First of all, I'd like to apologize for not updating this as regularly as I should or even at all. Whoops! I guess now that I'm actually in a relationship, all the time I had for blogging, I'm spending hanging with you know who. That and my workload is out of control.

I am also happy to report that one of the things that was consuming much of my time was successfully completed and went off without a hitch. Get it? Hitch. Of course I'm referring to the task I had of joining my two best friends in marriage. On Sunday, October 2nd, I stood in front of a group of my friends and strangers that became friends, and gave a very well-prepared ceremony. I am so glad that it is over and finally behind me - only because now I don't have to worry about effing up the most important day of their lives. I'm not kidding when I say that for months, I had mild panic attacks and bad dreams of being completely unprepared.

During the rehearsal, I nearly told them I wasn't going to be able to go through with it. I was pretty sure I'd eff it up. We went through the ceremony twice but just briefly. I barely got to spit out any of my ceremony and it all went by so quickly, I couldn't even keep the order of everything straight - which freaked me right out. The rehearsal, which I was banking on to be a huge help, barely even lasted 5 whole minutes. I'm a huge planner and preparer so this rehearsal thing was the last piece of the puzzle I needed to give me the confidence to go on. And it didn't work as I had planned.

However, that night at the rehearsal dinner, the bride's very good friend, walked with me and let me practice. He gave me some amazing tips on how to project my voice {outdoor ceremony, no mike}, how to breath and where to pause, but most importantly, not to worry because even the most seasoned ministers and priests make mistakes. Pair that with the fact that I met virtually everyone that was attending the wedding that same night and was able to get more comfortable around them. The next day at the ceremony, I wasn't even nervous. Oh, the Jack & Coke beforehand may have also helped :)

The reality of what I was doing finally hit me in the middle of the ceremony when I looked out at the crowd and then into the tearful eyes of my best friends who were intently listening to every word I wrote for them. I realized the enormity of my role in their lives and moving forward, the role I played in this new chapter in their lives. What an honor and what a memory!