This Pondering Heart

Helena Therese Petlick. I wanted to know her the second she opened her mouth proclaiming her celebrity crush was John Krasinski. Caught in her allure (she has this effect on practically everyone she meets), I was spellbound and determined to make myself her very best friend. Lucky for me she was also auditioning for marching band (#nerdalert) and just so happened to live kiddy corner to my dorm room (this was absolutely the Holy Spirit at work). After actively seeking her out, bonding over being introverts (cough-being afraid of alcohol-cough), and unknowingly making a fool of myself more than once (I swear I know who Jane Austen is), she caved and agreed to be a pal. And so, we became NellMel. We had totally different social groups. We studied opposite things (especially that first semester). We ate almost every meal together. We hugged it out through our first breakups (which I’m now realizing happened very close together). We even followed through on our promise and too

My sister, my first role model, my very best friend married her favorite person on a below freezing day under the twinkly lights of Iowa. It was an honor standing right beside her through it all (ensue a wave of tears). ----------------- Eight months of planning. Tick . It starts off small with links to venues and dates and all the exciting possibilities. Stretches of time go dark, only to be matched with an influx of pictures and questions within one hour to make up for lost time. Extended (most welcome) phone calls are scheduled to strategize, talk out details for the big day. Tock . Before you know it, it’s already here. You’re on a plane headed home with too much luggage (only over-packers check bags), anticipating the interference you’ll have to make so the bride-to-be isn’t (as) stressed. Tick . There’s barely any time to focus on the holiday (just a peek: Christmas Eve Mass celebrated in the church cry room) and you collectively plow straight through Christmas