some things stay the same.

Not sure how many know the role this girl plays in my life.  It's so funny how we all grow up and things change, and you grow apart from people.  Turns out, some things stay the same, or come back around.

Lydia and I met in middle school.  We "knew of each other" before that though, and at 13 we became best friends.  We would (no joke) read Harry Potter together, listen to music together (Stroke 9, anyone?), draw our dream clothing lines together (this is totally serious) and watch Friends together.  For years, there was a group of five girls that would hang out always in her basement.  Our one-night sleepovers would turn into weekend-long movie marathons pushing couches together and cuddling up with comforters.  My parents even took us on annual spring-break beach trips in our teal Chevy Astro van.

Lydia and I dreamed of being designers.  We could never decide between fashion or interiors, but we would draw clothes and look at pictures of cool houses on a regular basis as middle schoolers.    Our friendship followed into high school where we would hang out thrifting at Agora in downtown Athens and meet up with our guy friends for pizza.  She developed a love for cinema, and started filming things on a regular basis-- made me watch indie films and classic horror movies.  Completely opposite, I became active in FFA-- raising dairy calves in my back yard and competing nationally in nursery landscape competitions.  By the end of 10th grade, we loved each other, but our "hanging out" was not as often as before.  We had changed a lot, and our "group of friends" was a little different than how it originally started out.  We were there for each other, but didn't talk much.

Completely unaware of what the other was doing, Lydia had applied to SCAD-Sav to study film, and I had applied to SCAD-Atl to study interior design.  Things have changed now-- we're both short of graduating, and aren't at SCAD.  But, funny how we had planned all those years ago (at 13) to go to the same art/design school and after spending a couple years apart, still went back to our individual roots which just happened to be similar.

Last year, after some misunderstandings with an old friend, I had Lydia to reach out to.  She was there.  It went the same way when she needed me.  Especially lately, we have been huge supports for one another.  We have completely different religious beliefs, completely different life-plans, but we have found so much comfort in knowing each other for so long, and truly knowing each others' intentions.  Even though we talked about being each others' maid of honor at 13, two years ago, I never would have thought our relationship would be where it is today.

(six years between these pictures)

Having Lydia support me in getting married, and be next to me has meant more to me than anything else.  She would call me on a regular basis in Maui, she would message me weekly, she would remind me that she cared for me and knew who I was even when sometimes I had lost myself.  She would message me pictures of bouquets when she was studying abroad in Europe, and would Skype me whenever she had the chance.  Talk about dedicated.  Even without the same beliefs, Lydia always held me to my high standards and never let me forget them.  So, if any of you have been wondering how me and this tattoo-covered lady came to be, and why she is so important in all these wedding pictures... She is a talented, amazing woman who I love so much and am so grateful to have in my life.

When Lydia gave her sweet speech at my reception, I couldn't help but think how even though we went through ups and downs, she always stayed by my side.  She is the perfect friend, which is so hard to come by, and I couldn't ask for someone better.  I loved my wedding day.  I loved celebrating being married to the love of my life, and I loved being reminded who my true friends are, after all these years-- the ones who unconditionally care for me, despite my weaknesses or fears, or things I-wish-I-would-have-done-differently.  I loved having an intimate reception with my favorites, ones who I knew were happy for me, and supported the decision I made.  And more importantly, would seriously bust a move on the dance floor.

the friends i've known and loved for years-- all from elementary school, middle school, or high school