The usual disclaimers...Shane and Liza are characters of Betsy Haynes, not the current author. And on Liza...Fab Five fans may have guessed, but Liza used to be Beth Barry back in middle school, but in my stories, I have her change her name to Liza midway through high school.




MARY ANNE:

"I still hate dressing up," Kristy muttered as she looked over her wedding dress. Mona, Stacey, Abby, Anna, Claudia, Dawn, and I all chuckled. Kristy grinned, then added, "Oookay, here goes..." and pulled the simple green dress over her head and on.

"You look great!" Claudia chimed in.

"It becomes you," Stacey added.

"Thanks," Kristy self-consciously fingered the long skirt. Still the same Kristy, I thought in amusement. Kristy's always hated dressing up and still to this day prefers sweats and baggy jeans, the rattier-looking, the better. It's hard to believe she's getting married again! I really do hope things work out for this marriage. It looks like it will because Shane and Kristy have a lot in common and are both liberal and open-minded. I'd met Shane's mom Sylvia earlier today and she's nice. Shane looks a lot like her. Since college, Shane hasn't changed too much. I was glad all of us in the original BSC were able to fly over to Two Skies to attend the wedding. It wasn't a big wedding; it was nice and simple. It was also an outdoor wedding, kind of like what I had with my late husband, Owen. I hoped Tam and Alma were getting ready in their room here at the Inn. This Inn we're staying in is rustic, has a "farmhouse" appearance and enough rooms to accommodate all of us...the original BSC, some of our non-BSC friends including Liza Barry, Greta, and Wyser along with others...those of us who have lovers or husbands, they were here as well as our kids. It was about fifty people. We'd have the reception in the main big lodge.

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I usually wind up bawling at weddings and this one was no exception, especially since it brought back memories of the outdoor wedding I'd had with Owen. Claudia grinned and I wiped my eyes and pulled tissues out. Tam also started to cry and I handed her some tissues. Alma's eyes welled up and she looked down. As Shane and Kristy said their vows in front of the judge, I covered my mouth and tried not to blubber. Tam kept the tissue over her nose and when everyone applauded, she took advantage of the noise to blow her nose with a *baaap!* I started to smile through my tears, but discovered *my* nose was started to run too, so I had to grab more tissues and blow also. By then, the applause had quieted and I could hear my own honking as Kristy and Shane headed back up the aisle grinning, waving and arm-in-arm. Married again, I thought. I knew they'd make a good couple.

"I think they're going to have a great time together," Claudia's oldest daughter, Mimi told us as we got up to get ready for the reception.

"They seem..." Tam's voice broke and she cleared her throat and wiped her eyes again.

"Very...compatible." I nodded and wiped my own eyes.

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KRISTY:

God. Shane and I are *married.* Hard to believe. I was glad we'd ordered plenty of food, buffet-style because most of us were famished. We did the toasting thing and as I said mine, thanking each and every one of the original BSC friends for standing by me through the years and being like sisters to me, Mary Anne started to cry again. As I sat, Mary Anne stood up and made a toast, even though she was crying. She said something to the effect of how fortunate she felt to have all of us in her life and wished Shane and me all the happiness of several lifetimes. "...you've earned...it, K-Kris...may the stars...bl-bless you..." she blubbered before sitting. By then, Stacey had started crying too and both she and Mary Anne fumbled for tissues. That's when we continued eating. In about a minute, everyone was laughing, talking and eating, including Mary Anne and Stacey. Looking around, I felt very lucky to have all of them in my life as well. And I had to feeling there were many more years to come of the turns and changes in our lives.