My friend is getting married!!!

One of my very best friends is getting married today - to my husband's brother! It is so exciting that we will get to be family now for the rest of our lives! :)

I've known K. since I was 6 and she was 7, when our families moved to Arizona and into the same apartment complex, and she was the first friend I had here (although we had a bit of rocky start...). It has been such a blessing to have her as my friend, for many reasons! We are practically opposites - she is outgoing, gregarious, practical, friendly, open, and a little bit dominant and aggressive, while I am shy, reserved, idealistic, and can be withdrawn, inward-focused, and passive (at least when it comes to conflict :P) So it has been very beneficial for both of us, I think, to grow up with each other - we've helped moderate each other's personalities, and we've helped each other learn how to interact with and love people who are very different from ourselves. I know it's been good for me, anyway! K. draws me out of my shell and listens to me talk and helps me to relax and enjoy spending time with other people :)

This past year we were roommates and I got to see firsthand her love for her future husband, R., as they dealt with the particular difficulties of a long-distance relationship during his first year of grad school - the excitement and anticipation in the days before she would travel to see him, the tears of the bittersweet return, the Skype dates, and so on. We had a lot of late-night conversations about our men, too, especially after we both got engaged during winter break, which was a lot of fun for us both :)

So I am incredibly excited for her now as she prepares to enter into marriage this afternoon with a wonderful man :) She will be such an amazing wife, and such a blessing to him through the years to come, with her serving, other-focused heart and her deep, self-sacrificial love for the people in her life. I know the two of them will have so much fun together, as well! They will be for each other a secure place to rest their hearts, a sanctuary of love and peace from which they can go out with confidence and joy to bless and serve the world they live in, and their home will be filled with life and laughter.

I wish you all the best in your marriage, K. and R.! You will be in my prayers :)