Chitty Chitty Uncle Buck

The flower girl walked slowly in front of us, haphazardly dropping blossoms from a catalpa tree on an aisle littered with sticks and old leaves. I wore capris, and he, denim jean shorts. My hair adorned with flowers, my arm firmly looped in his, our party made its way across the yard to the makeshift alter between two trees. Suddenly, the flower girl turned into a preacher, and the ceremony began. After a hasty vow exchange and a couple, "sure why nots?", we were pronounced man and wife.

I had just married Kelsey Thompson.

Now, now, before you get yourself all worked up, you should know this really didn't happen. Wait, yes it did. But, last time I checked, a 5 year old little sister did not count as a preacher, AND, I did not kiss him. So, I guess I should retract my statement and say that I almost married Kelsey. But then, I almost married a lot of people. (Different story)

I have been blessed with a wonderful set of friends throughout my life. Some have been around for a short time, others have stayed only a small piece of my life, and then, I have the life-timers. The final set are the ones that you can't even remember meeting because you've known each other so long it is just easier to say, "I've known them my whole life."I think that it is rare to find friends like Kelsey and Carmen Thompson, and my brother Colten and I are very lucky to have them in our lives.

Okay, so I'm lucky....who cares?

I only recently remembered my "wedding" after a look out my window over Thanksgiving break. I have done many weird things in my life, but when it came to my experiences with the Thompson kids, there really wasn't a better definition of weird. (Not to mention awkward). Those two, in their own way, helped to shape who I am today. They showed me what true friendship was at a very young age, and they never asked for anything in return. We embraced the weird in each other, and I think that it is important for people to have friends that bring that out in you.

As I've grown into an adult, I have begun to realize how much I truly loved my childhood. I loved that I had wonderful parents that encouraged me to try new things all the time and to never let go of what I loved to do. I loved that I had an extended family that never forgot that it was the relationships that were important...and that pinatas were not our friends. I loved that I made two of my best friends at such a young age, and to this day, we can recite lines from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Uncle Buck because we've seen it so many times.

Ultimately, it is the little things.

Today, my relationship with Kelsey and Carmen is not the same as it once was. As we have grown older, we have learned to adjust to the change. The truly lucky piece is that we haven't lost the friendship we established those years ago. If anything, our friendship is stronger in some aspects. I mean, Carmen has gotten so much better at marrying us in my parents' backyard; she doesn't forget words or anything. But really, I am so blessed to have these two in my life, and I write this because it is important to remember where you came from before you step out into the world to find a different piece of yourself.

And the part where if you don't remember, they will "remind" you someday with horrible pictures and stories.