Rae, my sister-in-law's cousin, and I left Tuesday morning when I got out of work for Florida. She picked me up around lunch time. Shortly after we left, my phone rang. My heart jumped and then about stopped when I saw "Joe" on the caller ID. At first I got excited, because it didn't register that it wouldn't be him.... and my heart stopped because I knew what whoever was on the other line was calling to say. It was Jeanine- bless her heart for having the courage to call me. After I asked how she was, there was a pause. "He's gone." My heart started racing. "Was it peaceful?" I managed to get out, trying not to lose it, since I didn't want to make the situation awkward for Rae. "Autumn, oh my gosh, yes. It was so peaceful." Praise God. I am so incredibly happy that Joe is in Heaven right now. I kept thinking about it all day long... he is in HEAVEN! Meeting JESUS! I'm so thankful. And jealous :-) When I got off the phone, Rae encouraged me to cry if I wanted to. I thought about it, but I really didn't want to quite yet. I waited for my turn to drive, when she was laying in the backseat to put my sunglasses on and let er rip.
The most beautiful thing happened yesterday morning though. The song "Ten Thousand Angel" (the link I posted last time) came on.... as the sun was coming above the horizon... in Florida, of all places. At THAT VERY second. Crazy that it would appear during that song. I had been listening to praise and worship, thinking about Joe. And it was just kind of confirmation, from God, that the sun also rises. Things will be ok. Life will still go on. I will have my good days and bad days. But God is so faithful. And things will be alright.
On a happier note, I arrived to Florida and am surrounded by the ones I love so much. This morning my nephew woke me up, because he didn't want to wait to play with me. Normally I'd be steamed waking up at 8 am. but I was so happy, and thankful to have the opportunity. I love being here. And my heart needs this this week. Praise God for perfect timing.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
hardest day of my life
Today was officially the hardest day of my life... and I contemplated over that for a while, so my decision was thought out. Joe has progressively gotten sicker over the past week. It's hard to believe that I had a full conversation with him a week ago on the phone. I would have talked to him forever if I really thought it was the last time I'd converse with him. And I wish I could have recorded his voice, or him saying that he loved me. I hear it in my head, but it is different to hear in person.
I talked to Joe's wife yesterday and she said that he had gotten worse. He isn't really talking much, he just sleeps a lot. And I could hear the sorrow in her voice, as she lied that, "we're ok", as if trying to convince herself that it was the truth. My heart broke when her voice started to shake, as she said, "I know it won't be long. It won't be long, Autumn."
So I promised myself that no matter if I wanted to or not, I owed it to Joe to go see him one last time. It absolutely put knots in my stomach. I wanted the night at work to drag on forever, so that I wouldn't have to leave and drive up to their house. On the way up there I was shaky. I felt so nauseous that I could have pulled over and thrown up at least 5 times. But I kept taking deep breaths and listened to worship music.
When I pulled up to the driveway, I sat in my car for a good minute or so convincing myself to go in. I walked up to the house and it just felt different. Instead of the excitement and enthusiasm that usually takes over as I approach the door, it was panic and worry. I opened the door and didn't hear anyone. Then I looked over to my right; there was the hospital bed in the living room, over in the corner. And my stomach dropped. There laid a very pale, frail looking body... motionless except the rapid respirations that were going in and out of his lungs. I immediately looked away, choking back the tears. My eyes welled up and I could not be in this room alone with him. So I stood at the door, telling myself that I could walk back out; nobody had seen me. They wouldn't even know I was there. But I heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs. And I saw Jeanine. A smile wiped over her exhausted face, as she set the laundry down and came to kiss my cheek. She grabbed my hand and led me over to Joe, as I trailed behind her, afraid to come close to him. I'm sure the color drained from my face as I looked more closely at him. Where there was once muscle and meat, his bones were protruding on his legs. His rounded belly is now concave, as his skin rubbed against his ribs with every breath. She stared adoringly at him. I had a hard time keeping my eyes on him. I looked around the room like it was the first time I had been to their house, hoping that Jeanine wouldn't see the pain on my face.
