Something Borrowed

Once me and the MOH got back from gettin' our hair did, I was able to breath in and out for a few minutes, eat my sammy and enjoy a little Prosecco. Aaaaaah....Prosecco.

I have to back up just a small, teeny bit in order to go forward- like about 10 or 11 years ago.... Y'all know Charlotte Russe, right? Well, back in the day there were only 20-something stores and all of them in California. Well, I lived in LA and was an assistant manager and a store manager for them. I have to be honest, it was SO much better then. It was kind of like a less expensive BeBe's - not the crappy junk it is now (so depressing when I go by it in the mall). Anyway, I met this chick Barbara, another assistant manager there and we did not get along. She was kind of snooty. I think she thought I was kinda pushy (Who? Me?). I'm not exactly sure what changed about that between us, all I know is that we were suddenly friends. It might have been the fact that we caught each other rockin' out to Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" one day at work. I think that kind of broke the ice, if anything. We weren't just co-workers, we were friends. I consider her mother and father to be my surrogate parents. They hosted me on holidays when I couldn't go home to see my parents because of our stupid jobs and having to work bullshit retail hours. They were my second family.

Years after I had left California (Barb and I are still in the same field and saw each other at trade shows every few months - so cool!), Barb fell over a filing cabinet at work. To date, she's had several knee surgeries and a major back surgery to try and fix the on-going, never-ending saga of workman's comp and horrible pain that really and truly wasn't her fault. She's dealt with countless lawyers and doctor's and it just sucks. It sucks that I can't make it all better for my wonderful friend.

The up-side to this depressing tale is that she was able to get on a plane for the first time in many, many years and make it here for the wedding! Right before I started getting dressed for The Big Show, Barb stopped by the room. She brought with her my "something borrowed."

If you can't tell, that's a QUARTER sitting in the middle of that wedding band. The ring belonged to one of Barb's father's Norwegian ancestors - clearly a giant man. The ring is very old and has been to hundreds of weddings. It is considered a good luck charm and has been in the pockets of grooms and groomsmen. It has been tied into the bouquets of brides. It has been present in the purses and pockets of wedding guests - all to bring the happy couple good luck.

I too, tied this giant ring into my bouquet. It seemed appropriate to have a part of my second family, the people who care for me and love me as much as my own, join me on my wedding day. The most important thing of all was having my dear friend Barbara as a witness to our ceremony. It would not have felt right without her. I am so blessed to have her in my life.