Back to the land of the living! More on that later.

First!

Let me tell you about another of my bridesmaids. Nikster (also known as Sister Buchanan on this blog but that’s too many letters for me to type over and over again so Nikster it is from this point forward.)

Thank the universe for her. Seriously.

Napkin and I started dating at the end of the summer so by the time Halloween rolled around we were pretty serious. He asked me to join him at a Halloween party that his sister had invited him to. I was pretty nervous to go– I was the new girlfriend and I knew I was going to be sized up. I also had no idea what to expect from this party. I found out it was a costume themed karaoke party (dress up like the artist whose song you’re singing) and I was STOKED. At the time, I was teaching preschool and waiting tables… so I never got to sing in front of people and this was a perfect opportunity to make myself look nearly unrecognizable and watch everyone make a fool of themselves (and do a good bit of acting afool myself.)

I mustered up the courage to tackle a Pat Benatar song (“Love is a Battlefield” thankyouverymuch) and put on my best eighties garb. Then we headed out to meet with Nikster and her hubby and as soon as I met her I knew we were meant to be.

First of all– she was dressed to the NINES. She had pulled together a fabulous Nancy Sinatra get-up and was going to be singing “These Boots Are Made For Walking.” She also is one of the most fun people I’ve ever met in my entire life. When she tells a story the whole room stops to listen. She is so ridiculously comfortable in her skin (which is easy for her because she has some of the most beautiful skin I’ve ever seen) that she makes you feel good too. So literally fifteen minutes into the party we were buddying up. We laughed at everyone (in the good way,) we told secrets, we made inside jokes, we just had an easy, good time together.

And it’s sort of been that way ever since. Even when things between Napkin and I got rough– she and I made time to hang out together and keep in touch. We just never skipped a beat.

When Napkin and I got engaged it was just assumed that she would be my bridesmaid. She is going to be my sister-in-law! You know how every person in your life serves a purpose in some way? Like, “this is the person I go to for solid advice” or “this is the person I go to when I need to feel better” — well, Nikster is the person who is going to put her arm around me, tell me that all of this is supposed to happen and that it’s going to be alright. Then she’ll hand me an especially heavy glass of champagne. And I love her for that.

So thanks, girl, for helping me shake a little less in my boots.