I have always felt so blessed by the friendship of my little sister. She is my best shopping buddy, running motivator, personal stylist, go-to for advice, and my best friend forever. Lauren is someone I can call to talk about anything and is always there for me. She has a good attitude no matter what and she shows up for others. Lauren and I share a love for playing games and she is someone I always want on my team. Lauren worked with Aaron to plan the most perfect proposal for me and coordinated with my entire family to surprise me after it happened. One of the best things to happen to me was Lauren coming to FSU. I got to do so many things with her, like Young Life, going to her races, being greeters together for church, game nights, and so much more. I loved sharing FSU with Lauren. I always joke that Aaron will say yes to Lauren more than me (it has been proven true!), but in all seriousness, it has been so special to me to watch Lauren and Aaron become besties. It is such a gift that they are so close. I could not have been blessed with a better sister and I am so excited for her to stand by my side at my wedding and visit us in Miami often!

It all started in 10th grade science class. We got seated near each other and the rest was history. I don’t think I have more inside jokes about nothing with anyone else. Chloe and I have so much fun together, no matter what else was going on. Chloe can make anyone feel comfortable, always knows the right thing to say, will let me talk to her for hours about anything, and knows how to get the party started. Chloe and I got to study abroad together in Spain and I treasure those memories. Most exciting was probably parasailing in the Swiss alps, but my fondest memories are our dinners. Often just bread, cheese, and wine (girl dinner), getting ready together, and staying up all night in our two beds which we pushed together week one. Sophomore year of college, Chloe and I found ourselves in a friend group with Aaron and Blan. We all denied any feelings for each other and were just friends for over a year. When God took these two boy best friends from Naples and paired them with two girl best friends from Ponte Vedra, that REALLY was a blessing. It has been so much fun getting to go through so many seasons of life with Chloe.

Ever since I met Morgan in 2019, I wanted to be just like her. I could immediately tell how thoughtful and caring she is. Morgan carries herself with so much grace. She exemplifies the type of Christian wife and Mom I want to be one day. Though she puts her kids first, she never lets this get in the way of making me feel like a welcomed guest every time I’m in her home. I absolutely love spending time with her. She is always willing to go the extra mile to make someone feel special. More than once, I have been impressed by how Morgan is able to play Catan with me while simultaneously feeding an infant, chasing down toddlers, and making a meal for the whole family. She is always down for a coffee shop and you know I love this about her. Most recently, Morgan and Brad gave Aaron and me the greatest honor of being Christina’s Godparents. I love all of Morgan’s kids so much!

I met Paige before Aaron and I were dating. I was so excited to know her, because she was the coolest leader at FSU Young Life. Shortly after meeting her, she became my bible study leader. It was so awesome, especially because I definitely had a crush on Aaron at the time. Paige was such an inspiration to all of us freshman girls. She was pregnant with Cooper at the time, but still showed up for bible study every week (it was a really fun Bible Study where we spend a lot of time socializing). Paige would sometimes say to me, “You should date my brother!” Once Aaron and I started dating, it was so great to become even closer with Paige. Her house in Tallahassee became a second home away from home for me. I spent so much time there during my last few years in tally. Paige is so good at hosting and making me feel welcome. I loved to hang out with her sweet boys, Cooper and Blake. Aaron and I also got the pleasure of sharing a church with the Farmer family. I loved going to DCC, and I especially loved getting to sit with the Farmers on Sunday mornings.

Our friendship began on a Cru weekend retreat freshman year of college. Unfortunately we never went back to Cru, but I gained a life long friend that weekend. We both were there to make friends and Carli was being bold and talking to strangers. We immediately clicked and I have cherished Carli’s companionship ever since. The summer after our freshman year, Carli brought me to “Spoke Folk,” a 12-day bike tour ministry in Colorado. We put on our helmets and biked 40-100 miles a day from church to church spreading the good news. Carli didn’t tell me until I got there that I would have to sing in front of a whole church each night. That week was special and Spoke Folk is something I hope to participate in again. I had an absolute blast and my legs have never been stronger. Carli has always been supportive of me no matter what. I remember countless nights in her apartment laughing all night. Our relationship became even deeper when Carli decided to join in on FSU Young Life. I was so excited! She completely surprised me and dove in head first becoming a high school leader as a senior in college. We also went to Pioneer Plunge together. I am proud to call Carli my friend. Since graduating, Carli has lived in California and DC! From letting me crash with her in Tally when I lost my apartment key at a halloween frat party to hosting me in her beautiful DC apartment, Carli is a gracious host. I am so thankful for this friendship!

