My Maid of Honor Speech

My Maid of Honor Speech went something like this...

Hello everyone!

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Lauren and Taylor is my best friend.

I want to take a moment to thank Taylor for entrusting me to be her Maid of Honor.

When I first met Taylor in 2011 in Meteorology class at Valencia College, I thought she was peculiar. I honestly had no idea she was going to be as important to me as she is today. You see, I had a free period before Meteorology, so I sat on the floor in the hallway outside of the classroom listening to music while I waited for the Professor to open the room.  Along came Taylor, she walked right up, sat down next to me, and started talking. Umm, hello… could she not see I had headphones in listening to music clearly not wanting to be disturbed?  After rolling my eyes, I hesitantly took out one earbud to hear her. 

Once the Professor unlocked the classroom, I found a seat. Guess what she did?  In a classroom filled with empty seats, she sat right next me. She didn’t even leave an empty curtesy seat between us. As the Professor introduced himself and went over the syllabus, Taylor persistently tapped me on my shoulder to get my attention to talk to me some more. I didn’t know what to do, so I grabbed a pack of gum out of my backpack and offered her a piece in the hopes it would get her to stop talking. It didn’t.

A couple of weeks later, she invited me to her birthday party at Blueman Group. At this point, I thought she was a super friendly person that invites strangers to her birthday parties. Although I still didn’t feel like I knew her, I accepted her invitation because I wanted to see Blueman Group.  I will never live down the fact that I didn’t get her a birthday card.

We began regularly eating lunch together at school and hanging out afterwards. We went on adventures; we planked, went pumpkin picking, and paintballing. Before I knew it, Taylor was my best friend. Now we are stuck like glue. It’s no secret that Taylor and I are completely different and yet the same. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll try. She’s a girly girl and I’m a tomboy, yet we both watch “Say Yes to the Dress” when she has the remote control. She drives slower and I drive faster, but we both get to where we are going. She’s married and I’m single, yet we both used to have a cat.

Flash forward to today. Taylor is the most amazing woman I know. She has a heart of gold.  She loves selflessly. She’s ambitious; she works hard to make her dreams come true. She’s dependable; you can always count on her to be there whenever you need her.  She’s also spirited; and Kenny I know you know how incredible your beautiful bride is…after all, you put a ring on it! 

The first time I met Kenny was in 2012. While Taylor and I were roommates a super tall guy visited.  During his visit, the three of us went to Universal Studios.  A few things stand out to me from that day. Kenny made Taylor smile, a lot. Throughout the day at Universal they had stolen many glances at each other. It was crowded, but they couldn’t lose me because thankfully tall people are where you meet when you get lost in a crowd.  Kenneth, I know you will take care of my bestie. Remember, I know where you live.

I know I’m supposed to offer up some relationship advice. But, I’m single and I like cats, so… here goes nothing.

Kenny, never stop being her prince charming. Pamper her and make her happy. When everything else in the world is uncertain, be her rock. Challenge her to be a better person. Don’t be afraid to compromise. Encourage her to step outside her comfort zone. Love her unconditionally; you are the sparkle in her eyes.

Taylor, never stop dating him. Spoil him and make him dinner. When everything in the world is negative, be his positive light. Challenge him to be a better man. Don’t be afraid to compromise.  Be his best friend. Love him unconditionally; don’t lose that sparkle in your eyes.

As we raise our glasses to toast the bride and groom I’d like to ask Taylor and Kenny to take a moment and look into each other’s eyes. Take it in and take a breath. Remember tonight; remember tonight for it is the beginning of always. Here’s to the Mr. and Mrs.

Taylor's Wedding has Come and Gone

On May 20, 2017, my bestie married Kenny!  If you're friends with me on social media, I'm sure you saw how incredibly beautiful everything and everyone was. It was held at The White Barn in Brooksville, FL. Amanda, the wedding coordinator, was amazing! She handled the wedding with poise and professionalism taking great care to turn Taylor's vision into reality.  Nikki, Taylor's wedding photographer, helped make the day as seamless as possible. Nikki and her videographer worked hard to get great shots of the venue, wedding party, family and guests. They also re-worked the itinerary as the day went along like champs. Their passion certainly did not go unnoticed.

