My Maid of Honor Speech

I constantly (not constantly, but it nags me every few months or so) think about my maid of honor speech at my best friend Erin's wedding. It was hastily written and only sorta kinda got across what I was wanting/trying to say. So here I am at midnight on a Friday night wide awake and reflecting on this and since I've said the speech about five times in my head, I figure I should get it down so that my best friend knows how much I love her. Here we go.

::drops a huge fold out piece of paper that falls to the floor:: for a laugh :-)

Erin, I love you so much. More than you know. We've been best friends for a long time. . . a friendship that was planted, watered, and grown from calling in sick to school so we could better learn the lyrics to "Build me up Buttercup" at the end of There's Something About Mary. I still feel like we are those women, hanging out in the hot tub at your house. No cares in the world. Although, all our cares at that time to us seemed HUGE and LIFE CHANGING. :-) . . . I love you so much. You are the best friend, confidant I could have asked for in life. Thank you for being my strong person.

About Brian. . . .I didn't like him at first!! No but wait! I had two reasons!!

First character flaw: too nice! Ladies, am I right? We are so judgemental in those first days of meeting our best friend's new man. He's either a jerk or too nice! ::shakes head:: We're so crazy. I suddenly became this women's lib person. "I can get my own door, thank youuuuUU!!" or "I can seat myself, thank you VERY much!!" :-) Of all the things to be critical of. . . but it's 100% genuine. Brian is trustworthy and a true gentleman. (A credit to his mama!)

Second character flaw: On more than one occasion he tried to teach me about the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. Ummm, hello?!??! I've been going to this school for four years! I know everything there is to know! (Side note ::I whisper to the crowd:: I did not go to your school. I only think I did! lol) . . . No but seriously. I do know a lot of the war hymns and traditions better than I know for both of the schools I attended. Erin, you've come a long way from falling on your saxophone (makes a gag noise) It still haunts me to this day!, to losing more toenails than I care to remember. And it was all for the sake of this intangible, incomprehensible, unspeakable awesomeness that is the corps. . . What I'm trying to say is I get it. And I'm so glad that I got to stand by you through it. I am so glad that I took phone calls, read emails and truly listened to what my best friend was going through for the past four years. Erin, to see the strong woman you have become has been beyond words. I am so very proud of you ::big pause::. . . . Back to Brian. It annoyed me that he did this but I know it's just because he was trying to make conversation and be nice. :-)

During one of the final (one of the many) buddy get-togethers for A-bat, there was a cook out on the A&M campus. I remember this one distinctly because it is there that I saw the first hug and kiss that was usually reserved for me or Erin's parents, go to this man. ::starting to cry:: I remember having this pain in my chest. It had happened. My best friend had found her person. And I felt a little bit of us slipping away. We weren't single gals anymore. We had our men in our lives that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives with. And that's okay. That's how life is supposed to be. Life is finding our person, our soul mate. . . Brian, thank you so much for being a wonderful man for my best friend. You are the best man I could have conjured up to take care of my Poo.

Here's to you Erin and Brian. I know without a shadow of a doubt that you will fight for each other, you will fight for yourselves, and you will fight with each other ;-) May you never stop fighting. May your marriage be long and happy. I love you both.

Claps and cheers all around.

::sigh:: That's how it should have been. Erin and Brian will be married for three years on Tuesday. Happy Anniversary to you!