I met Justin when I was born in 1997 in Newport News, Virginia. He was my older brother, and remains so to this day. While we started out as mortal enemies with brotherly animosity, we developed a closeness over time that has become concerning to our respective spouses. All jokes aside, while Justin and I haven't always gotten along, we have become much closer as we've gotten older. If you ask anyone who knows us, they will tell you that he and I are inseparable and an exemplary example of what brotherly love and support looks like.

Makayla and I met in kindergarten way back in 2005. In second grade, I moved away to Mississippi and forgot to tell Makayla where I was going. Flash forward to 2015, I moved back to Slidell, LA and walked right up to Makayla in junior high and confidently said "My name is Emma Warren, do you remember me?" Makayla said no but as fate would have it, we were in the same friend group in high school. We rekindled our friendship over Just Dance and cats, and we were college roommates for three years. Makayla is always down for a shopping trip or a reality tv binge. I love her to death, and watch out for her on the dance floor when "No Hands" comes on.

Reagan and I have known each other since middle school. He was one of the first friends I made after moving to the Gulf Coast. He and I remained friends through high school and my years in community college, but lost touch after I moved to Mississippi to pursue my degree in Music Education. Our friendship rekindled after running into each other in a Whataburger drive-thru and since then he has become one of my closest friends.

I met Liz in college during our time on the exec board for the women's leadership honorary, The Black-Eyed Susans. First off, I knew she had to be cool because she was a Suzie. She blew me away with her amazing sense of style, love of life, and beautiful heart. We bonded over our love for hosting, coffee, and adventure. Liz is the best errand buddy and has a knack for finding treasures at antique stores. I love my Liz; she inspires me to live unapologetically and freely. I'm devastated she lives so far away in Texas, but they are lucky to have her.

Alex is my brother of 25 years. He was born one day when I was like 1 and a half, and I was like, "Googoo gaga. I'm a baby and now there's another baby taking affection away from me? What the heck?" I got over that pretty quickly though, and now we're both grown-ups that love each other, but just as brothers. A fun fact about Alex is that he is SIGNIFICANTLY better at Rocket League than me, but I'll absolutely smoke him in Mario Kart.

Rachel and I met my sophomore year of college when she was the outgoing treasurer for Lambda Sigma honor society, and I was the incoming treasurer. We sat down for a coffee to discuss officer transition things, and it quickly morphed into a several-hour discussion on everything we had in common. Over the years, Rachel and I have grown closer, traveled internationally together, and started a Minecraft server with all our friends. She has become my confidant and someone who is always down for a coffee date or beach trip (we are both very pale, so it involves a lot of sunscreen). I'm lucky to have a selfless and kind friend like Rachel.

Ricky and I met in community college show choir back in 2016 and developed a friendship after I offered to give him rides to school and work. After community college, we moved to Mississippi together to pursue our bachelor's degrees. Throughout school, work, and the challenges of life, Ricky and I have always been there to support each other, and I appreciate his friendship immensely.

Jonmarie and I met at Southern Miss and grew close through our involvement in the business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi, and, we attended the British Studies program Summer 2021. I value Jonmarie's advice and words of wisdom, and she has helped me many a time with a conflict or obstacle in my life. She also encourages me to laugh and have fun, and I know she will always be there with a hug and a smile. She also has a killer corn dip recipe that I beg her to make every time we hang out. Jonmarie brings the party, so you know the wedding is going to be a fun time if she's there.

Little Luci has all the love in my heart. She exudes happiness and is never without a smile on her face. Luci has a way of finding a friend in everyone, and I aspire to be just like her. I know she is going to be a professional petal tosser on the day!