The Essence of Patty

A few weeks ago Austin and I were going to the mall and I made him put in my band CD from my senior year of high school. I knew he wasn't at all interested, but I wanted him to hear me playing my piccolo solo from that marching season...and I may have just wanted to listen to it for my own enjoyment too. As we were scrolling through the songs to find my solo, we came across one that had a big oboe part. Patty played oboe, and every time I hear that song it makes me grin from ear to ear because not only did she knock it out of the park, but that particular song marked the beginning of our friendship (to me, anyway).

I met Patty at the beginning of her freshman year of high school, my junior year, and at some point during that year our groups of girl friends collided to make a group of 8. Alexis, Jenny, Ashley and I were all in the same grade and had been close friends since our freshman year, while Patty, Julie, Sarah and Lindsay were all close friends too. It wasn't until my senior year that Patty and I developed a friendship aside from our super-cool-girls-club though. And no, we didn't call ourselves that. I made it up just now, we weren't THAT big of band nerds. Except really, we were...sad to say. Moving on. Before our "winter" concert Patty had been struggling with her oboe solo and was getting really frustrated. It was a big part and she wasn't used to being the center of attention. Patty never was one for that sort of spotlight. One day she was really overwhelmed during class trying to get her part just right, and I stayed after class to somewhat console her. Then I tried to be as encouraging as possible leading up to the concert to boost her confidence. She had the part down, she just didn't know she had it down. I don't know if my support helped or if she just naturally got more comfortable, but when the concert came she absolutely blew it out of the water. She gave me a gift afterwards thanking me for helping her through it, and from then on she and I developed a deeper friendship than just that of 8 girls having sleepovers and playing Cranium. Yep, we loved Cranium!

It was pretty easy for me to become so close with Patty - I'm a great talker, like I've said before, and Patty loves to listen. :) It wasn't just that, though. Some people used to tease her for being so quiet, and I've even been asked how we ever became so close in the first place because of how quiet she is. But for me, that was never a problem. Not just because I had someone willing to listen to me gab on and on, but because I somehow knew how to bring out the talkative side in her too! I never saw her as shy or quiet or hard to get to know, to me she was just Patty.

Fast forward 9 years and I found myself flying into Houston to be a part of her wedding. I couldn't have been more thrilled! I've written before about how blessed I've been to have had such wonderful people placed in my life and had the opportunity to maintain relationships over the years, despite whatever distance there may have been. Patty and I stayed close through my being in college while she was still in high school (that was the toughest transition of all actually!), then we were in college together, I moved to Denver, she graduated and moved to Houston - yet still, here we are. She is one of my closest confidants and best friends to this day, so to stand in support of her as she and Keith exchanged their vows was truly my pleasure.

When I was asked by friends throughout the day of the wedding how Patty was doing, my answer stayed the same: She looks stunning, she's calm, and she's happy. But would you expect any different? One person said it best: Well, that's the essence of Patty!

I wanted to wait to write this post so I could share pictures of how beautiful the wedding and bride were, but I'm too impatient for that and silly me forgot my camera that day. The wedding was beautiful and not one detail had been overlooked. I hate to compare one wedding to another because I think weddings take on the characteristics and qualities of the couple in most cases. There's generally a white dress, a tuxedo, a tiered cake and maybe a chocolate cake on the side (if you're in the south, that is) - yes, those similarities are there. But each wedding becomes unique to the bride and groom, so they're pretty difficult to compare. I will say, though, that Patty's reception was probably the most beautiful reception I've ever seen. Beautifully decorated, beautifully orchestrated - just beautiful. I guess that can go back to my original statement of how weddings take on the characteristics of the couple. Maybe not Keith so much in the beauty aspect(hehe), but definitely Patty. Her beauty came through in her reception. She is one of the most beautiful people, inside before out, that I know and I saw that beauty shine all day.

Patty has forever criticized herself for being one of the most indecisive people in the world. At times, she is. However, I will credit her for being decisive when it matters. She may have struggled with bridesmaids dresses, flowers, table linens, and much more. But in her decision to love Keith for the rest of her life she never wavered. And that is what matters most. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Piassoli - and thanks for letting me be a part of your wonderful day.