Kelly is the Red Hot Mama Bear of our friend group! I first met her through Delta Gamma, but didn't really get to know her until second semester of my Freshman year, when we lived in the same building at school. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but during that first semester, she became one of my very best friends at William Woods. She's always been there with advice on how to handle any situation, and has been so helpful to me through all of the changes and plans and questions I've had so far in planning this whole thing. When Monty and I first got engaged, Kelly told me that the only word to describe how she felt, was "jolly!" That's the kind of supportive friend she is- when you're up and happy, she's there to celebrate with you; when you're down and need someone to watch sad movies with, she's right there to help pick out the next one. Kelly is the kind of friend who will do anything for anyone she cares about, & her spirit is as fiery as her red hair, and I absolutely love her for that!

Carly is the friend who will tell it like it is-whether you want to hear it or not, and that is one of my favorite things about her. I first met her during our "first night out" in college, where the older girls take the new freshman Delta Gammas out and introduce them to the riveting nightlife of Fulton, Missouri. It was on this first night that I said to her with full confidence, "Your name is Erica, right?" And I've never lived that down... To put things in some perspective, Carly is to Kelly what Kara is to me, so with them being in the grade above Kara and I, we quickly learned that had some big shoes to fill! I'm pretty sure everyone in the entire town of Fulton knew Carly and Kelly, and for good reason-they're two of the most fun people I've ever known! Even the simplest thing like watching trashy reality TV, or attempting a Jillian Michaels workout video can easily be turned into an hour of nonstop laughing if Carly is there. We spent one semester together as roommates, and in that semester I think I heard more manly burps than I'd ever heard in my whole life combined. While she can be so much fun to be around, Carly is also probably one of the most realistic and level-headed people out of our friends, and she's always down for a sushi (or Taco Bell) date. She's the friend who you can always count on when you're having a tough time, to help you work through any situation. Having "been there and done that" recently herself, she has been a huuuuge help to me with any and all wedding questions I've had. She's also the one I know I can count on to have a Bud Light Lime waiting for me at the end of all of this wedding planning! 😉

Emily is the big sister I never had. She and I met when we started riding lessons together, when I was 8 and she was 12. We both eventually went on to pursue Equestrian Studies at colleges that were about 20 minutes away from each other in Missouri. After college and internships, we both ended up back in Tulsa, working and riding together, AND we eventually became roommates! I don't know many people that can spend as much time together as Emily and I do, and still get along as well as we do. As if working and living together isn't enough, we also spend a lot of our free time together and can often be found out around downtown Tulsa, living our double lives as the "Barbies." A lot of times, we even end up accidentally matching our outfits... She's also full of random trivia and knows "every song." Emily and I have come a long way together from our early days of horseback riding lessons, to spending more time with each other than is probably considered "normal." Like any big sister would be, she was an absolute necessity for being in the wedding party!

Kara and I met our freshman year of college, through our sorority Delta Gamma. We were roommates after our first semester, and spent only one other semester without each other as roomies after that. Kara quickly became my very best friend at William Woods, and even though we live 12+ hours apart now, anytime we are together again, it's as if nothing has changed. It doesn't matter if it's been a few weeks or over a year since we've been together, we can just as easily get back into our old habits of staying in and ordering pizza or getting ready for a night out as if it was just yesterday that we were sharing a closet. She's been there to witness some of my most entertaining moments, and has always held me up when I needed her most. We always joke about how we're "basically the same person," and I truly believe that our souls come from the same roots.

Shelby and I met when we were in the 6th grade together, but didn't really become friends until a little later in life. We were on the same dance team from 7th grade-senior year of high school, so between countless hours of practices, competitions and games, it was inevitable that we would become friends. It wasn't really until our junior year of high school that we became close though, and we went into senior year as Captain and Co-Captain of our dance team. Now, we still work together at the same restaurant, where we often get to work as partners. When it comes to any type of team setting, Shelby is the definition of what a leader should be! She has an infectious smile and personality for days. She is easily one of the most encouraging and dedicated people I've ever known; whether it be leading a team to a state championship or completing her nursing degree, she puts everything she has into achieving her goals. Just watching her go after a goal is motivation in itself! Even though we were 6 hours away from each other throughout college, our friendship has remained one of the strongest ones I've ever had. Shelby and I have seen each other through victories & heartbreaks, and just about every other major milestone in life, so there was no doubt in my mind that she would be standing with me on one of the biggest days of my life!

