I do fully accept that you earn the title of being her very best friend as long as you understand that she is and will always be my forever person.
I know many people are confused about what this means so let me make it clear to you here and now. We may be able to live away from each other, but we won't want to so be prepared to be my neighbor. I will stop by unannounced many, many times -- get used to the idea now. You may find yourself coming home to many sister movie and baking nights where we watch our go to's - One Small Hitch or Holiday in Handcuffs. You'll probably learn all the words. I can't say I'm sorry about that, but you can have a slice of the cheesecake that we'll inevitably bake on one of these nights.
On the off chance that we decide to live more than driving distance apart from each other, be prepared for daily phone calls. Also, we tell each other everything so I'll most likely know more about you than you know about you. I'm not sorry about that either. This also means I'll know when she's having a bad day but it's not that she's not confiding in you, she's just confiding in me too.
Our birthday is our holiday. It will be celebrated on our birthday - together. You can celebrate with her as long as I can have her for lunch or dinner. Yes, you can come too.
Congratulations! This is how your married life will be. After all, they say when you marry someone, you marry the family. Well, when you marry my twin sister, my presence is sort of a package deal.
Okay, so I'm mostly kidding. I know this is not exactly what life is going to look like when you're married. I know realistically daily phone calls won't work out and being neighbors may be a little too close to impossible. I may strongly hold on to our birthday celebrations, but I know that these are just dreams that I've had growing up. For the last 21 years, I've had her by my side. I couldn't imagine a future where she's not by my side. The transition for you into newlyweds will be an adjustment for you, but it will take some getting used to for me too.
All I can say to you is treat her like the queen she is. You might think you know how terrific she is, but let me make sure you understand this much. She'll have you in stitches when she's in any type of mood - happy or annoyed - because she can crack jokes about anything. There's no one else I'd go to for cheering up because of her ability to throw caution to the wind and speak her mind is not just amusing, but also quite comforting. She is the most confident and intelligent person I know.
Not only has she winged a full-on scientific presentation, but she aced her high school chemistry final without a calculator. When I say she's intelligent, I mean it can be hard to keep up with her at times. That's okay! Let her speak. She should never have to feel like she has to dumb herself down for you. She's confident in her intelligence so let her be confident. Just like she was confident enough to wear high heels every day of high school. Yes, she once wore high heels while wearing sweatpants. It was her signature and no one judged her for it because that is Ashley. Confident and unique, unapologetically herself.
When I say she deserves the world, I mean it. She deserves someone who pursues her every day. She deserves someone smart enough to hold a conversation with her or just someone willing to listen and learn from her. She deserves a spiritual leader and a partner in life. She deserves someone to love and cherish her to the very end of her days.
If you've received my stamp of approval than that means this is you. This is who you have to be - pretty close to perfect. Yes, I know that's impossible. I know you will fail at it constantly. And when you do, I just ask that you seek God first above all else. Seek God and love her the way He loves her. The rest will come in time.
Yes, I'll loosen my grip on her as long as you tighten yours. Be her very best friend and I'll remain her person with boundaries that are negotiable. Hey, like I said, it's an adjustment. Just know that the day my dad walks her down the aisle and gives her away, I'll be giving her away too.
