The best bridesmaids in the world

I have the best bridesmaids and Matron of Honor on earth! I really have to write a fabulous toast to them at the rehearsal cocktail party, because they're traveling in from Pennsylvania and Virginia for this big day. A day they have all, in one way or another, helped me get to. I've long wished that they lived nearby, so that we could go for girls' night out, get manicures, go to yoga class, go horseback riding, co-op shop at Costco. All the great things about having good friends nearby. We always say, "I wish you were closer!" but we're as close as ever through phone calls and daily e-mails. They return me to my center, as ingrained as they are in who I actually am. So Joe gets not only me, but the great things I absorbed from them as well. We're all products of the people we know.

I was just writing to Jill, my MOH, about the bad dream I had last night, a wedding nightmare [all brides get them] that took place in our darkened reception hall. The wedding is in the daytime. I love Jill's dream analyses, so this should be fun to hear her take on it. And tonight, I'll talk with Jen about what she's reading now, and also to see if she got the birthday present I sent to her. My face always hurts from laughing after I talk to her. And I owe Pam a call -- we had so much fun bowling with her and her kids. I just love these women. They were the first to know that Joe was The One, simply from my tone of e-mails. "You're not being the least bit cautious" was one of their comments. "So this guy must be making you feel protected." Ah, I could never hide my feelings, and my friends know how to read me. So I have been prayed for by my ladies, called, joked with, and verbally hugged from miles away. I do wish they lived closer, but would I get any work done with all those fun outings to do with them? One of my post-wedding goals: visiting more with them at their homes, hopping the train to Philly, going on Amish Country tours with Jill, going out to Chicago to visit with Linda. Joe and I agree that this wedding season has made us appreciate our good faraway friends even more, so we're making it a priority to see them more often. A fabulous circle of trusted friends, who have been with us for so long, is the best life gift ever.