Hannah and I have known each other since we started the 6th grade together, and were on the same Pom squad. Our parents also lived in the same neighborhood, so during the summers before we were old enough to drive, we would spend most of our days at Hannah's pool or walking to Custard King to get ice cream. One summer, we and two other girls in the neighborhood even called ourselves the "Mighty Unicorns," and we spent almost every single day together. We always had at least one class together throughout middle and high school, and even after going our separate ways for college, we always managed to come back and be able to pick up right where we'd left off. It doesn't matter if we don't talk for a few days or a few months, Hannah is another one of those friends who I know I can count on, no matter what. She may be the smallest of my bridesmaids, but she can certainly hold her own and party with the big dogs! Hannah has been there for some of the best and worst parts of my young life, so of course she's gotta be there for this amazing day!

Connor Smith and I go back pretty far. Far enough back in fact, that he used to try and take my stuffed aninal manatee from me almost everyday at nap time during kindergarten. Connor and I also went on to the same grade school and and high school together. Through all those years and even through college, we managed to stay very close. Connor and his family are like my own family, and have always made me feel welcome and open as long as I've known Connor. His mom is one of the most amazing people I've ever met and has no problem telling you how it is. While Connor was attending Wright State University, his involvement in the Army ROTC program helped lead me to join Air Force ROTC. Connor is a very dear friend of mine and has been there with me through it all. Many times, his advice and friendship have lead me to some really good changes in my life. We have also had tons of fun times together, like vacations spent together when we were 16 and 17, and lots of fun nights together while we were in college and high school. I know I'm getting as good of a groomsman a you can with Connor Smith.

Drew Nash: coffee pouring conisseur, Head Master of the Flex Plex residence & most likely to take down Maverick at Top Gun. Drew is a graduate of the highly renowned Air Force academy in Colorado Springs. Lucky for me, Drew landed at Vance AFB for his pilot training and was also in class 1701. Drew and I spent the first phase of our pilot training experience together in E flight. As some of the younger folks in the class, Drew, Kam, Zach and I become a quartet, working and spending a lot of our time in Oklahoma hanging out & getting into shenanigans. Drew will definitely add an element of fun and will most likely have some good jokes to share at the wedding. I had plenty of fun times in pilot training and many of those were thanks to Drew. He likes to go out have a good time and provide plenty of good, witty comments. Very excited to have him as a part of this day!

Kam deserves a lot of credit, as the reason this whole wedding is taking place is partially because of him talking to Anna first. Kam became one of my good buds during pilot training. He was one of four of us who was always willing to go find something fun to do in Oklahoma. If there is ever an opportuniy to wear a Hawaiian shirt, you can count on Kam to don one. Kam is always the guy that can get the energy going in a group of people. If there's ever a time when people aren't having a night like the movie "The Hangover," kam would try and make that happen. I spent many nights in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Stillwater with him when we were just too bored for Enid. One thing I certainly know is that involving Kam will bring no shortage of dull moments to the wedding. I certainly couldn't imagine him not being included as a groomsman. If you ever wonder who that guy is wearing a Hawaiian shirt at some point during the wedding weekend, I'd put my money on Kam.

John Reece is my oldest friend. John and I went to the same schools all the way until college, when we became rivals (Go X). Some of my oldest memories take me back to hanging with John on Briarcliffe Ave. or Ridgecliffe Ave. when all we had to do was walk around the corner to be at each other's houses. I would still argue that John and I's favorite TV show is Wallace And Gromit, as we spent many afternoons watching them discover that the moon was made of cheese. John and his girlfriend since high school, Leah both like to go have fun at some of the breweries and other Cincinnati spots. I've had lots of fun times hanging with them at Rheingeist or Neon's in downtown Cindy. John is a pizza fanatic and puts on shows daily at Dewey's, flipping pies in the window. John is a very chill guy that likes to have a good time. If you're looking for someone's to hang out with, or just take it easy and enjoy a beverage, John is your guy. Hes an excellent addition to the wedding, and I couldn't imagine not having him here with me.

