Willy's Wedding!

This past weekend I was so lucky to be able to be back in Lincoln for the most anticipated wedding of the year! Okay it wasn't the royal wedding, but it was my good friend and teammate, Jordan Wilburger, who tied the knot this weekend. As soon as I found out that we would have that weekend off practice, I booked a flight into Lincoln for Friday night. But, I didn't arrive on Friday night :( Okay here's the story. I got to the Orange County airport on Friday a little earlier than I needed to get there. Not sure why...nothing better to do I guess. I get to the self check in and enter in my confirmation number. Immediately a screen pops up that says, "Your flight has been delayed causing you to miss your connecting flight. Sorry for this inconvenience." My heart starts racing a little and I turn immediately to the lady working the desk and tell her what's going on. She looks to see if there are anymore flights out of Denver that I would be able to make. There weren't. She looks at if there are any other flights to Denver from Orange County that would get me there in time for my connecting flight. There weren't. Oh no... After about another five minutes of fiddling around on her computer, she looks up and informs me that the earliest she can get me to Lincoln is 6:00 Saturday evening. My jaw drops. I stare at her for about ten seconds. And then I start crying. I'm literally standing at the United Airlines check in bawling. The lady stares at me horrified and I beg her to try and find another early option for me. I tell her about the wedding and how I have to be in Lincoln before 5. She immediately sets to work and literally after 45 minutes gets me on a flight to Denver, where I have to stay the night (they put me up in a hotel). Then she gets me onto a flight Saturday morning getting into Lincoln at 12:30. I hugged her. No joke.

So, I get into Lincoln at 12:30 Saturday and my teammates Megan Pendergast and Gina Mancuso pick me up from the airport. We went straight to Megan's house after a couple quick errands. We hang out and watch  The Office for a couple of hours and start getting ready for the wedding. So, me, Megan, Gina, Morgan Broekhuis (another teammate of mine), and Chris Schumann (Meg's boyfriend) all go to the wedding together. We arrived early because we wanted to make sure and get good seats. Right after we sit down, it hits me. Willy is actually getting married today. It's actually happening. She is younger than I am, not by much but still, imagine if I was getting married. Can't picture it, can you? Anyways, the music starts and the flower girls and bridesmaids and groomsmen make their way down the aisle. Jess Yanz, Brooke Delano, and Brigette Root are all bridesmaids and they all look absolutely gorgeous. As soon as I see Willy walking down the aisle, looking absolutely stunning, I immediately have tears running down my cheeks. I've played with and loved this girl for four years, she is a great friend of mine. Tears of joys are streaming down my face. This confirms the fact that when I do get married, I'm gonna be a crying mess. The tears didn't stop any time soon. Her dad stood up there with her for the first few minutes of the ceremony and eventually hugged her and placed her hand in Jon's. The waterworks continue. They said their vows and "I do's" and then it was over. They were married. The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so much fun! I got to see my old teammates and coaches and relax and dance! It was pretty perfect for me. And Megan Pendergast and I finished the night downtown celebrating her 21st birthday. My little bro is growing up so fast ;)

I went to the airport the next day to fly back to California. I walk in and the first thing I see is that my flight is delayed...weird. And I'm missing my connecting flight...again, weird. Sounds about par for the trip. So, I was blessed with another night in Lincoln with Megan, Gina, and Morgan. Although, I did miss practice Monday morning, I got back into Orange County Monday night around 9. Even after all the delays and all the trouble, just to be at Willy's wedding it was all worth it. I am so happy I could be there. Love you always Willy!

Kayla