After a few moments of silence, she began to tell me that the hospice nurse said that he wasn't in pain. The previous months of excruciating pain that he suffered; in his shoulders, his back, his legs and feet.... he couldn't feel it anymore. A deep sigh of relief escaped me. My jaw started to quiver as I fought back the tears. She stroked his hand as his eyes began to part, as he shifted his weight slightly in the bed. "Autumn is here, Joe! She came to see you." At first he closed his eyes, and I thought he was going to fall back asleep. But he fidgetted a little bit more in bed, and fought the sleep. His eyes parted again, and I managed to get "hi" out of my mouth. Jeanine said it again: "Joe, Autumn is here. She's standing right next to you." Slowly, he turned his head to follow my voice, as I said, "I'm right here Joe." His eyes met mine, and he tried to smile. "Hi" he said, as he reached his arm over towards me. I immediately grabbed his hand and began rubbing it between both of mine. And he didn't let go. And neither did I. Over the next hour and a half or so, he would look over at me periodically and say "hi baby," as if he wanted so badly to say more, but he was so out of breath.
Amazingly, I kept my composure the entire time. I visited with Jeanine while Joe slept, never leaving his side. I knelt on the floor over the rail on the hospital bed, constantly rubbing his hand, arm, or belly. We adjusted him from time to time, as his body kept maneuvering over onto his right side, in the corner of the bed. Ed, his brother, came in and spent some time with us. We talked about memories from the hospital, when I first took care of Joe. And they told me over and over again how thankful they were for me, and how much Joe loved me. I teared up from time to time, but I suppressed them, for I knew that once the first one trickled down my face, it was the end of me.
I didn't want to leave his side. But some more of his family came, and I felt like I was intruding on their time with him, though they insisted that I could stay as long as I wanted. I couldn't bring myself to hug him one final time, or to kiss his head. Instead, I hugged and kissed the family before I left. I knew if I spoke a single word in his direction, I would have sobbed. Right there, in front of everyone, who were already struggling to hold it together. So I just looked at him, and soaked in the last second that I would see him here on this earth.
The second I got out of the house, I felt my jaw start to quiver. I hurriedly put on my sunglasses as the tears began BURSTING out of my eyes. I sped-walked to my car and got in the driver's seat. My body began to shake as sobs escaped my chest.
The worship music continued to play as I made the drive back, crying the whole way. I prayed the whole way outloud. Sometimes expressing anger. Other times expressing adoration and thanksgiving for allowing me to be a part of this man's life. But always knowing and telling God that He is Good. And His timing is perfect; I full well believe that. Knowing Joe has forever changed me. I am a better person because he lived.
So this is your honey bun, Joe...... I'm rejoicing that you're going to Heaven; they're inheriting a comedian. I can already imagine how amazing Heaven is, and I cannot fathom how it is possible, but you're going to make it an even better place. And they're going to be so happy to have you. I rest in the fact that God is good, always. I'm going to miss you. So. Incredibly. Much. Thank you for loving me. I will forever love you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YELuKbD4nuw
This is one of the most beautiful songs (and one of my favorites). I want it played at the celebration of my life, whenever I go to be with Jesus. I'm loaning it to Joe. :-)
I talked to Joe's wife yesterday and she said that he had gotten worse. He isn't really talking much, he just sleeps a lot. And I could hear the sorrow in her voice, as she lied that, "we're ok", as if trying to convince herself that it was the truth. My heart broke when her voice started to shake, as she said, "I know it won't be long. It won't be long, Autumn."
So I promised myself that no matter if I wanted to or not, I owed it to Joe to go see him one last time. It absolutely put knots in my stomach. I wanted the night at work to drag on forever, so that I wouldn't have to leave and drive up to their house. On the way up there I was shaky. I felt so nauseous that I could have pulled over and thrown up at least 5 times. But I kept taking deep breaths and listened to worship music.