As for the ceremony it was the first wedding I've ever been in. I probably didn't pay as much attention to the actual ceremony as I should have. I had quite a few things running through my head, and I didn't want to forget what I was supposed to do.  Don't trip. Make sure the other bridesmaids know their marks. Guide the flower girl, Bella (she actually ended up holding Taylor's veil as Taylor walked down the aisle instead) where to stand and when to help Taylor back down the aisle. Once Bella stood next to the bridesmaids, the veil was my responsibility until Taylor and Kenny walked back down the aisle. When you pick up the veil, bend with your knees together. Whenever Taylor turns or walks, pick up the veil and follow her. Fluff the veil a little before setting it back down. Pick it up and hand it to Bella before they make their way back down the aisle.  And then there was my Maid of Honor bouquet and Taylor's bouquet.  Thankfully, Cybelle, another bridesmaid, was a hero and held my bouquet once Taylor handed me hers. Cybelle also held Taylor's bouquet whenever I had to fix Taylor's veil. The ceremony lasted about 15 minutes, so it was a lot to remember and pay attention to in such a short amount of time.

I will say that Taylor was the most gorgeous bride I've ever seen. I may not have been to many weddings, but I've watched enough episodes of 'Say Yes to the Dress' with Taylor to know.  I love how in love Kenny and Taylor looked when they gazed into each others' eyes. I am so grateful for Cybelle! She really helped a lot and I couldn't have done it without her.  It seemed to be second nature to her. Whereas most of it was completely foreign to me.

After the ceremony, the photographer took some pictures. We ate dinner inside The White Barn. I drank some beer and made my way around to talk to the guests I knew and even some I didn't know. I gave my MOH speech, which I'll probably post in a different blog post. I recruited Cybelle and we worked with the DJ to request songs and encourage people to get on the dance floor. We did the Chicken Dance and we started a train. Once it started to pour, I went out of the barn to dance in the rain! Dancing in the rain was my favorite part of the night. It felt so good and it was liberating!

Cybelle, the groomsmen, and I packed up Kenny's car and pulled it around to the front of the barn for their exit. We danced a few more songs before their arm tunnel and glow stick exit. At this point it was still pouring, which I think made it perfect.

Once the bride and groom left, Cybelle, the groomsmen, and I loaded up Taylor's mom's car and helped clean up and pack up before leaving.  I went back to the hotel for the after party with Taylor's family. It was my first time doing fireball shots! It was fun!

Overall, I still don't understand weddings. They are as baffling and mysterious to me as they were before.  I just don't think the payoff for all the time, money, and work that goes into it is worth it. But, it wasn't about me, it was about the beautiful bride and her handsome groom having the wedding of their dreams. It made them happy, and that's all that matters!

Highlights of February 2017

I'm not sure what I've been preoccupied with that has prevented me from sitting down and blogging this month. In an effort to save time, I'll give you the highlights of February 2017.

I had the best birthday to date! I spent my birthday weekend with Taylor and she made me feel incredibly special. From the thoughtful gifts to the planned surprise celebration, it makes me wonder what I did to deserve such an amazing friend. She got a bunch of my friends together to surprise me at an escape room, which, by the way, we escaped with like fifteen minutes to spare! No thanks to me, of course.

I've had a couple of really fun races (the Warrior Dash and the Quack Attack 5K) with my running friends. Seriously, they are such an inspiring group of people that they build everyone up. I'm not sure if running is fun by itself, or if running is only fun because of them. Anyways, I'm still as addicted as ever. I woke up at 4AM this morning to meet my group for a morning run. I thought the motivation I had to train while training for the NYC Marathon had long since dwindled, yet I'm still setting my alarm for that ungodly hour.

