Krissy-pooh is married -- and lounging on a beach somewhere (jerk!)!!!

Nah, don't take the title for anything more than a little joke. This weekend was AWESOME -- I really mean it. I had such a fun time at Kristen's wedding (even though I went stag). As always, her friends were awesome (shout out to all the bloggers!) and welcoming, even though I'm on the periphery. I also spent some time with my cousins. Chad, Brittney, and Michelle are SO grown up at 16 and 12! It's so hard to believe that they've lived in Seattle for 8 years now!!! Both Julie and Jeff seem to be doing really well, with Julie just finishing massage therapy school and Jeff having the time of his life at Microsoft.

Now, back to the wedding. Kristen was RADIANT and I don't think I've ever seen her smile so much. It was so obvious how this was the day that she'd been waiting for her whole life...and it seemed so natural, too. She wasn't a ball of PSYCHO like some brides tend to be and all the details were just awesome. But the thing that I loved the most and was touched by the most was the ceremony and their vows. Kristen's uncle performed the marriage and I really thought he did a lovely job of teaching the meaning of marriage and how it is a mirror of Christ's love for the church. He tied in to Kristen and Ryan's love story so beautifully and I know that there were many tears throughout the whole place... which by the way, was a super cool venue. The place was down by the locks in Seattle and is all window with really neat views. There was a train in the background which gave the whole place this earthy, yet mechanical vibe - a really cool blend! The DJ wasn't crazy and I danced with Gavin, a RAD three-year old who I'm pretty sure was jealous, because HE wanted to marry Kristen. : )

At the end of the night, I was again touched by a bittersweet moment. When Kristen and Ryan got ready to leave, it was really a goodbye to her best girlfriends, too. Seeing them hug and fight to keep it together was so poinant... it's so wonderful to know that friendships can exist thousands of miles away!!!