When I pulled up to the driveway, I sat in my car for a good minute or so convincing myself to go in. I walked up to the house and it just felt different. Instead of the excitement and enthusiasm that usually takes over as I approach the door, it was panic and worry. I opened the door and didn't hear anyone. Then I looked over to my right; there was the hospital bed in the living room, over in the corner. And my stomach dropped. There laid a very pale, frail looking body... motionless except the rapid respirations that were going in and out of his lungs. I immediately looked away, choking back the tears. My eyes welled up and I could not be in this room alone with him. So I stood at the door, telling myself that I could walk back out; nobody had seen me. They wouldn't even know I was there. But I heard footsteps coming up the basement stairs. And I saw Jeanine. A smile wiped over her exhausted face, as she set the laundry down and came to kiss my cheek. She grabbed my hand and led me over to Joe, as I trailed behind her, afraid to come close to him. I'm sure the color drained from my face as I looked more closely at him. Where there was once muscle and meat, his bones were protruding on his legs. His rounded belly is now concave, as his skin rubbed against his ribs with every breath. She stared adoringly at him. I had a hard time keeping my eyes on him. I looked around the room like it was the first time I had been to their house, hoping that Jeanine wouldn't see the pain on my face.
After a few moments of silence, she began to tell me that the hospice nurse said that he wasn't in pain. The previous months of excruciating pain that he suffered; in his shoulders, his back, his legs and feet.... he couldn't feel it anymore. A deep sigh of relief escaped me. My jaw started to quiver as I fought back the tears. She stroked his hand as his eyes began to part, as he shifted his weight slightly in the bed. "Autumn is here, Joe! She came to see you." At first he closed his eyes, and I thought he was going to fall back asleep. But he fidgetted a little bit more in bed, and fought the sleep. His eyes parted again, and I managed to get "hi" out of my mouth. Jeanine said it again: "Joe, Autumn is here. She's standing right next to you." Slowly, he turned his head to follow my voice, as I said, "I'm right here Joe." His eyes met mine, and he tried to smile. "Hi" he said, as he reached his arm over towards me. I immediately grabbed his hand and began rubbing it between both of mine. And he didn't let go. And neither did I. Over the next hour and a half or so, he would look over at me periodically and say "hi baby," as if he wanted so badly to say more, but he was so out of breath.
Amazingly, I kept my composure the entire time. I visited with Jeanine while Joe slept, never leaving his side. I knelt on the floor over the rail on the hospital bed, constantly rubbing his hand, arm, or belly. We adjusted him from time to time, as his body kept maneuvering over onto his right side, in the corner of the bed. Ed, his brother, came in and spent some time with us. We talked about memories from the hospital, when I first took care of Joe. And they told me over and over again how thankful they were for me, and how much Joe loved me. I teared up from time to time, but I suppressed them, for I knew that once the first one trickled down my face, it was the end of me.
I didn't want to leave his side. But some more of his family came, and I felt like I was intruding on their time with him, though they insisted that I could stay as long as I wanted. I couldn't bring myself to hug him one final time, or to kiss his head. Instead, I hugged and kissed the family before I left. I knew if I spoke a single word in his direction, I would have sobbed. Right there, in front of everyone, who were already struggling to hold it together. So I just looked at him, and soaked in the last second that I would see him here on this earth.
The second I got out of the house, I felt my jaw start to quiver. I hurriedly put on my sunglasses as the tears began BURSTING out of my eyes. I sped-walked to my car and got in the driver's seat. My body began to shake as sobs escaped my chest.
The worship music continued to play as I made the drive back, crying the whole way. I prayed the whole way outloud. Sometimes expressing anger. Other times expressing adoration and thanksgiving for allowing me to be a part of this man's life. But always knowing and telling God that He is Good. And His timing is perfect; I full well believe that. Knowing Joe has forever changed me. I am a better person because he lived.
