Kelly & Tom – Traverse City Wedding At Twin Lakes

Disclaimer: It was hard for me to write this post and not have it sound like I was just blabbing about me and my feelings, but I’m particularly close to this one and it was hard not to talk about it.

I almost cried when I saw Kelly in her dress last weekend. Kelly and I went to middle school together. I had crooked teeth and she had short hair. We had the same love for anime, held belching contests, and were nerds that went to Science Olympiad together. We were convinced we were going to marry Duo Maxwell and Heero Yuy, respectively. Then we entered high school and everyone told us we were “growing up”, but I never felt any different. We both had braces and took the same classes and played endless video games. When we walked together during graduation everyone told us “we were grown women”- but again I still felt the same. We still laughed at the same jokes, giggled about boys, and still wouldn’t shut up about video games. And this feeling stayed with me, even when we were out on our own. Even after university or “adult jobs”.

At one point Kelly’s husband Tom was my roommate, and I remember telling her that she should just come over and meet him. That he was smart, funny, sweet, and liked video games. (And he happened to be single.) Well, she came over to visit (read: play video games) and I introduced her to Tom, who smiled and shyly stuck his hands in his pockets when he saw her. They’ve been together ever since.

Now, five years later, while watching Kelly walk down the aisle to music from Chrono Cross, I was overwhelmed. Before me was a grown woman preparing to pledge her heart and devote herself to the love of her life. And what an incredible woman she grew to be.

To Mr & Mrs Haug, may your joys be endless and sorrows few.

And a special thanks to Tom (my Tom) for taking that last photo of me getting my groove on. We were dancing to either Ducktales or Mighty Morphing Power Rangers at that point. (And we still laugh about how we both wound up devoted to a Tom. Perhaps we are still children at heart.)