sparks of romance | a georgia wedding

There are some years that seem like a blur when I look back on them. I have to sit and remember what spectacular things occurred and where they happened. That is not the case with 2003 and 2004. Those years are lightning bolts of clarity when I think of them. Every time, every single little time they cross my mind, I laugh. Out loud. Because they were so fun. And they were so incredibly fun because my girlfriend Ashley and I made them that way. We lived big and loud, and we laughed until we peed our pants on more than a few occasions, and we did things that I can only shake my head at now, like, I'm so glad we didn't think twice and jumped in that lake fully clothed.

For those years Ashley was somehow both my rock and my spontaneity - a phenomenon of contrasting wonderful things that she does effortlessly. Our friendship has grown and ebbed over the years, ballooning and floating in various, sometimes separate and sometimes intertwining directions. She got married last weekend in Georgia to a man so good and so true and so meant for her that my heart swelled nearly out of my chest.

Melanie and I spent a long weekend back in our home state, reminiscing our friendship with Ashley, and all the years and moments that have led to where we are and she is now. It meant the world to me to be there, hearing her say she takes this man to be her partner in crime because I know so well that he's in for a lifetime of laughing until he pees his pants. I'm so happy for my friend.

And now, a lot of photos from Ashley's beautiful wedding.