Little did I know I would find my sister while we were giving a presentation on effective pedagogy. I have had the absolute honor of living, traveling, laughing, and crying with this wonderful human. I truly don’t know where I would be without Maddi, truly a ray of sunshine on the gloomiest of days. I love you to the moon and back, darlin’!

Maddi and I met freshman year of college on the third floor of Simpson Hall (setting the scene). We’ve been best friends since. I really think the best way to describe our relationship is through a million tiny and random moments - most memorable include: her ghosting me when I asked her to be my freshman year roommate, therapy sessions at the Chili’s in Evanston, stealing a giant roll of toilet paper from the San Fran bathroom at Loyola because of Covid and then almost buying Nickleback concert tickets two hours later, letting me come over for dinner every Saturday our senior year of college, seeing Harry Styles in the PIT BABY!!!, and the countless heart to hearts we’ve had through good times and bad. (side note I’m not even gonna get into the sappy stuff because I will cry like a baby hehe).

I met Maddi during Super Bowl 52, and after making some guac together we instantly became friends from that day on. Afterwards, we started hanging out more than just when the big game was on, and even were roommates for a year in Andersonville (Chicago). Maddi has stayed one of my best friends to this day and I can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle and have her dream come true!

Our friendship was built on the strong foundations of mutual love for boy bands and shared private school trauma. We’ve been able to stay close through many phases of life and many miles between us, but that’s what makes our friendship special <3 Luh you Maddawg

She’s like a mother to me, but also my best friend and was the only person I could trust during the deep dark years that are high school. When I think of her, I think of love, stability, a crazy good sense of messed up humor, and adolescence.

Despite the years and miles of separate, we’ve been through it all. Meeting as goofy teenagers spending our days making Claire drive us to go geocaching around Macon, and jumping in ballots at Walmart because we had to “do it for the Vine.” We thought we survived the worst of it together — as in our early high years — until our reunion corresponded with the start of a two year global pandemic. With that being said, let’s see what happens next! Thank you Maddi for being a kind, inspiring and beautiful friend. I can’t wait to celebrate with you on your special day. Cheers!

One of my favorite concerts I saw with Will was the Hardcore band 'Uniform' ,opening up for Japanese Doom band 'Boris'. 3 songs in, we tried starting a mosh pit because the crowd was way too relaxed. This random girl started up with us and for a whole song the three of us were pushing each other into other members of the crowd. No one else was into it apparently so, we settled down. We ending up running into her outside, smoking a cigarette, between sets and thanked her for trying to help. Uniform came out for Boris' encore and managed to start a pit for the last song so we ended up leaving a little miffed at the rest of the crowd for their lack of energy. 10/10 would fuck up the pit again!

He is my brother; he is older, and I am younger. His experiences came first and trickled down to me, especially through music. He would explore the sounds of music, and my ears would tune into the sounds coming from behind his door. It was his territory, one that I could only experience from the outside. It was around either the 6th or 7th grade when family came into town, and I had to sleep in his room to make space. He wasn't stoked, but I was excited to have more time with him. One night, while we were goofing around and listening to music, he looked at me and asked if I had heard MGMT's "Oracular Spectacular" album. I'd heard some of their stuff from behind his door before, but never one cohesive album. When I told him I hadn't listened to it before, his eyes lit up, and he said, "Be ready to have your mind blown." Immediately, he put the album on, and we laid in our beds listening to the album from start to finish. My mind was totally blown. I didn't have a sense of musical identity before that night, but afterwards, I knew the sounds that could make me feel and understand. From then on, my sense of love for music evolved. To this day, that shared experience with Will gave me an identity I lacked, and even now, I still explore the sounds he listens to, knowing he has good taste.

When I met Will, I was a little bit offbeat. I thought this was just a guy trying to come and maybe hurt my sister. That changed overtime, and we stuck like glue and even had brotherly-like experiences. I’m glad that he makes my sister happy, and hope for many more years of happiness.

Will and I worked together for a while, but when we did we always had a blast! One day, I was explaining to him and a coworker that I have photographic memory... that I could remember pictures and numbers just from seeing them one time. Will put my skills to the test by asking me to tell him his phone number from memory. I totally guessed it wrong.. Turns out I don't have photographic memory and the whole label department erupted in laughter. We were nicknamed Beavis and Butt-Head after that!

Will and I met through a mutual friend in high school and have been making unforgettable, yet foggy memories ever since. Having a friend like Will as a teenager, young adult, and beyond is something that not everyone will have the honor of knowing. We've been through a lot together, and without getting him in too much trouble, I'll say it's been a trip and a half. I'm thankful to have him in my life, and I can't wait to see where we go next.