The day started out a bit tense. There was a tension in the air swirling around us all partly due to the pressure of making it a perfect day and the heat. I had forgotten about the heat. I've gotten used just taking a sweater with me every where I go up here. Down there? You can't take off enough clothes. Sticky, cranky, adding words adds a little bit more heat into the air. So this caused a lack of communication when communication was really needed. But then we found relief in a cool home and Audra sat down for Misti to do her hair for the wedding. And I settled in to watch.

As Misti worked her magic, you could see the tension flaking away like onion layers. For a moment, I stepped outside of the picture and just watched. I saw two girls reenacting a scene they've done hundreds of times together. Getting ready for that first dance, that special date, HS graduation. Two best friends. Just like that, cranky turned to laughter.

I noticed, as I uploaded pictures, that Misti is out of focus in every one of them. The thing you see the most is the look of concentration on her face as she focuses on her best friend. Audra stays in focus through all the pictures. But this last one is my favorite one of that day. Audra in focus, her pure beauty shining through. Misti hovering in the background, a blurry ball of sunshine, smiles and love. All as it should be.

It really turned out to be a beautiful day. I admit that I had my worries, but at the end of the evening Audra hugged me tight and told me that I showed her what it was supposed to be like and now she has that and it's all she ever wanted. We cried for so many reasons then. Joy and loss all mixed together. But mostly joy.

Happy Love Thursday.