So this is your honey bun, Joe...... I'm rejoicing that you're going to Heaven; they're inheriting a comedian. I can already imagine how amazing Heaven is, and I cannot fathom how it is possible, but you're going to make it an even better place. And they're going to be so happy to have you. I rest in the fact that God is good, always. I'm going to miss you. So. Incredibly. Much. Thank you for loving me. I will forever love you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YELuKbD4nuw
This is one of the most beautiful songs (and one of my favorites). I want it played at the celebration of my life, whenever I go to be with Jesus. I'm loaning it to Joe. :-)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
brokenness
I got a phone call tonight that was disappointing, but I didn't think much about it.....
Joe was in the hospital this weekend and left today on hospice (which means he has very little time left). The more I think about it tonight, the more emotional I get. I have to go see him today..... and my heart is breaking. Because I don't think I can be strong in front of him, knowing this is potentially the last time I see him. I knew this was coming but it's so much harder than I had imagined. So, so much harder. He has brought so very much joy to my heart. I wouldn't take a moment of it back if I knew it'd hurt less. It was worth it.
Please pray for me. I'm going to be a wreck this week. I just know it.
Joe was in the hospital this weekend and left today on hospice (which means he has very little time left). The more I think about it tonight, the more emotional I get. I have to go see him today..... and my heart is breaking. Because I don't think I can be strong in front of him, knowing this is potentially the last time I see him. I knew this was coming but it's so much harder than I had imagined. So, so much harder. He has brought so very much joy to my heart. I wouldn't take a moment of it back if I knew it'd hurt less. It was worth it.
Please pray for me. I'm going to be a wreck this week. I just know it.
Monday, May 18, 2009
the best wedding ever
I haven't posted in for-ev-er, but this isn't a general update, it's just about this past week/weekend. Wednesday morning at 7 am, I drove up to Wisconsin for Stacy's wedding. I got there about noon. All we really did Wednesday was hang out with Eric (her fiance), go tanning, and make tissue paper balls for the reception (that turned out AWESOME, by the way). I went to bed early since I had been up for over 24 hours.
Thursday morning we went to Madison with her parents and brother to pick up her wedding dress & the guys' tuxes. We also returned some of her shower gifts and tried to find clutches for the wedding. The rest of the day we just kind of sat around packing her room up to send stuff with Eric. Two of the other bridesmaids, Caitlin and Rachel, arrived Thursday night. We sat around talking and then made a run to Walmart to get nail polish with them and Stacy's brother, Mark. When we got back, Eric & his brother, Luke (the best man) were at Stacy's. We had a little meeting to discuss details that Luke and I needed to do as the best man and moh. I am surprised at how very very detail oriented those two guys are. It's impressive. It was the first time I had met Luke. I kind of thought as a pro football player, he might be a little big headed and into himself, but he was 100% happy big brother for Eric. It was awesome to see. They left, and then the three of us bridesmaids watched The Guardian with Mark. We may have fallen asleep at least 3 times during it because it was like 1:30 in the morning.
Friday morning we woke up semi-early. We went to Stacy's nail appointment, which took for-ev-er. Good thing we brought nail polish to do our own, and a camera to keep us entertained. Even then we struggled keeping ourselves occupied the two hours. She ended up getting done just in time for us to peace out to the salon to have her make-up done (practice run). The salon was about an hour away, so we grabbed Subway for the road and left. We looked through hairstyle magazines while she got her makeup done, trying to find styles for the wedding. After that, we helped set some stuff up at the reception hall, then got to the church to get ready for rehearsal. The rehearsal went really well. Everyone looked really good- we had everyone get dressed up for the occasion, to make for some good pictures. After that was the dinner, of course. It was fun. I sat with Katie, Caitlin, Rachel, Rory & Taylor Fry (childhood friends of Stacy's), and Mark. We had to take a quiz to see how well we knew the bride & groom. I got nine out of 16 WRONG and totally got called out for it, as the moh. But Mark made a smart alec comment to back me up. It was hilarious. Might I point out that one of the questions on the quiz was "what place that Eric & Stacy go to eat at makes Eric sick every time?"..... one of the answers was IHOP, but the font was really confusing. So Mark was like, "What is I-H-O-P?" and our table roared in laughter. Oh man.