From staying up all night in our elementary days to our international travels, Morgan and I have been through a lot! Our families became close friends sometime around kindergarten/first grade and have spent Sundays together since. It was so nice growing up to look forward to seeing Morgan and her family at church, but we especially liked getting to hang out and eat donuts afterwards. Times were simple and we were excited to play freeze tag or red rover. Morgan and I come from similar families of strong Catholics, but Morgan was one to really make her faith her own at a young age. I remember being so impressed by her diligence and dedication to her faith. She does not give in to the ways of this world and is proud to stand up for what she believes in. Morgan has always given me such good advice in conversations about faith. Though we have had a life-long Gator-Seminole fued, Morgan and I have found it easy to stay close. We have gone on mission trips together, our families have shared a house boat in the BVIs (my favorite vacation ever) and when we were both studying abroad in different countries, we planned a weekend meetup in Italy. We explored Sorrento, Capri, and the Almafi Coast together. I always have the best time with Morgan.

Forced to be friends by Young Life leader placement, Marie and I were destined to be besties. I didn’t have a car at the time and Marie was kind enough to drive me to the middle school every week (hence forced friends). It didn’t take long for us to get very close. We spent countless hours at Redeye “studying”. Marie and I clicked so quickly because we share a strong faith. I know I can go to her for advice or just to talk about life. When we turned 21, we had a joint Birthday party and it was one of the best nights ever. All of Tally Young Life showed up and we ended the night in the fountain. There’s no one I’d rather share a birthday party with. Now Marie lives in DC on and works on capital hill. She’s incredible!

Niki and I met in kindergarten! Niki’s friendship has been constant over the years and I am so thankful for this. We became especially close in high school as we went to Young Life together. We decided to become Wyld Life leaders together and those were some crazy days trying to wrangle energetic middle schoolers. We started our own weekly campaigners group with a few other girls and it was so nice to have this Bible study and support group. We also were President and (co-)Vice President of FBLA - future business leaders of America - and got to go on some actually quite fun trips to Orlando, Atlanta, and LA! I know these trips would not have been nearly as much fun without Niki and these were some of my favorite high school memories. Though she went to UF, we stayed close throughout college and always got together over holidays. Niki is the type of friend that puts in the effort to be a good friend and show up for people. She never says no when it comes to helping others and now works in non-profits. Niki is caring, dependable, and supportive. To top it all off, she was at Pioneer Plunge summer camp with me and met Aaron the same time I did!

Finally… after 16 years, thanks to my sister Morgan, I got the brother I had always wished for! When Brad started dating Morgan, he instantly became one of my best friends. In fact, Brad spent significantly more time with me than he did with Morgan while they were dating (at least that’s how I remember it). Between our “big money” games of FIFA, ping-pong, soccer in the living room, basketball in the driveway, and endless brain teasers, there wasn’t much time for Brad to hang out with his girlfriend. Thanks to Brad, every aspect of my life has become significantly more fun. Family vacations were never the same once he came around. He can make a contest out of anything. Plus he’s taught me how to be strategic in just about every aspect of life. Recently, Brad and Morgan have opened up their homes to host Caroline and me for some awesome trips to Nashville and they always do the MOST to make sure it’s a great time. One of the funniest, but expected, things about Brad is that he became such great friends with Caroline - so much so that Brad got the invite to Caroline’s Bachelorette party. If you don’t know Brad, he’s a genuine genius (highest GPA in the history of Collier County, Harvard & Cambridge grad, business guru type). If you want a perfect score on your SAT, check out baileytestprep.com. On top of being incredibly smart, he’s incredibly humble and generous. He always puts others before himself. He’s Bullet Arm Bailey, the master game maker, and the father of three. I’m proud to have him stand as my Best Man.

