My Best Friend's Wedding and Pooping in the Castle

The Father Load and I spent the weekend in Savannah, where my BFF got married. It was a fantastic weekend filled with fun, new friends, amazing food, Southern hospitality, and Moon Pies....

Heather (The Beautiful Bride) and I at the Bridal Luncheon at Vic's on the River.

Heather graciously lent us all fun hats so we could have

the quintessential Southern belle look at lunch.

Me, Beth (Maid of Honor), Heather, and Kristy

Heather welcomes her goddaughter, Cecilia, who was a fabulous flower girl.

Cecilia & her mom, Shakira (bridesmaid), at the luncheon.

Heather wipes her tears during her Aunt Claudia's speech. Heather's Grandma is on the right. Aunt Claudia and Grandma Johnson hosted the lovely and delicious luncheon. Shrimp and grits, MmMmMmmmmm!

Heather and her Maid of Honor, Beth, who have been friends since they were wee ones!
Beth did an incredible job and spent the entire time running errands, stuffing gift bags,
helping Heather, and making sure everything went smoothly & efficiently.

This is the speech I gave at the rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. Heather asked me for a copy and I really wanted to share it here as well:

When I think of Heather, the beach and the ocean instantly come to mind. It all started at Millsaps College (where we met our freshman year in 1994) because her car smelled sandy and salty--like vacation and fun things and happy memories.

Heather's heart and her capacity for love are like the ocean---boundless, vast, inviting, always pulling you in with its magical, magnetic current. Like the seagulls that land on shore, she sits quietly, waiting for you to need her. And then she is there.

I knew Heather was special from the moment I met her at Millsaps. It was our second night on campus and I was alone, homesick, and throwing myself quite the pity party in the hallway of Bacot 2nd West. Like a seagull, Heather alighted next to me and after asking what was wrong, admitted to being a bit homesick herself.

"Tomorrow is my birthday and no one knows me here or cares," I sobbed miserably. After reassuring me and talking me off the edge of the cliff, we went to bed in our respective rooms.

The next morning as I headed out into the hall to the shower, I was greeted by an enormous handmade birthday banner and decorations.

She knew.

She's always known.

Like the ebbs and flows of the tide, Heather always comes back to me. She'll wash up on shore again just when you need her, like a message in a bottle or a perfect seashell you pick up and brush the wet sand off to take home---a treasure.

Mike, you have found quite the treasure.

THE BIG DAY

In the Marshall House lobby right before heading to the church...

Pointing to our (Phi Mu) sisters forever bond, our matching tattoos on our right hips!

Flower girls and ring bearer walking up the aisle at Sacred Heart Church.

Me coming down the aisle

Heather heading down the aisle with her Dad, Hal.

Hal as he's about to give the gorgeous Heather away...awwww!

Perhaps the funniest part of the wedding aside from the fact that I'm a Jew and I was sitting in a Catholic church was the conversation going on directly behind me between my fellow bridesmaid, Shakira, and her daughter Cecilia. My shoulders were shaking with laughter and surely everyone wondered what was going on. ** please note that Cecilia is 2 1/2, precocious, potty training, and was wearing Pull Ups during the ceremony. Cecilia also considers all churches "castles." This conversation was copied directly from Shakira's blog with her permission because she tells it better:

Cecilia: Mami, is this a castle?

Shakira: Yes baby, this is a castle.

Cecilia: Mami, Titi Heather is a princess?

Shakira: Yes baby, Titi Heather is a princess. Shhh Shhh

Cecilia: Mami, I got to go potty. Mami, I poopie in the castle?

Shakira: No baby, there is NO POOPIE IN THE CASTLE! (said in my best mommy whisper)

Cecilia: Mami, Blanca Nieves (Snow White) poopie in the castle.

Shakira: Yes baby, but this is not Blanca Nieves' castle and we can't get up to go to the potty. That's why you are wearing a Pull-Up today.

Cecilia: Mami, accidents happen, I pee pee in my Pull-Up.

This is Shakira with her other daughter, Gabi at the reception at The Pink House.

The first dance as bride and groom!

At the Savannah airport yesterday, who should we run into but Shakira & her fam?

So glad I got to meet you all!