After that, we went back to the reception hall to add some final touches. We ended up staying there for another hour, which made it laaaaate at night. Eric's family was hosting a game night for everyone who was in town for the wedding, so we eventually made our way to that to play a couple games of Catch Phrase. It was definitely the most people that I've ever played a game like that with. There were probably 26 or so of us playing? After about an hour or so, we drove home to get some sleep.
Saturday morning we all woke up early early early. We had to take 2 second showers (leaving our hair dirty of course, to be done), and get on the road to head to the salon. I volunteered to drive so that my car would be in town for me to leave Sunday morning (the wedding was an hour south of Stacy's hometown/house). Stacy and her mom wanted to ride with me, and since we were running a bit late, Stacy told me that I had to speed or she was going to drive (my car). So I pretty much flew on the back roads (she lives in the middle of nowhere). On our way approaching town, the worst thing imaginable happened; I got pulled over. :-( The state trooper walked up to my car and asked why I was speeding. I didn't want to give him a long drawn out story, so I just told him that we were on our way to the bride's hair appointment and were running a little late. He was not impressed or sympathetic towards my answer. Instead he asked why my ID was IL and my plates were MI. So I told him I recently moved (which isn't a lie.... good thing he didn't ask HOW recently). He asked if the other two cars pulled over 50 yards from us were with us. I said yes, so he said he'd mark me for 70 in a 55 instead of 72, which would save me $50. He took my ID back and it took him FOREVER to walk back up. He said "Try to have a better day" as he handed my ID back and walked away. Classy. We then proceeded to drive to the salon, of course not going a mark over the speed limit this time.
We all got our hair done; the ironic thing was that Caitlin, the girl with the shortest hair took longer than the BRIDE!!!!! My hair also took forever, because the lady underestimated the thickness of my hair. I have a lot. So it took probably close to an hour to curl all of it. It was hilarious when Lauretta (Stacy's mom) was getting her hair done. We were all telling her how pretty she was (she's gorgeous). And all of a sudden on the radio, "Stacy's Mom Has Got It Going On" came on. We all busted up laughing and belted it out to her. It was fun :-) I was mad though, because I left my makeup at church the night before to do touch-ups for the wedding, and never even thought "hey, I need it to put on the first application before the touch-ups". Dingbat. Luckily one of the personal attendants of Stacy ran in to town to the church to get it and brought it back. I applied my makeup on the way back to the church.
We arrived at the church shortly after 11 and began to get dressed. We were running late, once again, but had them take the guys' pictures instead of ours first so that everything would still be on time. As time drew nearer, I really thought Stacy was going to throw up. She sat in the chair saying how nauseous she was, with her dress on. I didn't know what to do but encourage her to take deep breaths. Then it was time.....
The singers they had were INCREDIBLE. Sounded very very much like Josh Groban singing The Prayer. I was blown away. It made everyone a little misty eyed. And then the moment... the bride entered the room. The wedding party had their eyes plastered on Eric, because we had a bet whether he'd cry or not. Actually it wasn't a bet, because everyone said he would. But there he was, smiling the most genuine, biggest smile I've ever seen on him as his face turned beet red, with tears STREAMING down his face, holding back sobs. It was the most beautiful moment between two people that I have ever witnessed. My eyes filled with tears, as I turned to look at Stacy. Her eyes started to turn bloodshot, and she looked away from Eric so that she wouldn't start bawling. The ceremony went on, and I continued to have tear-filled eyes all throughout the ceremony. Of course again when Eric surprised Stacy by singing "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. She had no idea he was going to sing (the rest of us did), and he has such a beautiful voice. During the rehearsal the day before, the pastor kept forgetting the "you may now kiss the bride" part, so Eric was nervous he'd forget it at the wedding, but he remembered :-)
After the ceremony & receiving line went through, Luke and I went to the car to drive Eric & Stacy away. It was neat to be able to share the first moments with them, talking, screaming, and honking through town. All of the little details of the day faded away, as the most important thing was accomplished; they were married.
