The matter of the wedding party has been settled. I still have my three best ladies, and the beau now has his five closest buds. We do not feel compelled to have matching numbers of attendants, but I may still borrow one of his dudes to stand on my side during the ceremony. Yes, he is just that awesome. He wears a bowler hat sometimes, if that is any indication of what awesomeness could aspire to if it just applied itself.

Can I tell you about my best ladies? I realize you don’t know them, so I will forgive you for looking kind of bored. Or for clicking away — NO WAIT DON’T GO! I WILL MAKE YOU COOKIES! *

I have no sisters. I also have no brothers. My parents, I don’t know. My mom got knocked up when she was 20, and then they were done. Fin. I guess I was all they could handle. I grew up daydreaming of a big family, of having lots of siblings like my mother and my grandparents had. I was blessed instead with a family not of blood but choice: A trio of smart, independent ladies without whom I’d be lost.

One lives in the Bay Area. She’s smart as hell and went to grad school and has written actual books. That were published. She sends me texts about Golden Girls in the middle of the night. We like to get together and drink bourbon and fetishize all things Canadian. Don’t ask.

One is incredibly quirky and creative. She makes her own art and lives in Portland, OR. She’s about 15 light years ahead of anyone else in terms of style. I envy her music collection. We can communicate exclusively via high-pitched noises.

The other lives here in Santa Barbara. My local gal. She is the kind of crazy seat-of-her-pants punk-rock lady who would decide on a whim to take a road trip to Las Vegas with a complete stranger. She once challenged Oscar De La Hoya to a game of pool. Now she’s studying to become an EMT.**

I am so glad that they will be a part of our wedding.

Who are you glad for?

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* Well, that is just a lie if I ever saw one.

** All of these things, however, are true.