Work is busier than ever! Don't get me wrong, I love it! It just seems like I have more responsibilities than I have time in a day, in a week, in a month...well, you get the picture. It's challenging and I wouldn't trade it for anything at the moment.  The overtime is awesome!

Even though I'm Taylor's Maid of Honor, she has really held my hand and walked me through my responsibilities. Heck, she's helped me with almost everything. However, with just the few things that I've had to do this month to help prepare for her bridal shower, it reinforces my lack of desire to ever have a wedding or shenanigans for myself.  I know I'm lazy and that's probably why it feels like way too much work. I tried really hard to do my best, but I'm actually nervous the cake and cake stand I ordered won't be perfect. What if nobody likes it?  The fact that I think I'm going to like it is not enough.

The Best of 2016

I know there's a lot of hate going around the internet towards 2016.  However, 2016 was a phenomenal year for me for the most part!

• I was promoted at work.
• I entered and won a lottery entry into the NYC Marathon on my first try.
• I made new friends at work.
• I started new medicine (Remicade).
• I felt the best I've felt in over a decade! I got my life back!
• I had awesome bowel movements.
• I joined a running group.
• I made great running friends.
• I trained for a marathon and regularly woke up at 4am or earlier three days a week to run.
• I joined a gym.
• I saw Halsey live in concert.
• My best friend got engaged!
• I said yes to be my best friend's Maid of Honor!
• I socialized and stepped outside of my comfort zone.
• I went to NYC on vacation with my best friend!
• I ran the NYC Marathon!
• I ran an awesome half at OUC!
• I ran my first relay and my first trail run at Ragnar!
• I camped for real!
• My sister graduated from UCF!
• I got an electric keyboard to learn how to play.

"YES!"

After my 15.5 mile run Saturday morning, I drove down south to go wedding dress shopping with Taylor. Taylor's friend, Cybelle, rode down and back with me. Cybelle and I found out that we have a mutual love of the TV show LOST as well as rock music!  Taylor's mom and grandma were already at the hotel when we arrived. Before going to the dress appointment, we went to the mall to eat and kill some time.  The dress appointment was at Patricia South's Bridal, which happens to be the same place Taylor's mom bought her wedding dress over 30 years ago. I have never seen so many wedding dresses in my life. 

We were served mimosas, cookies and cheese and crackers while they picked out dresses to try on. The first dress Taylor tried on had a sweetheart thingamajig with a corset doohickey and a lace pattern all over it. It was pretty, but it didn't have the "wow" factor. The second dress was little more form fitting and had a halter-toppish kind of style and an open back. It had some lace shenanigans going on, but the leg part on the front was plain. Again, it didn't have the "head turning" factor. The third dress I consider to be a princess type of  dress. Perhaps ball gown is a better description. It had tulle from the waist downward that flowed outward.  The top part was sleeveless and had shiny sparkles and lace.  It was pretty, but it didn't really flatter her figure. The fourth dress was my favorite up this point. It was also sleeveless with tattooed lace on the back. It was form fitting and had lace; however the train of the dress was rather boring.

As soon as Taylor came into sight in the fifth dress, an Enzoani dress, I could tell it was THE DRESS! Not just because of the tears in Taylor's eyes, but also because of the radiance she emitted and the undeniable beautiful way the dress complimented Taylor's elegant essence. I won't describe the dress as I did the others because I don't want to give it away before her big day. Believe me when I tell you though that her dress will turn heads and it will make you say "wow".  She would be a gorgeous bride without the dress, but the dress compliments her style and charm.  Taylor said, "Yes, to the dress!"

Taylor gave me an amazing box and when I opened it the top of the lid read "will you be my maid of honor".  I may not yet fully understand the meaning of being a maid of honor, but I can tell you that I was truly honored to say, "Yes!".  I'm super excited to go on this journey with Taylor as she becomes a Mrs. I also can't wait to be standing by her side when she says, "I do".