You have to be pretty close to willingly turn your beds into a bunkbed freshman year of college, but there was no hesitation for Jake and I. We grew so accustomed to sharing over the years, from BB guns in Cub Scouts to a place in his mom’s heart in high school, that sharing a dwelling all through college was a no-brainer. Plus, it made sharing in the pains of engineering homework more convenient. We did everything together, and given Jake’s ambitiously active nature, it was usually something adventurous. He taught me how to rock climb, we’d skip school events to go camping, and I’d try my best to keep up with him skiing. Nothing has changed, except “school events” are now just “adult responsibilities”. Jake has been a constant nearly my whole life, and even when he’s simultaneously working full time, finishing grad school, fixing a perpetually broken truck, and training with his fiance, Laurel, for a 50 mile race in some desert somewhere, he is incredibly consistent. I could not have asked for more in a Best Man.

Lexi and I first crossed paths during a business school group project in our freshman year at CU Boulder. We even snapped a photo together for our presentation, then life moved on. It wasn’t until a mutual friend reintroduced us that the pieces clicked: we had met before! From that second meeting on, our friendship grew quickly and deeply. Lexi is one of the kindest, most uplifting, disciplined, talented, and genuinely funny people I have ever known. From spending time at the Rio in college, to exploring downtown Denver as young adults, Lexi and I always have the best time together. Lexi just finished her first marathon and recently moved to Idaho with her awesome husband, Jordan, and their two dogs. Fun fact: I was the officiant in their wedding!! I am so lucky to have her by my side as my MOH!!

I feel like I have known Will forever, but we first met as high school freshman, so it has only been like 16 years. Our sense of humor is identical, so we hit it off instantly. He already met Em in marching band, but his multifaceted music skills also placed him in jazz band with me, where our music career began and, ultimately, peaked at our Red Rocks graduation. Will consciously chose to go to the School of Mines, but that didn’t stop the music. I just ended up joining him and the Joshes in Golden after college, where he bought a house that we all lived in until he married his wife, Ingrid, and kicked us to the curb. That house was the main stage for Em and my first two years of dating, and Will was always the most excited for us. We went everywhere with him, and sometimes, it was hard for Em to tell who was really third wheeling. Since moving out, we ran out of Joshes to drum in our band, but luckily, we have Will’s dad, so the music still hasn’t stopped. Em and I couldn’t imagine our relationship without Will’s unrelenting support and couldn’t picture a wedding without him up there with us.

Molly and I met at CU during our freshman year, living just across the hall from each other. Molly quickly became one of my favorite people, thanks to her kindness, goofiness, and easygoing nature. Over the next four years, we shared many adventures—living together junior year, working together, and always finding ways to laugh through it all. Molls and I share a friendship filled with humor, support, and unforgettable memories. She’s also a lawyer and lives in San Francisco with her wonderful husband, Ted, their son, Oliver, and their cat and dog. I am so grateful for Molly’s presence in my life and can’t wait to have her standing up there with me on the big day.

Josh has been there since the beginning and played a big role in Our Story. He was an initial mutual friend, on the introductory band trip, and he was Em’s confidant who, thankfully, spilled the beans. We go back further, though, and met sometime around 4th grade. Josh was the cool kid doing flips on the playground, and even though he and his wife, Ginia, just had their second baby, that hasn’t changed a bit. Music brought us together in high school, as our appreciation evolved into singing and writing our own songs and even playing Red Rocks. Josh’s harmonization is unmatched and translates directly to his character. He gets along with anyone and everyone and, somehow, always maintains an infectious, positive attitude, and I’ve witnessed a lot of injuries. His attitude even convinced me that the School of Mines wasn’t that bad. Josh has always been there to support me through highs and lows, and called it from the start that Em and I would end up together, so I couldn’t imagine making it official without him standing up there with us.

I met Laurel through Gabe because Laurel is engaged to Jake, Gabe's Best Man. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to be close friends with Laurel! She is the kind of person who will drop everything to help someone in need, always showing up with kindness, warmth, and a can-do attitude. She's one of my favorite ski buddies, an incredibly thoughtful friend, and, fun fact, she recently ran a 50-mile race! Laurel also encourages me to try harder climbs at the gym - without her encouragement, I would probably sit on the mat the whole time. Laurel makes every room brighter, and I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

I met Joe in 7th grade, and we quickly bonded over an appreciation for Cake – the band, not the food, though I never aksed about the latter. Since then, Joe has proven to be one of the smartest people that I know, which was very fortunate for me, as we worked through middle school, high school, and a few electrical engineering courses together at CU. Unsurprisingly, he pushed it a big step further and sought a higher understanding of the world by pursuing a PhD in Applied Physics. He keeps saying it will be finished soon, but I guess he and his fiance, Allie, have to get married or something soon as well. I have never known Joe to back down from a challenge, and his fluency far extends past the classroom. This is especially true when it comes to the outdoors, where the skiing, climbing, and backpacking trips have only gotten bigger and better over the years. The list of my favorite adventures includes all those planned and led by Joe, and I couldn’t imagine pursuing this next one without him standing by my side.

