Tonight's Gonna Be a Good Night

Last night was one of the best nights of my life...actually it may have been the best night, for now.

Jenna's wedding was yesterday. Hair, makeup, breakfast, nails, and prep began at 8 AM.

At 12:30, we rushed off to take pictures at a lovely barn, on the tracks in downtown Cpep, and at the church.

At 2:30, the service began.

At 3:30, Jenna was now Mrs. Jenna Erikson. Then the real party began!

The reception was at Prince Michel Vineyard. You could be inside or outside. The wine and beer were flowing. Food was being devoured. The DJ was blasting music. Old teachers, old friends, old coaches, old classmates, old teammates, friends' parents, friends, new friends, and family filled the night. And, the fun began.

It was so awesome because there were people there from my childhood, there were people there from my teenage years, and there were people there from UVA. Jenna and I met in 2nd grade, went through school together, and ended up at UVA together. Our families and friends have all been woven together over the past 15 years.

Celebrity Guests:

• Jordan Lee: He is 6 years older than me (so 8 older than Jenna). He flew in from Texas and his family is still in Cpep. He swam with us. He went into the military and then went to UVA. He was Jenna's first crush.
• Julie, Jeff, and Phin Inman: They hop-scotched into Culpeper for about 2 years for Jeff's residency. Phin was born. Jenna was their nanny. I was the house-sitter. They moved away 2 years ago. I about had a heart attack when she tapped me on the shoulder. Julie did triathlons with me. She had me housesit her house once and gave me enough money for half a road bike. Her motto for Jenna and I was "I want to give to y'all because y'all are doing good and later y'all will give back even more." They really helped Jenna and I out. Julia is so much like me. Her mom hates athletics, while Julie is sooo independent. She is a great role model. I absolutley loved seeing her. She almost cried when I told her how happy I was. She's from Raleigh "Anni, Raleigh has nothing over Culpeper." I really need to take her up on her offer and go visit Vermont!
• Jeff: He's head of Young Life in Cpep. I am just now getting to know him. But, Jenna found Christ through Young Life. So, it was cool for him to meet my friends, reconnect with people, see me partying it up with friends, and to see someone that he impacted her life join in a Godly union with James.
• Swimmer Families: We carpooled, shared hotel rooms, shared our weekends at swim meets. Now, we're all grown up and not swimming! Jordan Lee "This is like a swimmer reunion." It's amazing how we are all such great friends and no each other better than most of our close friends because we spent years together at practices. The Smyths and McDonnells were definitely breaking it down on the dance floor.
• Brent Larson: God bless his soul. I remember when he moved here in 9th grade. We were so excited to be getting a new 'boy' classmate that Jessica Ward made him Jello and took it to his house to scope him out. As I walked down the aisle, I saw him grinning ear-to-ear. It made me so happy. As soon as I walked out, he came up and was like "I couldn't believe that was Anni Richardson the most beautiful bridesmaid ever." Now, who doesn't want to hear that? Especially when you have sweaty pits. But Brent was one of my dearest high school friends, we accepted each other's quirkiness. So, it was nice to spend the night with him and ALL of our other high school pals.

The night included Only Kat and her mother being drunk. I was way tipsy for a few hours. My parents had a blast. Daddy was on the dance floor with us. The bridemaids lived on the dance floor. (Thanks to a summer with H and 101.9, I knew all the songs!) The 5 million groomsmen were older and more reserved (yuck!). Ok, so a few weren't and definitely found their way to some bridemaids. The Good Ol' Song was sung. The cake was cut. And, then the Catholic wedding turned Jewish we did the dance and raised everyone in chairs. We danced and drank the night away before Jenna and James ran off through the vineyard.

That's when Dad became a DD and chauffeured some friends home.

All and all, it was a night to remember!

Moral of the Story: Under the stars, a true party occurred. One that was even better because everyone there was connected to me in some way. Jenna couldn't have been happier. And, a new beginning has begun for many. It was good night!