull up to the Cottage followed by a cloud of dust, the sound of gravel and tires coming to a screeching hault, and Jeff's beautiful princess and her Lovely Charlie Darling (the wonderful designer of her dress), sprinting up the little dirt trail that lead up to the door of the bridal party cottage.  FOUR HOURS with NOTHING to do and all of a sudden we had less than an hour to do her make up, calm her nerves, say a prayer, gather all our shades for the dance and head down to the beautiful little Gazebo where she would begin her lifelong journey as Mrs. Kristina Powell.  It seemed to happen all so quickly!  All of us in the wedding party danced our way down the isle - as did the groom - as did the bride.  It was so much fun - so lighthearted - and so Jeff and Kris.  It was such a beautiful ceremony, and I had the best seat in the house.  I couldnt see Kristinas face - standing behind her - but I got to watch Jeffs.  He smiled from ear to ear.  He was so happy and so very proud to be taking her as his wife.  You could see the love and the adoration he feels for her.  It was truly like there was no one else in the world around but her.  And then I started to cry.  She deserves this man.  More than anything in the world - she deserves every bit of amazingness that he is.  Theirs truly is a marriage brought together by God himself.  What a blessing to have been able to share the most important day of their lives with them.  God is good. 

What do you say....

I have been sitting here at work all afternoon trying to write my speech/toast for my best friends wedding and have no idea where to start.  Im definately not much of a public speaker, so Im trying to keep it short and sweet.  But not TOO short - and definately not boring.  Writing has always come easy to me, but for some reason, today, I am stumped.  I keep playing everything we've been through over and over in my mind and feel like I dont know where to start.  There are so many amazing memories, and inside jokes, and tears, and laughs - its hard to try condense it all into one small 5 minute (MAYBE) long speech.  And then to include the groom! Good Lord!  I feel like I could write for days.  Kristina is definately one in a million, and I definately have no idea what I would have done the last 10 years of my life without her.  She has brought me through some of the toughest parts of my life - watched me struggle to do right - and stood by me when I was wrong.  Lord knows she wasnt always quiet about it or happy with my decisions, but she has never judged me.  She has loved me through all of it.  We've shared so many tears together.  Tears of happiness, tears of laughter, tears of sadness - just about anykind of emotion that brings tears - we've shared.  Shes been through so much in her own life, and I am so utterly and completely proud of the person she is.  She is strong, and beautiful, and loyal, and 100% willing to stand up for what she believes in, no matter who or what the cost.  Her character and soul are beautiful.  She is a rare gem - and Im so happy that shes finally found the man she deserves.  The man who will love her unconditionally, for who she is and what shes been through.  She deserves everything good in this world and she is gaining that in her fiance.  He is sweet, kind, loving, and thinks she is the most amazing girl on Earth.  As do we all.  =]  Im so happy for you, Kris!  I love you and you deserve the world.  =]

Oh Hai Der!

Hey there, beautiful folks.  Here I am trying my first hand at blogging.  Yay!  Im excited to start this, mainly because writing has always been such a wonderful outlet for me, and its been a very long while since I've done it.  So for me, this is therapy.  For you, I hope its - well - fun - for lack of a better term.  Im in a very 'limbo-esque' point in my life.  I am a single mom of an amazing little boy named Jack, and have found myself living back in the small West-Texas town I was born and raised in.  I have a million things going on in my life right now, and one, that is very important to me.... who lives 10 hours away.  The love of my life.  It has taken me 28 years, a million frogs, & one rather unpleasant divorce, to find him, and I can truly say he has been a Godsend.  Planning a future, and a family, with the one person you know was given to you by God, is so exciting.  For the first time in my life, I am utterly and completely happy.  I have a very GREAT, and loving God, a more than wonderful family, a son who has completely changed my life and the way I look at this world, and friends that keep me in stitches.  Anywho, I hope you enjoy my little blog, as I know I will enjoy doing it!  Thanks a jillion and God Bless!!!

-McKinziLeigh