My Best Friend’s Wedding

Last weekend I had the privilege to fly back to Northern California and visit home for the first time since early March. However, before heading home, I had to make a stop in the Bay Area for a very special occasion: My best friend was getting married to the love of her life.

Sara and I have been basically inseparable since junior year in high school. We had every single class together for the last two years of high school, went to the same community college, and even moved to Florida to work in Disney World together. The first time we actually didn’t live right next to each other (or with each other) was a few months after we moved back from Florida, when Sara moved to BYU in Utah and I moved to Southern California for school.

While we lived in Florida together, Sara started growing closer to her friend David, who soon became her boyfriend after we moved back to California. Fast forward to two years later, and I’m a bridesmaid in their wedding.

It was almost surreal to see her in a wedding dress, committing herself to her now husband for the rest of her life (meanwhile I’m in a very committed relationship to my Netflix account). But seeing her so happy, so at ease; she was definitely making the right choice. I was so happy to see her so in love.

It’s crazy to think that we’re at this age where engagements and marriage are becoming a more regular event in our lives. While I was getting my hair styled for the wedding reception, my stylist mentioned that when she first did my hair, it was for my first formal dance back in the early years of high school. Now she’s curling my hair for my first wedding.

Along with seeing Sara brimming with happiness, one of my favorite parts of the reception was seeing many of my close hometown friends, many who I’ve known since middle school. It was the first time in a while that we were all together again, and it was wonderful to reconnect and see how everyone was doing four years after high school. Most of them had graduated college, one of them was engaged, and I actually ran into plenty of old classmates while out and about in Downtown Chico.

This was the first time that I had ever felt truly bummed that I had to fly back to Southern California after a weekend visiting home. It was so nice to see my family and catch up with my childhood friends. I hardly get to visit them because of school and work, but I know it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Something that I love about my hometown friends is that no matter how far we go, no matter how long it takes for us to talk or see each other again, it’s like no time has ever passed. Even though some of us might be married, have full-time jobs, own houses, and someday have children, we’re always there for each other and pick up right where we left off. That’s something I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. It’s something special, and I will always be thankful to have people like them in my life.