We took more pictures at the church, downtown, and at a garden before heading to the reception. Each of us couples walked in to a different song, as the DJ read a little "about us" thing that Eric & Stacy wrote (comical, of course). Since Luke plays football and our song was "Walk It Out", we sprinted in to the room carrying a football and huddled. We 'broke' then he hiked me the football. He took off running through the crowd and I fake dodged people running at me. A few seconds later, I threw him the football and ran to him. We jumped up and slapped backs, then spiked the football to do our touchdown dance, which was of course the "Walk It Out" dance. It was awesome. Everyone absolutely loved it, and were clapping and cheering.
The dinner was sooooooo good. Luke's speech was better than mine; obviously. He deals with media and gives inspirational speeches to like high schoolers and stuff all the time. So mine was lame compared to his, but it flowed pretty well and I had the crowd laughing a few times.
After dinner, Luke and I read the quiz to the crowd to see who knew Eric & Stacy best. One of the questions was actually "Who of the two has more speeding tickets?". The answer was they had the same amount, but Luke heard about my ticket and said that he thought it should count towards Stacy- and he told the crowd my story. They were all "awwwwwww"ing, as I sat there pouting haha. After the quiz was done, Luke went down to his parents table and they were talking. Then they called Eric over. Eric got really excited and ran to his friend in the back of the room and grabbed his top hat, and came running to the stage. He grabbed the microphone and made an announcement; Eric and Stacy felt HORRIBLE about me getting a ticket, and said that some of the guests wanted to donate some money to put towards my ticket, and asked everyone if they'd be willing to put in a dollar or two to see if we could get it paid off. And one of the groomsmen, who is quite possibly the most hilarous guy ever, took it around from table to table trying to get people to donate. When all was said and done, we counted up $100 even!!!! My ticket is $160, but that was suuuuuuuuuuuch a huge blessing to have that much of it paid for. I got teary eyed when Eric made the announcement. That was so wonderful of them to do. One little kid brought me a sack of candy (it was like a little 2x3 inch bag that people could go to the candy table and fill their party favor bag with). His mom said that he was made that he didn't have his allowance there, but wanted to give me something, because he felt so terrible for me. He was 3 years old, tops. It was adorable!!!!!
Then came the dancing..... which pretty much took up our whole night. Us bridesmaids were on the dance floor probably 3/4 of the night. It was awesome. A good portion (probably a little more than half) of the guests were college aged, so they had a TON of people on the dance floor the entire night. Even some of the older couples were out there a lot too. It was just absolutely the best wedding reception I've ever been too. Everything flowed well and everyone had such an incredible time.
I decided to make the almost 5 hour trip back after the wedding, since I didn't want to pay for a hotel, now that I have a ticket to pay off. I struggled the last hour and a half but made it back around 4 am.
Greatest few days I've had in soooooooooooooo long. Or ever. I had so incredibly much fun this weekend. I haven't laughed so much in so long. Thank You, Jesus.... for blessing me so very richly.
Thursday morning we went to Madison with her parents and brother to pick up her wedding dress & the guys' tuxes. We also returned some of her shower gifts and tried to find clutches for the wedding. The rest of the day we just kind of sat around packing her room up to send stuff with Eric. Two of the other bridesmaids, Caitlin and Rachel, arrived Thursday night. We sat around talking and then made a run to Walmart to get nail polish with them and Stacy's brother, Mark. When we got back, Eric & his brother, Luke (the best man) were at Stacy's. We had a little meeting to discuss details that Luke and I needed to do as the best man and moh. I am surprised at how very very detail oriented those two guys are. It's impressive. It was the first time I had met Luke. I kind of thought as a pro football player, he might be a little big headed and into himself, but he was 100% happy big brother for Eric. It was awesome to see. They left, and then the three of us bridesmaids watched The Guardian with Mark. We may have fallen asleep at least 3 times during it because it was like 1:30 in the morning.
