the wedding of Alan and Jen Fogleman

Once upon a time, I co-lead a freshman Bible study in my dorm when I was a sophomore in college. One of the regulars at this study was Jen Wilson, who I thought was cool but we never really clicked outside of the study.

The next year, Jen started being more and more involved in Campus Crusade, and so we got to know each other better and started becoming friends. By the time this photo was taken in December of my junior year,

I knew that I wanted to become good friends with her. Up until that point I had really only had one sturdy friend through college (Steves), and the rest were a little flaky on the friend scene. So I asked Jen if she would want to start meeting on a weekly basis the next semester to pray and read a book together. So we did, and an actual real friendship started forming.

That's us near the end of my junior year, her sophomore year.

Meanwhile, I was dating this dude in a band and started going to lots of their shows, and therefore started hanging around his cousin/best friend Alan Fogleman.

There's little senior in high school Alan playing the drums in Farewell to Ashlyn. I remember the first time we really hung out, and for some reason I wasn't really thinking before I spoke and I said, "I can't believe I'm hanging out with someone in high school!" I think Alan was very offended for several years, my bad.

Anyway, I continued to become better and better friends with Jen on one side of my life, and got to know Alan more and more on another side of my life.

In January of my senior year, I got dumped, and a month later, Jen got dumped. As we went through having broken hearts together, Jen and I really became BFF. I don't know how I would have made it without her. That summer we bonded even more when we worked at camp together.

We had actually become almost the same person, in a good way, and the names Jen and Tate were practically synonymous at camp.

Also at camp that year, and still kind-of a different part of my life, was Alan.

Even though things were now horrible between me and his cousin, Alan was still a good friend to me and I loved having him at camp that summer.

Anyway, sometime in the spring of 2006, while I was in New Orleans, some sparks started flying between these two friends of mine who I would never have guessed would end up together. But they did, and by the next summer at camp, my worlds had collided.

I loved these two people separately, and now I loved them together. A little less than two years after this photo was taken, Alan proposed and Jen said "Duh!" No but seriously, I think she really did say duh. That's my girl.

So a couple weeks ago, I headed back to Kansas for the wedding festivities. We kicked off the week by going to a KU basketball game, which is always an incredible experience.

Love my Jayhawks and my boos.

And I got to be reunited with all the besties at Jen's bachelorette party, which was also really fun.

Those are the girls that made KU awesome for me. I love love love them.

From that night on, I was almost constantly surrounded by Jen, Danielle and Katlin (Jen's sister). Sometimes I feel like I go back in town and me and my friends just reminisce about old memories. But this wedding weekend definitely created new memories, which I'm always a fan of.

Then came the wedding day. Jen looked awesome, obviously.

Ray Zuercher, our old camp boss, did a great job with the ceremony. And it went by very smoothly, no awkward moments, which I know Jen was happy about. Plus, as Jen noted several times, we were a very attractive wedding party.

Plus I knew all of them, and that always makes the wedding more fun.

My personal favorite part was the reception.

And despite the fact that the DJ played almost no songs from Jen's requested playlist, the party was bumpin. Unfortunately Jen had to do bridal duties and talk to lots of people, so she didn't get to hit the dance floor a whole lot, but Dani and I sure did. I was actually sore the next day.

And before we knew it, Jen and Alan were off. And the epic wedding weekend was coming to a close.

Katlin and Dani and I had to have one last moment of pretending that we were actually all getting married that weekend, not just Jen, so this is our, "We all got married!" picture.

So in conclusion, Alan and Jen, I am so happy for you guys. And Jen, it was an honor to be a part of all of this with you, and I am so glad to have you as a best friend. I love you so so so much!!