The Barber's

Reice and I are going to Houston this weekend to visit Steph, Scott and the newest addition to their family, Alaina. Scott's birthday is coming up and Steph has concocted a surprise party. I was going to post this later in the week but I can't wait. I'll start by saying how I met them.

I got a job at Starbucks in August 2006. Stephanie was a shift-leader and I was just a peon who worked night shifts because of school. Steph and I became close when she worked night shifts for a while. She was quiet and sweet and the hardest worker I've ever met. I was promoted to shift-leader pretty quickly and had to learn to open the store, do the deposit, etc. and she was the one who was going to train me. I remember coming into work one Sunday still drunk (the store opened at 5 a.m.) and she was awesome about it. Ultimate way to bond, if I do say so myself. We've had many good times together. I loved how she'd say everything was "so freaking cute/adorable," no matter how uncute or unadorable it was. I love how she called me "Little Princess." She's literally danced the night away with me at Station 4. We've spent Valentine's Day together drinking alcoholic slurpees in her bathroom. We've stayed up until the wee hours of the morning singing songs with Reice. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was a favorite. She has a beautiful, Regina Spektor-esque voice.

On to Scott. He was an ASM at another store and transferred to ours. I don't really know why but thank goodness because he was the best thing that happened to that store. Actually, I do know why he came to our store. To meet Steph. He's probably the funniest person I've ever met. He's genuine, silly, intelligent, and a part-time actor. An all-around good person to be around. The store could be in utter mayhem and he'd show up and everyones demeanor would immediately change into laughter and good times. I'll never forget his heinous handwriting. Or the time he slapped Cameron with a hot caramel pack and it burst open all over him. Or how we'd come up with as many rhymes synonymous with "hit it and quit it" as we possibly could. And then write them on boxes in the back room. I'll never forget the time we went to dinner at On the Border and he told me that he knew he should end up with someone like Stephanie.

How Stephanie Hunter became Stephanie Barber

From the moment Scott stepped into our store, Stephanie became a different person. She lit up around him. I don't believe in love at first site but she is my only exception to that. She'd talk to me all the time about how charming and funny he was. About once a day she'd go, "I just love him." She wanted him but I don't think she ever thought she'd get to have him. Especially when you consider that he didn't know she had even the slightest bit of a crush on him. If I were to go back to 2007 and tell her what her future had in store, she'd probably faint.

Fast-forward a few months. One day when I wasn't working but visiting the store as I often did to see her, she went on a break with me and told me that they were seeing each other. I almost fell out of my chair. I didn't tell anyone because they were co-workers and that is looked down upon in most companies, as is commonly known. I didn't even let Scott know I knew. Another few months passed and it gradually became obvious they were together because they spent every waking moment together. The next thing I remember was getting a call from Stephanie one night. Scott had proposed. I almost swerved off the road. They got married last October. It was a beautiful wedding. I got to be a bridesmaid. I gave a drunken impromptu speech about hoping them all the best and knowing it was true, real love. I hope that's what I said, at least. They moved into a house in Houston a few months later near Scott's family.

Alaina Grace

Last December I had a graduation dinner and Stephanie came. Reice made a joke about her not drinking because she was pregnant and her shy response confirmed that he was correct. I didn't hear and she didn't want me to know yet because it was my night but Reice knew he couldn't keep it from me so she told me about 14 seconds later. I almost passed out on top of my fajitas.

We are meeting Alaina Saturday for the first time and I'm so excited. I've never been so happy for two people. I know I didn't describe this entry as poetically as the story truly is, but their relationship and love have been a fairy-tale in my eyes and in my heart. I truly wish them infinite happiness and I hope they last forever. They deserve it. I may even cry when I see them. I love them both so much.