I actually don’t remember the exact moment I met La Vida. Back in the day, her grandma used to do my mama and aunt’s hair, so it’s possible that we met and didn’t even remember it. We went to middle school together, but we weren’t really in the same friend group. In fact, I think she was kind of jealous of my smarts. 😛

High school has a tendency to allow you to start anew, and we started bonding through honors classes, weird block schedule lunches, and the band. My 15th birthday slumber party pretty much solidified our best friend status to us and everyone else, and now La Vida is my BFF of almost 20 years and the Maid of Honor! I couldn’t even summarize who she is to me in a brief enough way, but let’s just say she knows where all the bodies are buried…lol We have so many memories, from from passing notes in class to getting lost in Arkansas by accident to the “MySpace meetup” to swapping/changing shirts before going out (don’t tell her Grandma!) to spring weekend at Brown to Philly/NYC/NJ visits.

She’s been in my life longer than she hasn’t and has witnessed my biggest triumphs and tragedies, best and worst decisions, and growth from an awkward teenage girl to a slightly less awkward, more confident woman. Also, Corey is actually the first guy I’ve dated that she’s truly given the stamp of approval. There has never been a time when I couldn’t count on her, and I’m so excited to have her by my side for this momentous occasion (that I wasn’t sure would come because I always told her I would probably be the “cool aunt”)!