Something Old, Something New

Sometimes life affords us special opportunities to reflect on the past at the very same moment that we are celebrating both the present and the future.  That couldn't be more obvious tonight, at a rehearsal dinner for my friend Jenn's wedding.  Tomorrow, I will be standing witness (in full bridesmaid regalia) as one of my best friends gets married.

Jenn and I have been through a lot together since we met back at Wrights Point in 2004.  Along with my brother Nick, Jenn and I met Hansel, Mat & Heather, Sarah, Jackie, Chris & Janelle, and JB & Julie--just to name a few of the people who in the matter of a few years became some of the best friends two girls will ever have. We greived over the death of our dear friend Justin, we played a lot of flag football and a lot of flip cup (wine was a bad idea), and we made a lot of lasting memories out of nights we can barely remember.

After leaving Wright's Point, Jenn and I ended up living in the same apartment complex again. When I moved to Aspen Pines and started my journey to lose weight, Jenn was always there to support me, and as an accomplished half-marathoner, she helped me transition from the treadmill to the pavement in 2008.  She ran my very first outdoor run with me (a 3-miler through Sawyer Point).  We went on to train for our first marathon together in 2009, and I'm not sure how we would have done it without one another's constant support. 

When we were both single a few years back, we acted as one another's "wing-girl." We'd go on dates, and we'd either bring each other along for support, or plan to call with an emergency if we needed an "out."  Jenn didn't need any more fake emergency calls once she met Shane, and that's when I realized she'd found the one.

It's easy, especially at my ripe old age of 34, to get the "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" complex.  Tomorrow marks the second November in a row where I've been on the sideline of a wedding, no closer to being married myself than I was a year ago.  To be honest, it's really tough being happy for someone else's happiness when I'm all alone.  But, just as a wedding celebrates the past, the present and the future, so shall I.  With how far I've come personally, through my health and through my maturity, it would be silly of me to spend any time lamenting not having someone special by my side right now.  While I may not have that particular someone here, I have a lot of special people in my life, and for that, I am truly blessed.

Congratulations Jenn & Shane!  Pictures and details to come...