Over a year ago, my long time friend Spenser asked me to be in his wedding. Spenser and I met our freshman year of college. He was roommates with one of my high school friends, and we all hung around together. Junior year, Spenser and I became roommates, along with one of our other college friends. Over the next several years, Spenser went from being my roommate to being my brother. He truly is one of my closest friends and always will be. Not long after we graduated from KU, Spenser met Nadia at work. I remember him talking about her...he was excited about her. He definitely had a crush. Now here we are, years later, and I had the opportunity to be in their wedding. When he asked me to be a groomsmaid (yes, that's a thing) I was so excited! As the wedding approached, I knew it was going to be a crazy weekend, with lots of driving, but I was happy to be a part of it. I decided to drive to Kansas, because it would just be easier, considering the amount of driving I'd be doing once I got to KC. Unfortunately, Charley couldn't come, because she had a dance recital so I arranged for her to stay at my mom's while I was out of town.
I stayed at my mom's house in Edina on Thursday night, because it cut about 45 minutes off of my 7 hour drive. I woke up early Friday morning, hugged Charley, and immediately noticed she was warm, but attributed it to the fact that she'd slept with a lot of blankets and just woken up. She cried a little bit when I left, but seemed alright going with her nana. The drive on Friday was pretty easy. There were some clouds and rain along the way, but overall it was a pretty easy drive straight down 35. I made it to Overland Park, KS where I was staying with my friend Kellie, around 12:30 and naturally I decided I wasn't satisfied with the shoes I'd brought with me for the wedding and had to stop into one of my favorite stores that we don't have in Minnesota. I found some shoes, searched frantically for something to wear in my hair (I was doing my own hair for the wedding and the weather was a concern...curly hair that's straightened...then gets wet? Not good...Ha!). Anyway, I went from there to Kellie's house where I had a chance to relax for a couple of hours before the rehearsal at 6:00.
When I got to the wedding venue, I was impressed. From the outside, it just looked like a warehouse, but inside? It was beautiful. I saw Spenser and Nadia, and had a chance to chat for a minute before the rest of the bridal party and family showed up. I realldn't know what to expect from the families, because Spenser and Nadia come from very different cultures. But Spenser has a way of making people adore him, and Nadia is the same way, so I was hoping that the families would be comfortable. Well...as it turns out, Spenser and Nadia's families not only got along, but truly seemed to enjoy each other. When Spenser's mom walked in and saw me, she immediately hollered, "My daughter!" and gave me a hug. Spenser's dad and grandparents came over to catch up, too and that was really fun. I haven't seen them in years, but when I lived in Kansas, they really were like extended family. "Where's Charley?" everybody asked, and I had to explain that she stayed in Minnesota so she could be in her dance recital. They were clearly disappointed. Spenser's dad said, "Awww, she's got to meet this side of her family at some point!" It was very sweet. Nadia's family was wonderful, too. I'd never met Nadia's mother, but she made a point to get to know me, which I appreciated. I really didn't know what to expect from the families, because Spenser and Nadia come from very different cultures. But Spenser has a way of making people adore him, and Nadia is the same way, so I was hoping that the families would be comfortable. Well...as it turns out, Spenser and Nadia's families not only got along, but truly seemed to enjoy each other. It made me so happy. After the rehearsal, we went to dinner at Bucca di Beppo and it was INCREDIBLE. We were seated in the very back of the restaurant, which is in the basement of a building on the KC Plaza, which was kind of nice, because we could be as loud and obnoxious as we wanted, without feeling like we were bothering anybody. I think there were five or six courses and the food was amazing. I left with a full stomach, grateful for the fact that the dress I was wearing on the wedding day was loose-fitting!As I walked out of the restaurant (which had literally NO cell phone reception), I glanced at my phone and saw four missed calls and voicemails, along with a text from my mom that said, "Call me as soon as possible." Ummm...That was a bit frightening! I mean...My mom was watching Charley. So I called her back, and of course, she didn't pick up. "Crap," I thought to myself. "I left town, and something happened with Charley." My mom called back a few minutes later and explained that Charley'd had a fever for most of the day and she wanted to take her to the doctor on Saturday morning. I gave my mom Charley's medical information, and cursed the fact that I wasn't there when Charley was sick! But there was nothing I could do, so I drove back to Kellie's house and tried to get some sleep.
In spite of being exhausted, I didn't sleep well on Friday night. I was worried about Charley, and wondering if she'd be able to be in her dance recital on Saturday night. The recital was the whole reason Charley had stayed home, and she'd been working on her dances for months! When I woke up on Saturday, my mom said that Charley's fever was gone but she still wanted to take her to the doctor, and I agreed, particularly because Charley had gone through the same cycle a week prior. I went about my morning, getting myself together and practicing how I'd wear my hair. I called several times to check up on Charley, and when it was all said and done, it turned out that Charley had strep. She had NO symptoms other than a fever, and swollen tonsils (which the doctor discovered), but she never complained of a sore throat. It's a little bit scary, actually, because I'm beginning to think she's had strep for over a week, but didn't have any symptoms other than a fever (and even that wasn't present for most of the week). Ugh. With that said, she couldn't go to her recital and had to spend the day resting. I felt terrible, not being there while she was sick, but I knew she was in good hands and would be well taken care of, so I tried to turn my focus to the wedding.
I arrived at the venue, where I got ready with Spenser, and his best man, Marcus (who is hilarious, by the way). I took over the bridal suite with my make-up and hair supplies (okay that's an exaggeration, I don't have that much make-up) and had a chance to laugh and chat with the guys prior to picking up the other half of the bridal party at a beautiful hotel. The rest of the afternoon was spent riding around in a limo bus, taking pictures at various locations in Kansas City. Sometimes I forget how beautiful KC really is, but it's a great city and there are so many places to take pictures! By the time we got back to the venue to prepare for the ceremony, I was exhausted...and the real excitement hadn't even started! Marcus snuck me a Reese's from the candy bar that was set up for the guests, and that gave me a second wind...Ha! Before I knew it, I was standing in front of everybody, watching Spenser and Nadia say their vows. It was a wonderful ceremony and the reception was one of the best I've been to. The music was fantastic. From Brown-Eyed Girl and Build Me Up Buttercup, to Uptown Funk and Shoop, people were dancing and singing along all night. I spent time with some old friends, had some fun in the photo booth, and danced until my feet wouldn't let me dance anymore. There was so much love from both Spenser and Nadia's families, it was contagious. Everybody at that reception seemed genuinely happy. It was such a great experience, and I'm glad I got to be a part of it.I woke up this morning, prepared for another 7 hour drive home to Minnesota. I talked to Charley briefly and she was so excited that I was coming home today. The drive was long, but easy and the weather was clear the whole way. I had a lot of time to think (which can be good or bad...Ha!) and it was kind of nice to have that time to myself. I've always got so many things going on and Charley is ALWAYS with me, so it's rare for me to have that alone time and even though I would've preferred to have been in a spa as opposed to my car, it was still nice. Charley gave me the biggest hug when I picked her up from my mom's house, and told me, "I had SO much fun!" Ha! Somehow I doubt spending hours in the doctor's office, and resting due to a fever was SO much fun. But I'm glad she's making lemonade out of lemons even at a young age. She's definitely my child in that sense! With that said, it's been a marathon of a weekend, and I'm ready for bed. Just one more week of school, and it's going to be a wild one so I've got to get mentally prepared. Have a great week, everyone!
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