I met Haley through high school basketball! While we were always friends in school and on the basketball team, our friendship deepened years later when I was living part-time in Manhattan and Haley was living in Peru as a part of the Peace Corps. Despite the distance, we talked on the phone nearly every day, building an even stronger friendship. The pandemic began in 2020 and Haley had to come home from Peru. We spent a lot of time during covid hanging out with Maddie in our parent’s backyards during that time. Gabe and I loved visiting Haley and her boyfriend, Kellen, in D.C. last year! Haley is thoughtful, grounded, and so kind. She is someone I am so lucky to call a close friend.

I met Josh Morsicato early in college, when I was studying mechanical engineering at CU and he did the same, just with fewer women, at the School of Mines. I was introduced to Josh by the other Josh and then lived with both Joshes until the first Josh moved out, another Josh moved in, that Josh moved out, and this Josh was the last Josh standing. I call him Morsicato. Over our four years in Golden, we bonded over many shared interests, dessert being one of the foremost. We also ski, climb, have great taste in music, and are well matched in the art of staying up too late. Morsicato has an innate understanding of how things work but still dives deeper to learn more, whether about engineering, cooking, cars, or something random that he and three other people found on YouTube. He is one of the most driven people I know and tends to put the happiness of those he loves first, so despite working, starting an Executive MBA, and having his first baby with his wife, Abbie, just last summer, he didn’t hesitate to be a part of our wedding. I’m extremely grateful, and not surprised.

Maddie and I met during our freshman year of high school while playing basketball together. We quickly bonded over our love for the game and our legendary Saturday nights spent in Maddie’s parents' basement playing Just Dance with friends. After practices, you could often find us making goofy music videos (some of which still live on Facebook, much to our amusement). Since 2013, Maddie has been a constant in my life... she is steadfast, hilarious, and just simply awesome. Through the years and all of life’s changes, our friendship has remained so strong, and I am beyond grateful to have Maddie by my side for this special moment.

Ryan LaGreca is a man of many names, but I usually call him Lagrec. I knew him in middle school, but I didn’t get to know him until high school, and we really started connecting at CU. Living together for three years in college probably helped. Daily Mario Kart really brings people together, and I suppose so do skiing, camping, and backpacking trips. Lagrec and I truly bonded when Jake and Joe had to literally hold our hands on a backpacking trip after we both severely sunburned our eyeballs on the hike in. My misery had good company, though, and I'll never do it with anyone else. I like to think we have gotten smarter since then, especially since Lagrec is working through a Physician Assistant program and just had his first baby with his wife, Cristy. I’m confident, though, since he is one of the most reliable people I know, and you can always count on him to show up. He is the kind of guy you want to keep around for a while, so there was no question when it came to having him be a part of our wedding.

I met Kelsey in 2020 through Gabe’s friend group in Golden, CO, and we clicked right away. Over the years, our friendship has only grown stronger. Whether we are skiing, going on long walks, or spending time with Kelsey’s wonderful family, I always feel grateful for the time we share. Kelsey is someone I deeply admire. She’s a trusted friend, a role model, and someone I genuinely love having in my life. Kelsey is the kind of friend that usually has a million things going on, but always takes time out of her busy schedule to make her loved ones feel supported and special. I am honored to have her by my side when Gabe and I say, ‘“I do.”

Daniel and I go way back to when our feet barely reached the piano pedals and when we actually knew how to play piano. Our introduction was as natural as it gets, orchestrated by our moms out of the sheer convenience of using the same piano teacher. We grew close, though, as we played more recitals together and began finding actual interests in common. Sure, we spent days here and there rotting in a basement while fixated on a screen, but Daniel and I really shared a passion for the outdoors. In Boy Scouts, we spent countless days and nights exploring the Colorado wilderness and never turned down an adventure, from sleeping in snow caves to sailing the Florida Keys. I credit Daniel for a lot of my personality today, especially my sense of humor, and I admire how he never ceases to be himself. After high school, Daniel served our country in the army and started a life in Texas with his wife, Kim. Despite the distance, I still consider him to be one of my best friends and am proud to stand with him at our wedding.

Abbie and I also met in 2020 while Gabe was living with Abbie's husband, Morsicato! Abbie and I quickly hit it off, bonding over our shared sense of humor, love for the outdoors, and appreciation for a good backyard rager (although Abbie tends to fall asleep before they actually start). From backyard hangouts to mountain adventures, our friendship has been filled with laughter, support, and countless amazing conversations. Abbie is warm, fun, and incredibly thoughtful. She genuinely cares about every single person in her life and is someone who always recognizes Gabe’s perspective of things, which is something I really appreciate. I am so happy to have her by my side on this special day.