Morning of the BIG day for the MOH!

I found myself on the morning of Carrie's wedding, reflecting on our friendship and all of the things that we'd been through in the 20 plus years that we've known each other. I thought to myself how crazy it was that life would lead us in so many different directions, but always brought us back to each other. I started to think about the MOH toast and what I should say and what I should leave out, and I started to cry. In all my life, no one besides my own family ever rushed to be at my side, or was so quick to jump to my defense. Carrie was always the kind of person that I aspired to be. Stubborn and forgiving to a fault. Confident and glamorous. Smart and intuitive. Carrie is simply a star, and someone that I seek out when I lose my way. Life hasn't been easy for Carrie or I, and thank God that we are able to lean on each other when we need to! The week before Carrie's wedding, I suffered a complicated migraine, which was first assessed as a stroke. Imagine how scared I was that my life was over, and that my kids and husband would live thier lives without me. Imagine how scared I was that my closest friend in the world, would be married, and I wouldn't be there with her. Yes, the outlook that I had on life changed in a heartbeat; my relationships meant more to me than ever before. Standing up with Carrie, was one of my top ten most important things that I wanted to be alive to do! And I mean that with all my heart. So as Carrie got ready for her wedding, and I placed her veil on her head, I looked her in the eyes and without saying a single word, we vowed to be the very same friends that we were as little girls, as teenagers, as young mom's, as single moms, and now as married women. For my beautiful friend Carrie and her husband Jayson, for their kids Holly, Hannah, Jerico, Josh, Hayden, & Madeline, I love you all so very much! I hope that whatever life throws you as a family, you'll hang on to each other as hard as you can, and know that the tides of change will knock you around, and hanging on to each other will bring you the steadiness that you're searching for!