There are some friends you just can’t live without…

This weekend, today actually, one of my most long-term, and closest friends in the world is getting married, to another good friend of ours.

I won’t be there.  Not through lack of trying, or wanting to be there to share with them in this special day.  But because we are essentially stranded in the US until the consulate figures out the paperwork to enable us to travel internationally.

My heart is broken, I know how hard it was for me on my wedding day when a number of my friends couldn’t get across the Atlantic to be with us.  The shoe is now on the other foot and all of the good intentions in the world won’t get me the 5,000 miles that I need to scale in 24 hours to be there with them.

Like I said, my heart is broken!

As corny as it might sound, I don’t think I know two people who fit together quite like these two.  They’ve been together for so long that I often forget they aren’t already married!

They are intersecting pieces of the same jigsaw, they’ve been together for more than seven years, they, like Col and I, met through hockey, and they are the ying to each other’s yang.  They compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses and are a perfect match for each other.

They make a great team and even better friends, Becky is one of the rare, truly loyal friends I have and I know, she’s got my back.  Regardless of what kind of day I’m having, Becky is always on the other end of the phone, and, when I visit with her (which hasn’t been nearly as frequent as I’d like since we moved out here) we eat and drink like queens (and giggle uncontrollably under the influence of flavoured vodka!)

I don’t need to threaten Matt to look after my girl Becky, or tell him that if he hurts her I’ll break his legs, because I know with 100% certainty, that he loves her and will look after her, just like she will, him.

I don’t want to make this in any way about me, because, I know, that their wedding day is completely all about them, but my sorrow that I won’t be there with them, is more overwhelming than I even expected.  I’d never had any intention of missing their wedding and, it’s only been over the last few days, that the silence from the consulate has been deafening.

I miss my friends, I miss them daily.  But more than that, this one special, important day in their lives, I’m missing that too.

Because, of course, the world revolves around me and I can’t miss out on something as big as their wedding day – and, the fact that two weddings is now the ‘in thing’ 😉 I unilaterally decided (I told them eventually!), that when I get my visa back from the consulate and can finally go home again, that Becky and Matt will have a second wedding.  Yes, just for me! LOL!

The whole sha-bang, we (and by we, I’m looking at y’all Tommy, Kerrie, Paul, Sarah, Laura and Jenni, to name a few!) are going to get drunk for her hen night, get glammed up, have breakfast in Fusion and get married all over again (Becky and Matt I mean, not Col and I, though, I hear that 3rd time’s the charm!) and have a kick-ass time!

We’ve all been holding our breath, praying for a miracle to happen so Col and I could get home in time for the wedding.  But when the reality hit, that we won’t make it in time, Becky was right in her overwhelmingly lovely email to me yesterday, it’s just been too sad to accept the truth that we’ll miss it.

Living away from home, is never more difficult than when there’s a big event.  They don’t get much bigger than this, and I’m truly sorry that we don’t get to be there and have a slap up dinner with y’all – eh, I of course mean share your special day with you both! 😉

We both love you (both) dearly, we want nothing more to be there with you today, it’s going to be a magical day and Jenni has been given strict instructions to tweet me pictures all day – so you’ll probably feel like a famous person being followed by a pap, but I can’t wait to see you in all your glory – you’ll look gorgeous!

I hope you have a wonderful, magical day and you finally get to stick your head in that delicious cake of yours!

I love you like a sister Becky and I’m so proud of you, never more than today! Big e-hugs to both of you, I can’t wait to get home and give you one for real!