Allie is another Delta Gamma sister of mine, all the way from sunny California. Even though she didn't come to William Woods until our sophomore year, she managed to fit right in with our class, even though she was a Pledge Class behind us. She and another friend of ours, Melissa were that year's class' version of Kara and I. Just like us, they were pretty much a package deal. Since Allie was a legal studies major and I was in mostly Equestrian classes in school, we did most of our bonding outside the classroom, at the Pike fraternity house on campus. Allie's soon-to-be husband(!!!!) and one of my favorite people from William Woods, Tyler was a member of Pike so we spent quite a bit of time at that house. One year, Allie and Tyler and I took a road trip all the way to Stillwater for a toga party and we had so much fun pretending to be OSU students for a weekend. Allie is the kind of friend who is always down to order a pizza and will send you random gifts in the mail just because they remind her of you. She can be one of the quietest, most polite people I've ever met and she can be the life of the party, all within the span of one day. By the time our wedding rolls around, I guess she'll actually be Allie SUBKE, and not Allie Malone....! Knowing how hard she works, she'll also probably be a full time lawyer! I'm so glad that even though she's going through one of the busiest, craziest years of her own life, she'll be there for me on this day!

Zach is another one of my good friends I was able to meet while attending UPT. Zach was a part of the crew consisting of Kam, Drew and myself. We all bonded on a car ride to Stillwater one Friday evening and Zach was a large part of why that happened. Zach was also my first friend to meet Anna after that first night in Stillwater. For the first few weekends, Zach would come to Tulsa to hang out with Anna, her roommate Emily, and I. (Zach actually hung out at Barnes and noble while I was on my first date with Anna). Something to know about Zach is that he likes to dress well. Many times on our way to Tulsa, Stillwater, or OKC, the reason we would get a late start was due to Zach having to find the right outfits. Zach is also very musically talented. He is self taught with the guitar, ukuelele, and once he even asked a girl to prom by singing to her with his barbershop quartet group. Zach is a great friend of mine and will most likely be the best dressed, and he's sure to have a few good jokes. He is an excellent addition to have in our wedding party!

Wes is my big brother and also one of the closest people to me. Wes is about 6 years older than me so for awhile, while we were growing up, he was much bigger than me and would use that to his advantage. I also have to say my interest in airplanes is completely because of Wes. While we were growing up, he would play airplanes with his friends and I would watch them, sometimes going in after them and trying to recreate their fun. Wes also attended Xavier University for college and was a member of ROTC at the University of Cincinnati. He went on to join the Air Force and fly C17s in Charleston, South Carolina after college. Now, he lives in the Tacoma, Washington area with his wife Alyssa, where they are expecting their first daughter in September of this year. Wes and Alyssa love to have a good time so they will be a great addition to the party. I expect to be thoroughly embarrassed by Wes when it's his turn to give me a Best Man speech, but I wouldn't want anyone else up there.

Michael was my first roommate in college. We hit it off right away, and we've been friends ever since that first year together. In our little dorm room in Brockman hall, we would spend many a nights watching the Deadliest Catch and laughing at the same inaudible commercials that were on our tiny TV. One funny thing about us living together that first year was all the mornings I woke up to his alarm clock instead of mine, meaning I had slept through my first class. We had a blast that first year together creating all sorts of fun& funny memories that we continued to make throughout the rest of college. We spent many a nights walking up and down Clenay Avenue trying to find a party with our giant group of freshmen from Brockman Hall. We would run back to Gallagher Center at the end of the night just in time before Subway closed... from there we would turn on our little TV or go hang with our friends down the hall. Continuing past our freshman year our group stayed very tight and we spent every weekend together. I'll never forget things like camping out together to get tickets to the UC game, or weekends at 1023 Dana and Eldorado, staying up all night to watch every Lord of the Rings movie or doing the McNugget challenge. I can't wait to celebrate for a whole weekend like we used to back in school.