I want to tell you about each of my bridesmaids! I love them all dearly and can hardly wait for all us to be in the same place on the same day!
Dana White is one of my oldest if not my oldest friend. We grew up together just houses apart and went to school and church together. We then went on to ACU and even ended up in the same social club. For most of our growing up years we were connected at the hip. We rode our bikes all over our neighborhood and we could play “office” with the best of ‘em! Dana is married to Brian and they have three adorable kids. She is a nurse and lives in Temple, Texas.
Sheri is a friend I met while at ACU. If her name rings a bell that is because she is the one who helped Greg plan all the events that surrounded our engagement. She idolizes me and strives to be just like me!!!!!!!!! (I’m only putting that in here because I know she can’t edit this and change my words-heehee) Sheri is one of those friends that when you are together something crazy is going to happen….you can just be on it. You may now understand why I am a little nervous for her to be in the wedding!!!! She is married to Chad and they have three boys. Sheri is a teacher and they live in Grapevine, Texas.
Emily and I first met at Scottish Rite in Dallas. I had just started my job and she was graduating from Baylor and was a student in our department. We became fast friends and in just a few short months we were roommates. We once had a shopping spree that lasted 11 hours! Now that is my kind of friend! We knew the people at the to go counter at Chili’s by first name and lived off of their chips and queso many a nights. Emily lives in Omaha, which is where she is from, and works as a child life specialist. If you ever want to see the best baseball in the world stay with Em’s family during the College World Series…….they know how to do baseball!
Sarah was one of my college roommates. She was the “responsible” one out of the four of us and always made sure we were taken care of. Sarah and Missy were roommates and Amy and I were roommates and then our junior year in college we all lived in a house together. I of course have wonderful stories about all of these girls but when you see Sarah at the wedding please ask her about the squirrel that lived in our sofa….in the middle of our living room! Sarah is married to Ryan and they have three children. They live in Nashville and coincidentally Sarah and Lauren (Greg’s sister) have been good friends for years. You can imagine mine and Greg’s disbelieve when we made the connection….on our second date!
Missy was also a college roommate. I remember someone asking me in college if I could think about someone who I knew would be in heaven some day. The first two people that popped into my head were my aunt Barbara and Missy! She is just that kind of girl! She met her husband Andy in college and soon after graduation they moved to Michigan. For years Missy told me how beautiful it was and I didn’t believe her until I went for a visit. She was and is right…….She once told me that it is God’s holy land and if you base that off the beauty she is right! Andy and Missy have three children and live in Rochester Hills, Michigan.
Amy and I first lived across the hall from each other in Nelson Dorm. We discovered that we were very much alike and at semester moved in together and we were roommates until the end of college! There are so many great memories that come to mind when I think about my friendship with Amy. If you want to get excited about living the christian life then spend some time with this girl!!!! If you are not on fire after talking with her then something is wrong!!!!! Amy and her husband Brian have just added a fourth child to their family. They adopted a little girl from China earlier this year and live in Midlothian, Texas.
Lauren is Greg’s sister and my newest friend! Even before I met her I knew we would be friends. Greg and Sarah had told me so many good things about her and when we finally met I realized it was all true. I’ve only had the opportunity to spend a few times with her but look forward to many more. She is a pediatric oncology nurse at Vanderbilt Children’s in Nashville. When Greg and I first met at the funeral he said two things to me…first he thanked me for helping Kelley’s family and second he told me his sister was a nurse. I love telling the story of how we met and I love that Lauren is part of that story.
Last but not least is my sister Dana. God created the perfect big sister when he created her. She is not a perfect person (contrary to what she may tell you) but she is the perfect big sis!!!! There is not enough room to tell you how many times she took care of me when we were kids. When I moved to Dallas to complete my internship in child life Dana and Brad gave me the opportunity to live with them. My niece Beth had just been born and it was one of the most fun times in my life. I literally thought I might die when they told me they were moving to Mississippi for Brad’s job. Not only was my sister leaving but she was taking Beth with her…..and Brad of course!!! If you know me very well you know that two of the biggest joys in my life are my niece Beth and my nephew Will. And yes I do believe the world revolves around the two of them. When I am with them the whole world just seems right. If you haven’t met my sister please find her at the wedding and introduce yourself…..your life will be richer because of it. They live smack dab in the middle of the Mississippi Delta in Cleveland, Mississippi.
All of these girls will be standing by my side when the big day comes! Each one of them loves Jesus and are raising their children to love Him too. Other than my family I give credit to these girls for growing my faith in the Lord. They have allowed themselves to be used to glorify the Father by showing His love to others and that includes me! I am thankful that they are in my life and I am excited for Greg to get to know them.