Friday morning we woke up semi-early. We went to Stacy's nail appointment, which took for-ev-er. Good thing we brought nail polish to do our own, and a camera to keep us entertained. Even then we struggled keeping ourselves occupied the two hours. She ended up getting done just in time for us to peace out to the salon to have her make-up done (practice run). The salon was about an hour away, so we grabbed Subway for the road and left. We looked through hairstyle magazines while she got her makeup done, trying to find styles for the wedding. After that, we helped set some stuff up at the reception hall, then got to the church to get ready for rehearsal. The rehearsal went really well. Everyone looked really good- we had everyone get dressed up for the occasion, to make for some good pictures. After that was the dinner, of course. It was fun. I sat with Katie, Caitlin, Rachel, Rory & Taylor Fry (childhood friends of Stacy's), and Mark. We had to take a quiz to see how well we knew the bride & groom. I got nine out of 16 WRONG and totally got called out for it, as the moh. But Mark made a smart alec comment to back me up. It was hilarious. Might I point out that one of the questions on the quiz was "what place that Eric & Stacy go to eat at makes Eric sick every time?"..... one of the answers was IHOP, but the font was really confusing. So Mark was like, "What is I-H-O-P?" and our table roared in laughter. Oh man.
After that, we went back to the reception hall to add some final touches. We ended up staying there for another hour, which made it laaaaate at night. Eric's family was hosting a game night for everyone who was in town for the wedding, so we eventually made our way to that to play a couple games of Catch Phrase. It was definitely the most people that I've ever played a game like that with. There were probably 26 or so of us playing? After about an hour or so, we drove home to get some sleep.
Saturday morning we all woke up early early early. We had to take 2 second showers (leaving our hair dirty of course, to be done), and get on the road to head to the salon. I volunteered to drive so that my car would be in town for me to leave Sunday morning (the wedding was an hour south of Stacy's hometown/house). Stacy and her mom wanted to ride with me, and since we were running a bit late, Stacy told me that I had to speed or she was going to drive (my car). So I pretty much flew on the back roads (she lives in the middle of nowhere). On our way approaching town, the worst thing imaginable happened; I got pulled over. :-( The state trooper walked up to my car and asked why I was speeding. I didn't want to give him a long drawn out story, so I just told him that we were on our way to the bride's hair appointment and were running a little late. He was not impressed or sympathetic towards my answer. Instead he asked why my ID was IL and my plates were MI. So I told him I recently moved (which isn't a lie.... good thing he didn't ask HOW recently). He asked if the other two cars pulled over 50 yards from us were with us. I said yes, so he said he'd mark me for 70 in a 55 instead of 72, which would save me $50. He took my ID back and it took him FOREVER to walk back up. He said "Try to have a better day" as he handed my ID back and walked away. Classy. We then proceeded to drive to the salon, of course not going a mark over the speed limit this time.
We all got our hair done; the ironic thing was that Caitlin, the girl with the shortest hair took longer than the BRIDE!!!!! My hair also took forever, because the lady underestimated the thickness of my hair. I have a lot. So it took probably close to an hour to curl all of it. It was hilarious when Lauretta (Stacy's mom) was getting her hair done. We were all telling her how pretty she was (she's gorgeous). And all of a sudden on the radio, "Stacy's Mom Has Got It Going On" came on. We all busted up laughing and belted it out to her. It was fun :-) I was mad though, because I left my makeup at church the night before to do touch-ups for the wedding, and never even thought "hey, I need it to put on the first application before the touch-ups". Dingbat. Luckily one of the personal attendants of Stacy ran in to town to the church to get it and brought it back. I applied my makeup on the way back to the church.
We arrived at the church shortly after 11 and began to get dressed. We were running late, once again, but had them take the guys' pictures instead of ours first so that everything would still be on time. As time drew nearer, I really thought Stacy was going to throw up. She sat in the chair saying how nauseous she was, with her dress on. I didn't know what to do but encourage her to take deep breaths. Then it was time.....