Jake is my second brother that I’ve always wished for - major shout out to Paige for making that happen. Most people know the story of “the first time I ever laid eyes on Jake”. If you don’t, ask around. Ever since Jake showed up at my house when I was in middle school, we’ve been best friends. And Jake was intentional about including “Paige’s little brother” every time I’d come visit Tallahassee when they were in college. We have endless memories together from night skiing in the icy conditions of North Carolina to repelling down Table Mountain in South Africa. While I was in Tallahassee for college and my one gap year, Paige and Jake opened up their house to me so I always had a place to go, a fridge to scavenge through, and a comfy couch to watch football on. I even got to be there when UGA won the Natty in 2021/22, a special night. Paige and Jake made more dinners for me than I could ever begin to count. On top of that Jake was a wise voice of reason for me as I navigated through college. I am so appreciative for our time together in Tallahassee. If you don’t know Jake, he has an incredible skill of chatting and engaging with anyone. I’ve never seen someone bounce around a room with more charisma than Jake. I once accompanied Jake on a “work trip” (that he generously invited me on) in which we sat in club seats at an Inter Miami game. There were a bunch of high up politicians there. I basically shadowed Jake as he made his rounds, making these people laugh and smile left and right. I don’t really know what his job (government relations for Walgreens) is, but he’s very good at it. I’m pumped to have Jake as my Best Man.

Joseph is my third brother that I’ve always wished for! Caroline’s entire family immediately welcomed me in with open arms when I showed up as Caroline’s new boyfriend. Joseph and I bonded pretty much instantly over our love for Florida State football and specifically the 2013 national championship team. On multiple occasions while I’ve stayed at the Bing’s house, Joseph and I have found ourselves up way too late watching reruns and highlights while the rest of the family is asleep. Joseph and the Bing family also introduced me to sharks teeth hunting. It’s a sport that I never expected to find so thrilling. I’ve now been on a few trips across Florida looking for these gems. Notably, Joseph, his girlfriend Caitlyn (shoutout Lyn), and I hiked and dug through the swamps of Gainesville while hunting, and we also scuba dove in Venice, FL where we found a handful of megalodon fossils. Be careful asking us about it because you’ll get way more pictures and stories than you’re expecting. Joseph has been an awesome friend to me and he also graciously allowed me to stay in his room for the past 3 years every time I visited Caroline. He’s currently in training to become a pilot. I am pumped to have him as a brother and be an official part of the family.

Nate and I became best friends at about age 8. It’s extremely difficult to summarize our friendship because we have been through so much life together. Some of my favorite memories of all time are playing soccer with Nate, Dylan, Jack, Cam, and Nic in random places like in Nate’s garage or on Jack’s trampoline. We spent our childhood traveling all over the state for soccer, staying in hotels routinely and doing all the stuff that kids love to do when put in a hotel together for a weekend. I’m a firm believer that hallway soccer as an 11 year old with your best friends is unmatched to any activity ever created. In high school, Nate and I captained the varsity soccer team together for 3 years. We won tons of trophies and loved every second of pregame meals, bus rides, and Christmas parties. Nate will likely hold the Community School of Naples record for career goals until the end of time. I’ll proudly stay at #2 on that list. Our biggest supporter and ultimate pregame motivator through it all was Nate’s brother, Sergio. (I have to give a shoutout to Serg here. In addition to firing us up, Sergio was our Young Life leader. He was an incredible example of a follower of Christ, and poured so much energy into making the best adventures throughout our childhood. Serg is also like a brother to me). On top of soccer, Nate and I have endless memories and stories from middle and high school together at CSN and from our time together at FSU in Tallahassee. We even pledged and then dropped out of the same fraternity at FSU. Although we now live in separate cities, Nate routinely has me laughing out loud via text. He’s a brilliant statistician (although he can’t win a fantasy football championship) and has an insanely quick witted mind. The best part is, we’ve got endless memories ahead of us.

