What the Maid of Honor Said

Molly has been the best friend of my daughter, Katie, since the two of them were wee lasses.  She is one of my favorite storytellers.  Here are some she told at Katie and Scott's wedding.

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Molly delivering the Maid of Honor speech.
Scott!  Pay attention!

Hi, Everyone.  Thank you all so much for coming and being part of such a special day in Katie and Scott's lives.  I am Molly, and I am honored to be here as Katie's Maid of Honor.  I would like to thank Mary and Randy for hosting this wonderful event.

Katie and I have been best friends for over 25 years.  It all began one day on Ridgemont Drive, when a rambunctious, tree-climbing, speed-your-bike-down-the-street kind of girl said to another, more-cautious, reserved, I'll-stand-down-here-while-you-climb kind of girl, "Hey, want to be my best friend?"  

I said, "Sure!"  It amazes me to this day that with that one simple question, our path to a wonderful friendship began.

Waiting for the bus on the first day of first grade.

We have spent many summer days here at Keuka Lake.  Some of my best memories were spent here with Katie and the Fredlunds, and I've always viewed them as an extension of my own family.  

Katie always knew that someday she would love to get married at Esperanza, she just didn't know to who.  Or as English majors would say, "...to whom."

Not Keuka Lake, but still having fun near the water.

One day, as we were catching up on the phone, Katie started to tell me of a guy named Scott that she had met through mutual friends while studying at Bowling Green.  Over the next few months, Scott's name began to come up more and more in our conversations.  I could hear in her voice that he was someone special, and had the sense that she had met her match.

Clowning around one October.

Katie has always been very strong, independent and someone who knows herself very well, which is one of the things I admire about her most.  But Katie has a soft side, too.  She is a beautiful person in and out, kind and caring.  To this day I still have the card she made for me in the 4th grade, when I was home sick from school that read, "I hope you feel better.  I missed you today."  That card still means the world to me today, and shows from a young age what a caring person she is.

A little older than 4th grade.
Cue the song, "Ya Got To Have Friends..."

Molly enthralls the crowd.

Scott may not remember this, but one night while he was telling the Fredlund family and me about a book he read, he used a word that I did not know, because I don't know as many words as Katie and Scott.  Like one of his students, I raised my hand.  He looked at me and said, "Yes?" 

"Scott, I don't know what that word means."  Without judgement, he simply explained what the word meant.  At that time, I thought, "What a patient and kind person he is"...the kind of person I have always hoped my best friend would find.

One chapter ends.  The next begins.
But always the best of friends.

What I love about Scott and Katie is that they are their true selves around each other.  They are able to be independent of one another while being supportive of their goals in life, even if that means making sacrifices.  Long distance relationships are not always easy, but I always hear of all the fun they have had...Making the time to travel to see each other, or meet up to visit friends or family.  They're always sharing in a new adventure together.  [Editor's note: Katie is a Professor of English at Indiana State University while Scott is finishing his PhD at the University of Florida.]

Well said, Molly!

Please join in as we raise a glass to Katie and Scott.

For your future together, I wish you happiness, laughter, and lots of love.  I love you both!

[Images provided by Vicky Fredlund-Feathers, John Larkin, and scans of an ancient means of chemically capturing light.  Imagine that!]