Gold medal wedding

Not too long after I met Taylor, my friend and roommate at the time, Mariel, met her match: Mike. 

And, they just said, "I do." 

Mariel and I spent many-a-night sitting in her living room talking about our dream dudes. Who would have guessed the next guy each of us met when living together would be "the one? I can't believe that was years ago now. 

I remember how tough it was coming to terms with the fact that we were growing up, spreading our wings, and moving on in life with another person. Mariel was my support system during a tough transitional time in my life, and even though I moved out to live on my own before I got engaged, I had a hard time adjusting to my life without my constant companion. It was the end of a two-year era in which we created countless memories.

I felt like my brain was flooded with so many of those memories and moments the week of her wedding. As laughable as it sounds, I felt like seeing her get married gave me this closure, peace, and sheer joy for her new chapter in life.

She and Mike are sure to have a lifetime of laughs and love. We couldn't be happier for the two of them and were so proud to be a part of their day. Congratulations, Mar! Love you! 

Site 1 of 2 for the wedding: Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden. Beautiful! 

Third from the right is Matea and Katie's on the far right.

Two Kates and a Kelley...Kate W.'s about nine months prego with baby Teddy.

Cake Brigade was called into service at the last minute as Mariel didn't think her main bakery cake would feed everyone at the wedding. Since Katie was in the wedding, Kelley and I had to hold down the fort...and I think another one or two additional people helped with the auxiliary cakes. They turned out well. 

Location 2 of 2 = Elysian Ballroom in downtown Portland.

Their main cake was rainbow striped inside! 

Quite possibly THE most unflattering photo of moi...but beyond that, this is a great snap of the five of us friends from freshman year of high school. I love you girls. Friends forever!

What were we thinking?

I still need to share the story of the magical handbags...and I will...but not tonight! The following photos add to the story. I'll let you enjoy these right now! 

Freshman year of high school, circa 1999. This was Halloween. Hence, I am wearing who knows whose blonde wig (still hadn't discovered makeup???), Kell's wearing a yellow furry bathrobe, Katie's too cool for a costume, and Matea's donning a boa on her head. I'd like to note I've owned that blue and white gingham shirt two separate times in my life. Kell and I had been friends since third grade, and this was just a month after meeting Matea and Katie. Pretty sure Mariel was there, too. Probably took this photo.  

Takin' it to the Max one summer night in 2006? I think we'd all just turned 21, right? Beavers baseball game and the Marathon Taverna? Apparently the open-mouth look was my pose du jour decade!

Ahhh...such a classic. Katie's magical wedding on San Juan Island. Twelve solid years of friendship and counting. 

Time flies by fives

Five years ago, I didn’t want to leave the comfortable confines of my high school. I had a blast. I thought those were the best years of my life. I tried to pack everything I could into four years. I met the greatest group of girls my freshman year, and even though I transferred schools after then, we’ve never lost touch. In retrospect, transitioning to a new high school was probably what shaped my outlook on life. I promised myself I wouldn’t fall into a clique or limit myself to certain classes or activities. As a result, I played three sports, had several leadership positions and a diverse group of friends. I surrounded myself with great people, I loved going to school, and I didn’t think anything could top those years. When my senior year rolled around, I started getting scholarship offers to play basketball in college. I didn’t, however, neglect my other sports or commitments. I especially enjoyed being the editor of my school newspaper. I knew then that I wanted to study journalism in college. I figured I would find a school that was the perfect fit for the whole me, not just the athlete in me. As a result, I chose Washington State University. Before I started getting recruited, I had never really followed college sports, and I had to pull out a map to find Pullman, Wash. I was nervous and excited to leave Portland, but if you asked me then, I would have never guessed all that I would experience in the four years to come.