When I was first trying out for the club soccer team in Naples, I heard about this young Portuguese phenom who would be arriving the next week. At just 7 years old, he was a YouTube sensation (https://youtu.be/6nsv4wS8cWU?si=nw4Jvs4aD2MT8sD1 ) and the absolute talk of the town. That guy was Dylan Rodrigues. When he finally did show up, I learned the hype was real. Dylan was a superstar. Fortunately his dad thought I was good too, so we spent the next 10 years training together. By that I mean I would go over to Dylan’s house for soccer practice in his backyard and afterwards, we would encourage our dads to “have a cup of coffee” while we went inside and played. Usually our nights turned into sleepovers. Coach Walter, Mrs. Laura, and Veronica became like a second family to me. Our routine of soccer followed by playing afterwards pretty much never stopped. In high school and in college we faced off multiple times as opponents. Even when Dylan played for UCF club team and I played for FSU club team, we would meet up after games and at tournaments. Like watching good movie after good movie, Dylan and I have created unlimited memories together. We actually jumped out of a plane together as well. Now he’s living in Tampa and making crazy sales in the medical device world. It’s the perfect field because he uses his charm and determination to his advantage. Dylan is a lifelong friend.

Blanooooooooo. Blan and I crossed paths multiple times during childhood, but really became good friends once he started at Community School in 10th grade. At 6 feet 6 inches Blan was the star center back for the high school soccer team. In college, Blan and I became super close. We were roommates for three years at FSU. We also happened to be in a friend group with Caroline and Caroline’s best friend, Chloe (shoutout my twin Chloe), who Blan dates now. Blan was the ultimate roommate - very chill and always down to bool around. College is the best because you can decide to do random things like go on a bulk diet in which you wake up at 5 am every morning to eat 6 eggs and a protein shake and then go back to sleep. In addition to weird things like that, we have a ton of memories together going to basketball games and exploring Tallahassee. We started an intramural dynasty at FSU known as “Futskis” which dominated in practically every sport. Notably, we ran through the IM Can Jam tournament with an incredible underdog story that deserves its own website. Blan and I also have some memories on the water. There were a few summer weeks where we were finding a new spot to wakeboard like every single day. Lately Blan, Chloe, Caroline and I have enjoyed traveling to Atlanta, Charlotte and Miami to get together. We’re all looking forward to the day we live in the same city. It’s coming soon.

Nate and I became friends at FSU where we both played on the club soccer team. Nate and I got along well at FSU since we shared a similar faith that bonded us quickly. Just a few weeks ago, Caroline and I had the absolute privilege of attending Nate and his wife’s wedding in the Virgin Islands (shoutout Annie, shoutout that insane wedding). I shared a story about Nate at his wedding describing his transformation from the team “freshman” to a respected leader and more importantly a true servant leader. It’s hard not to like Nate because he always puts others before himself. Plus, Nate is incredibly responsible and well organized, so he was the perfect vice president while I was president of the club soccer team at FSU. We traveled all around the country playing soccer while at FSU. Now that our soccer careers are over, we have both picked up running. We’ve been on some brilliant long runs together though Tallahassee and Ponte Vedra. Nate and I have made a tradition of running the Jacksonville River Run (going on year 3) that we intend to continue till we’re old and can no longer walk. I’m looking forward to sticking to that.

I met Timmy just over one year ago, but we’ve spent practically every second together ever since. Timmy is a fellow Miami medical student and roommate. Navigating life in Miami and figuring out how to do medical school is enough to bond two people so it feels like we’ve been friends for a lifetime. If we’re not ripping through flash cards, we’re traveling across Florida or finding the next weird thing to do in Miami. Some of our most fun times include a trip to Ponte Vedra where we stayed with the Bings for a week and a trip to Nicaragua doing medical mission. Tim is a year younger than me but extremely wise. I look up to him because he has so much conviction. He’s taught me a ton about what it looks live a life as a Christian in a world where that is not the normal thing to do. On top of all this, Timmy helped me propose to Caroline. He popped the question to his fiancé last December (shoutout super star soccer player Audrey Sexson), and they are getting married a week after Caroline and I do (my apologies for jumping in front of you, but thank you for being so supportive). Tim is the ultimate roommate because he never wants there to be a dull day. In fact his biggest fear is usually that we are not having enough fun. This is when he’ll encourage me to go do something like go to a Heat game or crash a music festival. I’m super lucky to have found Tim as a roommate, and I’m pumped to be doing married life together.