friends or "friends"?

so recently, i've had some experience with people who i thought were friends, but apparently they were just co-workers or something. it upsets me to find this out because when i'm friends with someone, i actually feel like we are FRIENDS, like they're people whose calls i answer, who i'd drop what i'm doing to help out, and whose weddings i would attend. i mean, i know the divorce rate is high, but still i plan to have 1 and only 1 wedding, and it's important to me that people i care about at least make an effort to attend. i'm certainly not talking about people who have a legitimate excuse miss, like grad school starting or living in california, but people who choose to go to the beach rather than my wedding, it just shows me how important my frienship isn't to them.

i know this sounds like a rant, but it's really not, i just feel hurt that some people i thought i was close with so easily choose not to be a part of one of the most important days of my life. i guess it shows you who is really important, who really cares about you, and who you should put stock in as a friend. it just hurts to learn how unimportant a friendship you valued is.

i guess it's sort of like "out of sight, out of mind" now that i've moved to boone (a whopping 3 hrs from raleigh), but some of andrew's groomsmen and best friends are in CALIFORNIA, and they have chosen to come travel the however many hours it is by plane and then by car just to be here. so obviously the strength of a friendship isn't defined by proximity, but it is, apparently, illuminated by it.

so thank you to all of you out there who have been there for me, who love me, and who continue to make an effort. i hope i can be as good of a friend to you as you have been to me.

(this is a picture of meliss and me from waaaaay back, at hannah flanagan's in hendersonville.)