Kate and I met during a summer picnic our neighborhood was throwing between 5th and 6th grade. She was wearing a turtle shirt and eating a hot dog so our friendship was destine to last from the start. We had our first sleep over a few nights later where we played "dogs" and my mom sealed the deal on our friendship by making her famous fajitas accompanied by "orange rice." From there on our friendship blossomed. We made movies together, spoke French together, traveled to foreign countries, fed ice cream to each other, cheer leaded, got in trouble together (sorry mom), cried over boys, went to badger games, attended sketchy frat parties, skied countless mountains, and laughed so hard we almost wet our pants. She is my best friend forever and there is no one I would rather have as my MOH.

Throughout our many years together, Conner has always been someone to turn to. Especially in the last few years, Conner and I have become closer as brothers and friends. Although being his roommate had its ups and downs, we left that experience much more sympathetic and understanding of each other. Once you can get his ass out of bed (or off the couch which we nick-named his second bed), Conner is definitely someone that makes his presence known. His outgoing personality is truly infectious. Whenever I am facing a tough or difficult situation, Conner is somebody I always have on my side. I can't wait to have Conner by my side as my Best Man.

JHO and I have been friends since high school. Her love of drinking, skiing, traveling, Badger games and food make her the perfect companion. She is an amazing friend and always there to push me whether that means skiing one more run, competing in the tough mudder, or drinking just one more beer. She is always there to offer her advice, love, and support when I am down (as long as there is no hugging involved) and to throw one hell of a party during a time of celebration. She is a truly amazing friend and I can not picture my wedding day without her by my side.

Growing up, it was always difficult to get more than a few words out of Blake. This is mostly due to the fact that the ONLY people he would speak to were his two brothers. In fact, Conner and I acted as Blake's interpreters in most cases, even though we were all speaking the same language. It has been fun to see Blake grow, both socially and physically since those days. Blake has a tireless work ethic that brushes off on those around him. I give Blake a lot of credit for this – because now his two OLDER brothers are trying to keep up with Blake, especially in the weight room. (side note: I can still OWN Blake on the basketball court, though). I am proud to call Blake my brother and Best Man.

Derek is truly the oldest friend I have. Born a month apart (I am older, of course), Derek and I first met at the hospital the day he was born. The rest was history – as we spent most of our childhood as best buddies. There is a lot of footage of our early friendship, and I promise to not release the videos with Derek using his tongue as a nose-picking tool. Derek spent 5 years as a member of the University of Wisconsin football team. Looking back at my college years, most of my favorite memories include cheering for Derek while sporting my Straus replica jersey, which is in pretty bad shape from the many tailgates it endured. I am so excited to have my oldest buddy with me come June 2017.

Zak and I are both lucky to be close with Alexa. Alexa grew up on the same street as Zak and they played together as children. Alexa and I were housemates for a year in college. We often refer to Alexa as just a giant ball of energy as she is normally going 1000 different directions at once. Her presence immediately can lift the spirit of any room. She is always laughing, smiling, and helping herself to any leftover food on your plate. Happy to have this wonderful woman as a part of my party.

Jessica is my younger cousin (by 2 years) and my summertime roommate (well most of the time). Growing up we spent countless hours up north putting on impressive shows in the garage. We had countless dance duets (some may recall some of our award winning performances such as "Bop to the Top," "Beauty and the Beast, " and "Fortune Cookie") and she even let me saw her in half once when we put on a magic show. Together we are hula hooping champs, pro slalom skiers, massage artists, actresses, dog walkers, world travelers, and drinking buddies. We've spent countless nights staying up late and laughing until Nana had to come in and yell at us to get some sleep. How lucky am I to share my wedding day with this amazing young lady at a place where we have so many memories together?

Beau is truly one of my closest and oldest friends. Growing up, Beau was the ultimate competitor in whatever he did. To a large degree, Beau's competitive spirit pushed me to be better, whether it be in basketball, football, or even school (maybe not the later years). Beau is also known as being a schemer. After his 16th birthday, we had come up with the ultimate scheme for him to sneak into a strip club to catch a glimpse of some real-life boobies. Jandt and I were across the street, waiting to hear back. Mission accomplished, of course. Or, there was the time when we connected Beau in a harness to the Cadillac Escalade, to try to hoist him up a tree in the front yard. Mission NOT accomplished (due to safety concerns from Craig). I look forward to making more memories with Beau as he stands with me as a groomsman.

Ross is truly one of a kind, and that might be why I like the guy so much. Who else do you know that stays up until the wee hours of the night and prefers a cold-stone shower to a hot one? I have learned a lot from Ross in our years as teammates, roommates, and best buds. I have many fond memories with Ross that include turning the tunes up, and just grooving. I will admit that our dancing ability is limited (maybe I should speak for myself) but there is no better way to turn the mood around. Oh, and there was that one time when we caught a stingray off of our dock on vacation in Florida (with a little help from the lesbian couple next door, of course). I am so happy to call Ross one of my best friends and I can't wait for him to be my groomsman come June 2017.

Sweet Sophie is Zak's younger sister. Growing up in a house with 3 rambunctious brothers has definitely shaped her into the sassy girl that we all know and love . Over the last 5 years I've loved traveling, swimming, cooking, watching movies, playing cards, and getting to know this amazing young woman. Excited to have her by my side on my wedding day and to have her by my side for the rest of my life as a sister.

Dorsch has always been a good friend and teammate to me, but it was in our college years that we became especially close. Not to mention Dorsch and Cassi have also been close friends for years. For one whole year, Dorsch lived as the "middle man" in a roommate situation that included him, me, and my brother Conner. There is no doubt that Dorsch spent a lot of time as the mediator between Conner and I, and I have always appreciated that. He was definitely the glue that kept us all together that year, and we all left that living situation much closer. I always have a good time with Dorsch, whether it be hitting the town or the basketball court (which I still OWN him on, just ask him). I am super excited for Dorsch to be next to me come June 2017.

Alexi and I have been friends since birth as we were born just 5 days apart. Our mothers met while working at the Bestwestern Inntowner and soon became close friends. Alexi and her sister Ariel attended the in-home daycare my mother ran so we got to play together everyday. When my family moved away from Madison, our families stayed close by visiting each other yearly as well as going on trips together. By some odd luck, Alexi and I both got into figure skating even though we lived half a state apart. When a switch in my dad's job brought my family back to the Madison area, we ended up moving into the same neighborhood as the Arnesons! Alexi and I were in the same class now and she played a crucial part in helping me feel welcome at my new school. We got to spend the days together in class and the afternoons together at the ice rink. Alexi and her family are amazingly supportive and loving and I know that we will always remain close with them.