My Speech at Kelly's Wedding. September 2022
My name is Erica and I have been friends with Kelly since we were 15. That’s over two decades of friendship right there because we are really old. When I first met Kelly, I’ll never forget how intimidated I was by her. She was this bright, sometimes loud and impressive young woman. Frankly, not much has changed.
What amazed me the most was her confidence-despite the fact that she was antagonized by friends…one in particular-our friend Matt Darcie (wave to the crowd Matt). When I first met Kelly, I knew her as the girl that was thrown in the church dumpster…by Matt. Somehow that didn’t stop them from remaining friends-I mean he’s here at her wedding!
But back to our friendship-I mentioned that we go way back, so far back that live journal was still a thing. Is anyone familiar with live journal? If so please raise your hands. Ok, so for those that don’t know what I’m talking about, it was an online blog account that was created during the early 2000’s, for unstable teenagers, like myself, and kelly, and Matt and our friend heather. I still have mine, Kelly deleted hers, but that isn't going to stop me from sharing an excerpt. Please enjoy this peak into the inner workings of our early friendship.
My Entry: October 28, 2001: Alright, there is a MAJOR respect issue at hand right now. I was reading The Picture of Dorian Gray and all of a sudden, ohhhhh!! This man needs to realize that women are not just innocence and beauty, we have more to offer!
And then there’s Kelly’s comment: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG! There is this one guy in my 8th hour who is a sexist little pig... I can't stand him. And I totally chewed him out the other day. My friend Chris told me to settle down. He called me a feminist too.. That made me SO mad!!! *GROWLS*
You could say we were ahead of our time, you know being feminists.
It’s clear to say that Kelly is a passionate person, it’s also evident that she’s one of the best of friends I’ve ever had. If there is a word to describe her, it would be empathetic. How lucky are we all to know Kelly?
A few years ago, I was going through some really dark times in my personal life and Kelly not only was there for me but invited me to stay with her in her cute Ferndale apartment. I was there on and off for a few weeks and it gave me an opportunity to truly see how happy she was with Jamel. Before she met Jamel, she always seemed a touch restless. But with him, it was clear that she had found an inner peace. It’s so clear that Jamel and Kelly are meant to be together. They are each other’s greatest allies and the best of friends and I couldn’t be happier to be here celebrating their love. So cheers! =
What amazed me the most was her confidence-despite the fact that she was antagonized by friends…one in particular-our friend Matt Darcie (wave to the crowd Matt). When I first met Kelly, I knew her as the girl that was thrown in the church dumpster…by Matt. Somehow that didn’t stop them from remaining friends-I mean he’s here at her wedding!
But back to our friendship-I mentioned that we go way back, so far back that live journal was still a thing. Is anyone familiar with live journal? If so please raise your hands. Ok, so for those that don’t know what I’m talking about, it was an online blog account that was created during the early 2000’s, for unstable teenagers, like myself, and kelly, and Matt and our friend heather. I still have mine, Kelly deleted hers, but that isn't going to stop me from sharing an excerpt. Please enjoy this peak into the inner workings of our early friendship.
My Entry: October 28, 2001: Alright, there is a MAJOR respect issue at hand right now. I was reading The Picture of Dorian Gray and all of a sudden, ohhhhh!! This man needs to realize that women are not just innocence and beauty, we have more to offer!
And then there’s Kelly’s comment: RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG! There is this one guy in my 8th hour who is a sexist little pig... I can't stand him. And I totally chewed him out the other day. My friend Chris told me to settle down. He called me a feminist too.. That made me SO mad!!! *GROWLS*
You could say we were ahead of our time, you know being feminists.
It’s clear to say that Kelly is a passionate person, it’s also evident that she’s one of the best of friends I’ve ever had. If there is a word to describe her, it would be empathetic. How lucky are we all to know Kelly?
A few years ago, I was going through some really dark times in my personal life and Kelly not only was there for me but invited me to stay with her in her cute Ferndale apartment. I was there on and off for a few weeks and it gave me an opportunity to truly see how happy she was with Jamel. Before she met Jamel, she always seemed a touch restless. But with him, it was clear that she had found an inner peace. It’s so clear that Jamel and Kelly are meant to be together. They are each other’s greatest allies and the best of friends and I couldn’t be happier to be here celebrating their love. So cheers! =