My first (full) wedding of 2011 is this weekend. And it’s not just any wedding… it’s the wedding of a dear, dear friend of mine. She is a wonderful person, a great nurse (soon to be a nurse anesthetist–a word that is easier to spell than pronounce), and such a fun, dependable friend. Her name is Jarah….
We met back in 2002 when I got a job at Ruby Tuesday’s in Columbia. She was one of the few females there who went out of her way to make me feel comfortable. And I soon learned that she was the go-to girl for fun…whether it was an afternoon trip to the winery, a night of mayhem at a dance club or a relaxed night watching a movie.There is something about Jarah’s laugh that is not only infectious, but empowering…you know, one of those people whom you can make laugh and when you do, it feels SO good!! Yeah, that’s my Jaranimo.
Below is us at Ruby’s…can you tell we’re Mizzou fans? And can you tell that we forgot to ask what the other was wearing? But only Jarah was cool enough to be okay with still going out dressed like we planned it. On the right, is us and two other gals at Halloween. I will let your imagination wander as to what Jules, the girl on the far left, is supposed to be… (so excited to see you this weekend, Jules!!) and then there is cowgirl Jarah and Rainbow Brite me.
When we met, neither of us were with the loves of our lives. We both had endured (and continued to endure for awhile) the tumultuous roller-coaster that is college dating. So when I met Neil in late 2003…and he was a good, drama-free sexy drummer who treated me so well and made me laugh like I’d never laughed before, she was more than supportive. (And she had an obsession with running her hands through his hair. 😉
I knew that in time, she, too, would find her Mr. Right.
And lucky for all of her friends, her Mr. Right turned out to be one helluva guy. He matches her level of stubbornness, fun and sweet gestures. I’ve watched (sometimes from afar since we haven’t lived in the same city for quite some time) them grow up together and mature into a relationship that neither one takes for granted. Here is one pic of the four of us together…and one of Jarah & me on my wedding day!!!
So last summer… Nick secretly contacted me and wanted me to plan a weekend for them to come to Kansas City so he could propose. I think i nearly broke my windows when I squealed with delight. It took some finessing and some outright threats to get there though because Jarah has been working her butt off in school to be a CRNA, so she had a hard time committing to a weekend here because she was so darn scared she’d be unprepared for her test the next week.In the end, she folded to Nick’s insistent pleas and my nagging… and thank gosh for that!
Nick wanted pics of this proposal…so despite some awkward moments of me being the annoying photographer…..it all paid off… I’ll let the pics speak for themselves….
So we did a mini impromptu engagement session…. before we headed on to the piano bar to celebrate!!!
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And now, we are upon the weekend of their wedding in St. Louis. I cannot believe that it’s finally here!!!! I am so honored to have such a special role in their wedding day–to document it and to give them images that will forever remind them of the first day of such an important chapter in their lives. I love you both!!! Let’s do this!!! xo
