Ryan was selected to be a groomsman because he has been my most loyal and optimistic friend throughout my life. Ryan endured nearly a decade of daily torment from me; whether it was testing poorly designed ski jumps before I went off them or playing catch as I gradually threw the ball harder and harder until he quit. In our adult lives, I am incredibly lucky that he moved back to Seattle and that we have built such a great, torture-free, friendship. He has an incredible heart and has truly never said a mean thing about anyone. He is a great influence in my life and is a great friend-alternative to me, if anyone is looking for a taller, tanner, much nicer version of me.

Ashley is my sister and my maid of honor in our wedding. She has always been my mentor and an amazing role model. As my big sister, she has certainly had a big influence on me with going through life first paving a positive path. She is the mother of my two flower girls who I'm worried may steal the spotlight on the big day ;) She is also the lucky one in charge of planning my bachelorette party in Arizona. Whoo hoo!!

Jacob has always been my sidekick. As we grew up, I could always count on him to listen to what I told him and engage in whatever games I cooked up. Even if he didn't want to do it, he was willing to be convinced. Some of the proudest moments of my life occurred while watching Jacob play football for Blanchet. Even though their school colors are not the best, seeing him succeed on the football field and now at WSU, is as good as it gets as an older brother. Now that we are both full grown men, there is nothing better than sharing an ice cold Mickey's 40oz with him or sleeping on his couch in Pullman. Looking forward, I can't wait to watch him start a successful career like the extremely proud older brother I am.

Melisa is my best friend from childhood. We met playing soccer on the same team in elementary school, GO STRIKERS!! We survived the awkward middle school years, driver's ed and all of the adventures in high school including singing our hearts out to Dashboard Confessional. Although we aren't 10 minutes away from each other anymore, I can always depend on Melisa to brighten my day with a facetime call. We were born 11 hours apart so I can't use any excuses for forgetting her birthday presents. :)

Anna is Alex's sister and my sister in law to be. She welcomed me immediately into the family and has always played a big support role in Alex and my relationship. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out she didn't haze me at first, knock on wood, it's never too late. We like to camp together, wear matching pajamas on Christmas Eve and share tasty pizza nights at restaurants in Capitol Hill. Her soon to be daughter or son will also walk down the aisle with Kennedy and Georgi.(Probably laying in a wagon not walking.)

Steve is the newest brother and the most proven "conceiver"…luckily. He has been brave enough to come into our family which few would put themselves through. I guess Anna must be really special. Even with his slight frame, he is all man. Over a year ago and out of the blue, Steve reached out to me to invite me to his annual trip to Bandon Dunes with a lot of his childhood friends. The fact that he thought of me and that he wanted me to spend time with his friends was very meaningful to me. I appreciate that he made the effort for us to be more than brother-in-laws but best friends as well. Following in my dad's footsteps, he offers a great example to me and my brothers of how to be an incredible husband. He is a special person and I am glad to have him as part of the family.

Nora's real name is Joanna, but we met at Gene Juarez where having a "floor name" is common. Nora has spent many holidays down at Lake Tapps with my family and makes one mean orange bread. We often find ourselves at Sounders games, bar crawling and watching the Bachelor on a weekly basis. I am so thankful to have her and her family's amazing crafty skills as part of our wedding. Her Mom is making my bridal veil and her sister is making a Sweet Table at our reception.

I first met Ian on the basketball court in 8th grade in the legendary match up between Sacred Heart and St Therese (or the City vs Suburbs as most people refer to it). From the tip, I knew I hated this guy. Taller than nearly everyone on the court, he was somewhat athletic and possessed a strong post game. I knew I needed to out alpha-male him. Since he was bigger than me, I called upon my great friend Bobby Kubacki to take him down. One hard foul by Bobby later, I knew Ian was a broken man. Fast forward to a year later (and after the Sacred Heart victory), we met as freshman at Seattle Prep. I very quickly connected with Ian and over the next years in high school and college we cemented our friendship. Ian is always there to lend perspective and give advice. More than anything, he is a great friend to laugh with, to listen to, and he hands out the best big hugs. I am still the alpha-male, though.

Pat, Pat, Pat…. I met Pat at the icebreaker event prior to our freshman year at Seattle Prep. I saw him and was first apprehensive because I had never had a friend that was a redhead. He seemed pretty cool though, so I decided to give him a shot. Little did I know then that I would spend nearly everyday with him in high school, that we would go to the same college together and then live within a few hundred yards of him in Madison Park. After 13 years of friendship, I feel incredibly fortunate to have shared every one of those seconds with him. Throughout those various stages, we have changed a lot but our friendship remained the same. Without having to ask, he knows if I am not 100% happy or going through something and he always reaches out. Pat always wants to make sure everything is all right - then, and only then, do we go back to insulting each other. Looking back at our friendship to this point, I feel so lucky that he stuck by me, even through my potato skin diet my sophomore year of college football.

Miriam and I met through our boyfriends, but we like to think that it was fate and we would have met regardless. We see each other all of the time as we are neighbors and workout at the same gym. Alex and I love to travel with her and JB drinking lava flows in Maui and bringing in the New Year at JB's cabin. She is also playing a big part in our bachelorette party planning as she knows the grounds of AZ quite well.

The summer leading into my freshman year of college was filled with excitement. I had got into the school of my dreams and had the chance to play D3 football (most people don't realize that this is the highest division). Prior to school starting, I received a text from Jack Lamb, telling me that I should be a roommate with this guy from Sammamish, Patrick Rooney. Since Jack had never led me wrong previously (and hasn't since), I gave Patrick a call and we agreed we should put each other's names down as roommates. From the second I walked into our room on the first floor of the Green dorm, I knew it was a match made in heaven. We spent the next four years of our college lives together sleeping in the same room until the final semester of senior year. We were the perfect party team as well. We would enter a party together, I would make an introduction,tell the person about Pat and me, then once they felt comfortable, pass them off to Rooney for positive, mellow conversation. We were a dynamic college party team. On the football field, we were close in the huddle, and I lined up right behind him every play. Thinking about it now, we rarely were more than 5ft away from each other in nearly every situation and I would not change a thing. He is an incredible person and friend, and if anyone knows a single woman that loves skiing and the outdoors, let me know. I would be happy to make the introduction.

Rose and I met at the Gene Juarez training salon. We were neighbors in Fremont in our early 20's where we were prone to late night tree climbing and visiting Irish Pub karaoke bars. I am thankful to have a best friend at work to keep things interesting and humorous. I love Rose's honesty the most when she calls it out how it is. "Kelsey, turtlenecks are either for babies or old people." Or "Kelsey, don't tell me anything, you know I can't keep secrets."