Search Results
janelle - 5 found
What I’m Thankful for This Christmas
Perhaps this is a post I should have made at Thanksgiving—when you talk about things you’re thankful for—but I had an experience that made me realize something.
My parents threw their annual Christmas party and I invited a few of my close friends from high school. I don’t stay in touch with a ton of people, but those I do keep up with I make sure to keep close. My friend Janelle recently married a wonderful guy named Anthony, and I’ve known him for several years and was a bridesmaid in their wedding. We were all catching up when Anthony mentioned that he’d read a Funny or Die article I’d written and shared it on Twitter. He also discussed a section he found funny and made sure to ask me about it.
I don’t know if this is the case for many other writers, but moments like this rarely happen to me. I’ve written for a number of websites, but rarely do people take the time to tell me that they’ve read something of mine, let alone shared it with others. It’s rare, and it actually means a lot to me.
As a writer—and not the type who writes one book a year, but the online type who puts out material on a daily basis—it’s not always easy to find fans. I use the term “fans” loosely, as what I actually mean is that finding people who will read your pieces and not only appreciate them, but share them on Facebook or Twitter is difficult.
Many of my friends have been very good about sharing articles on Facebook or Twitter without me asking and for that I am extremely thankful. I don’t express it enough, but it really does mean the world to me. Believe me, there are people I’m very close to who I wish shared my pieces, but they don’t. Sigh.
I’d just like to say, for every one of my friends or readers who have consistently clicked on links, given me a “Like” on Facebook or shared something I’ve written—thank you so much. I notice each and every one of those times and I can’t express how thankful I am. Even though it’s just a read of an article, for me it’s how I spend my time and it means so much to me.
If you’ve shared, liked an article, or talked to me about my pieces, I’m really thankful, from the bottom of my writer heart!!
xoxo
As some of you may recall, I was a bridesmaid in my friend Janelle and Anthony’s wedding.
Lo, what’s this? A wedding video? Let’s take a closer look…
Ah, yes, you’ll see some fantastic dance moves from me toward the end. Enjoy.
The Bridesmaid Diaries
Last weekend I experienced the joys of being a bridesmaid.
My friend Janelle got married and, as such, I joined three other lovely ladies for the honor of wearing matching gowns and walking down an aisle…with a complete stranger.
Let me preface this by saying that I love weddings. I love being a bridesmaid. My friend looked FANTASTIC and I wept during the exchanging of the vows. It was a really fabulous event.
That being said, I’ve learned some things from this latest adventure. Life lessons that I hope future bridesmaids can improve from.
THESE are those lessons:
- Booze, Booze and More Booze
Behold, the bride and her matron of honor: They’ve got a Bloody Mary in one hand and champagne in the other—all smiles!
- Make Things Pretty
Want to know how to tame a “Bridezilla”? Make the bride feel beautiful at every possible moment.
For example, I arranged a lovely meat and cheese platter next to the makeup station. The Maid of Honor zoned the pictured table as a “pretty things only” space, (hence the garter, shoes, and bling). In this way, whenever the bride’s eyes tinge red and smoke billows from her ears, all you have to do is remind her of the truffle hors d'oeuvres on the adjacent table.
- Play Dumb
THIS is a final and critical lesson. If something bad or not so great is happening, pretend like nothing is wrong.
For example, the photographers missing? That’s weird. Not like he called you to say he was stuck in traffic and couldn’t really read the directions he’d written down earlier. No, that never happened, and you’re 100% sure he’ll be there any moment so the bride can have millions of beautiful memories to reminisce over in her old age. Nothing is at all wrong.
Did I leave anything out?
On Janelle & Anthony’s Wedding
Today my friend from middle school, Janelle, will be marrying her fiancé, Anthony.
I feel lucky for a few reasons:
- I get to be a bridesmaid and stand by her side at the altar.
- Janelle found someone who suits her as well as Anthony does.
- I get to eat cake.
Just kidding on that third one!!!…Kind of.
In all seriousness, I have known Janelle for a long time. Long enough that she saw me through my fat phase, knows about that time in middle school when I locked our math teacher out of the classroom (Sorry, Mrs. Kaczowka!), and was there on my 20th birthday when I wrapped a sheet around myself and declared, “I am Batman!”
I didn’t really become close friends with Janelle until high school. We ran in different circles, even though in a school of 100 kids having circles seems somewhat pointless. But it was in high school, when I started to get involved with theater, that Janelle and I felt a kind of kinship. When I say “kinship,” what I truly mean is that we both made each other laugh.
We’ve shared a love of roller coasters, Anthony Hopkins (no relation to her now fiancé, though, admittedly, the shared first name seems oddly convenient…), haunted houses, dancing to “Peanut Butter Jelly Time,” and all things completely nonsensical.
Keeping in touch and staying close has not been easy, especially since I decided to go to Boston for undergrad and Los Angeles for grad school, and Janelle landed at FSU then Iowa for veterinary school.
She also landed Anthony (or he landed her, rather) and, like some winged Amazonian bird, my feathers immediately went up when I sensed a threat to my friendship. However, I can say with great pleasure, that we have stayed friends and I couldn’t be more excited to watch them both start a life together! Xoxo
But to the millions who said we wouldn’t last, I’d just like to say…
I CAN HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT JANELLE TOO! Or, wait, that’s the saying, right? No…? Let’s make it one?
My friend Janelle sent me to this website, Cats Improve Art.
Indeed.
Indeed they do.