Heather thought of every detail and planned a beautiful, extravagant and special wedding, including goodie bags for all of her guests.They were reusable totes stuffed with bottled water, Cokes, homemade cookies, homemade Georgia-themed magnets, and MOON PIES!!! I saved mine for the girls, and they dug in last night:

Thank you, Heather, for a wonderful weekend! We had a blast and I felt so privileged to be a part of it. Thank you also to your parents and Mike's, and to all of your family and friends who made me feel so welcome. CONGRATULATIONS!

Memoir Monday: My Big Fat Greek Life

Kelly over at Speaking From the Crib inspired me to do a post today about my Greek experiences in college. I'm going to cheat bend the rules a bit because this also coincides with Memoir Monday hosted by Travis over at I Like to Fish. Please go check these peeps out to see what the fun is all about!

**I must preface this by saying I was the first female in my family to go Greek. As such, I was not a legacy and did not have any recs because I didn't have a clue.**

In 1994, I was a freshman at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi. I was delusional determined to become a sorority girl to nullify the negative experiences my high school nerdom had brought about. There were four houses on our small campus. Being slightly stupid naive, I thought I would simply attend the rush parties and determine which house I liked best and join there. I quickly chose Kappa Delta and even called my mother on Pref Night to inform her that I would be running to the KD house on Bid Day the following morning. I had gone to KD and Tri Delt prefs, and logically assumed the choice between the two was in my hands. WRONG.

The scene: My dorm, Becky Bacot Hall, 2nd West, Bid Day morning. Enter my Rho Chi, or Rush Counselor, bearing our bid cards. My roommate got hers first (Tri Delta, her first choice) and began jumping around excitedly. My heart started thumping as I tore open my envelope next. I figured I must be going blind because I saw Phi Mu written inside rather than KD. I began to sob. Hard.

And that's when I heard it: the loud wailing coming from the hallway. There were four others like me on 2nd West, four other girls who had desperately wanted to be something besides Phi Mu. We bonded over snot and Kleenex and then dutifully donned our pink and white. We trudged over to the Phi Mu house with tear stains on our cheeks while the other girls clammored over one another to get to their houses.

Fate is a funny thing. I grew to love Phi Mu. I wore my jersey with a big pink ribbon in my hair. I proudly put on goofy costumes year after year:

Yep, me in the middle. Dressed as Piglet. My Big Sis was Winne the Pooh, not pictured here.

I got involved with the chapter once I realized it wasn't all about swaps and parties and baking cookies at the house. I became Spirit Chair. I was Co-Pledge Educator, and then served on the Executive Board as our Panhellenic Representative (which taught me why I couldn't simply "choose " my sorority & how I fell into Phi Mu). But you know what? If I had it to do all over again, I would choose Phi Mu first. I was lucky to have an instant and fabulous group of friends who didn't judge me. Who loved me for being me. And because of our bond, my many walks of shame nights of debauchery will remain secrets they will carry to their graves.

That is me in the middle in the top row. Yes, I am wearing overalls and pigtails.

Yes, they are part of the costume theme thing, but I also wore them regularly

& thought this was acceptable.

To Heather J., Kim T., "Red", and the others in my pledge class of '94: Thank goodness for you! To my big sis Amanda: I miss you & I'm sorry we grew apart once I got engaged. To my three little sisters, Tammy, Christy, and Ann: I LOVE YOU! I also had an amazing Grand Big Sis (Jennifer C.) and Great Grand Big Sis (Rachel A.)--you know how crazy all the family trees can get, right? But it filled a void for me since I never had a real sister. Suddenly I had 50-something. It was overwhelming and lovely and fun.

As sisters, we shared so much. However, it wasn't until right before graduation that we realized exactly how much. At a special ceremony for the seniors one night, we spilled lots of juicy secrets. We realized there was a common male denominator. A certain fraternity boy who shall remain nameless. Apparently he had an affinity for Phi Mu's and made the rounds without our knowledge. A sneaky one, he was. I think at least 5 or 6 out of the 10 of us (including yours truly) who were about to graduate confessed to having fooled around with this guy at some point. I generally don't have a problem with leftovers, but these left a rotten taste in my mouth!

Were you in a sorority/fraternity? Which one? Was it the one you really wanted? What are your favorite memories of those years?