The singers they had were INCREDIBLE. Sounded very very much like Josh Groban singing The Prayer. I was blown away. It made everyone a little misty eyed. And then the moment... the bride entered the room. The wedding party had their eyes plastered on Eric, because we had a bet whether he'd cry or not. Actually it wasn't a bet, because everyone said he would. But there he was, smiling the most genuine, biggest smile I've ever seen on him as his face turned beet red, with tears STREAMING down his face, holding back sobs. It was the most beautiful moment between two people that I have ever witnessed. My eyes filled with tears, as I turned to look at Stacy. Her eyes started to turn bloodshot, and she looked away from Eric so that she wouldn't start bawling. The ceremony went on, and I continued to have tear-filled eyes all throughout the ceremony. Of course again when Eric surprised Stacy by singing "I Will Be Here" by Steven Curtis Chapman. She had no idea he was going to sing (the rest of us did), and he has such a beautiful voice. During the rehearsal the day before, the pastor kept forgetting the "you may now kiss the bride" part, so Eric was nervous he'd forget it at the wedding, but he remembered :-)
After the ceremony & receiving line went through, Luke and I went to the car to drive Eric & Stacy away. It was neat to be able to share the first moments with them, talking, screaming, and honking through town. All of the little details of the day faded away, as the most important thing was accomplished; they were married.
We took more pictures at the church, downtown, and at a garden before heading to the reception. Each of us couples walked in to a different song, as the DJ read a little "about us" thing that Eric & Stacy wrote (comical, of course). Since Luke plays football and our song was "Walk It Out", we sprinted in to the room carrying a football and huddled. We 'broke' then he hiked me the football. He took off running through the crowd and I fake dodged people running at me. A few seconds later, I threw him the football and ran to him. We jumped up and slapped backs, then spiked the football to do our touchdown dance, which was of course the "Walk It Out" dance. It was awesome. Everyone absolutely loved it, and were clapping and cheering.
The dinner was sooooooo good. Luke's speech was better than mine; obviously. He deals with media and gives inspirational speeches to like high schoolers and stuff all the time. So mine was lame compared to his, but it flowed pretty well and I had the crowd laughing a few times.
After dinner, Luke and I read the quiz to the crowd to see who knew Eric & Stacy best. One of the questions was actually "Who of the two has more speeding tickets?". The answer was they had the same amount, but Luke heard about my ticket and said that he thought it should count towards Stacy- and he told the crowd my story. They were all "awwwwwww"ing, as I sat there pouting haha. After the quiz was done, Luke went down to his parents table and they were talking. Then they called Eric over. Eric got really excited and ran to his friend in the back of the room and grabbed his top hat, and came running to the stage. He grabbed the microphone and made an announcement; Eric and Stacy felt HORRIBLE about me getting a ticket, and said that some of the guests wanted to donate some money to put towards my ticket, and asked everyone if they'd be willing to put in a dollar or two to see if we could get it paid off. And one of the groomsmen, who is quite possibly the most hilarous guy ever, took it around from table to table trying to get people to donate. When all was said and done, we counted up $100 even!!!! My ticket is $160, but that was suuuuuuuuuuuch a huge blessing to have that much of it paid for. I got teary eyed when Eric made the announcement. That was so wonderful of them to do. One little kid brought me a sack of candy (it was like a little 2x3 inch bag that people could go to the candy table and fill their party favor bag with). His mom said that he was made that he didn't have his allowance there, but wanted to give me something, because he felt so terrible for me. He was 3 years old, tops. It was adorable!!!!!
Then came the dancing..... which pretty much took up our whole night. Us bridesmaids were on the dance floor probably 3/4 of the night. It was awesome. A good portion (probably a little more than half) of the guests were college aged, so they had a TON of people on the dance floor the entire night. Even some of the older couples were out there a lot too. It was just absolutely the best wedding reception I've ever been too. Everything flowed well and everyone had such an incredible time.
I decided to make the almost 5 hour trip back after the wedding, since I didn't want to pay for a hotel, now that I have a ticket to pay off. I struggled the last hour and a half but made it back around 4 am.
Greatest few days I've had in soooooooooooooo long. Or ever. I had so incredibly much fun this weekend. I haven't laughed so much in so long. Thank You, Jesus.... for blessing me so very richly.
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