Maid of Honor: Stephanie Moseley
At least it wasn’t hard to choose my maid of honor- it has been known pretty much since birth that Steph would be right next to me on the big day. She’s seen every side of me, including the annoying toddler chasing after her, the whiny middle-schooler, the self-absorbed teenager… she must be very surprised I ended up such a wonderful man! But she stuck with me as I grew up, matured and came to realize the importance of family. From Mexico, to Peru, to Europe we have seen the world together and I look forward to our future adventures. Oh, and don’t ask who is older- touchy subject!
Bridesmaids:
Melanie Harmon
I will always remember the two week summer vacations, (or more like summer camps), with Melanie. Two weeks of eating at Machismo Mouse and McMenamins, seeing Brainwaves perform and laughing at jokes I rarely understood, and watching X files on the pull out couch before bed, (not good for the nightmares!) I take some credit for giving Melanie her “mom” practice before Ethan made his first appearance! And now here we are both living in Portland again, still enjoying a good beer at McMenamins and maybe a Canoofle show to go with.
Petrel Chapman:
Thank god I have a professional wedding planner as a bridesmaid because I would be completely lost without Petie consistently steering me back on track. This girl started making me laugh in 3rd grade and has not stopped since. From blowing flour out of fake cigarettes to playing Uncle John in the creepy guest room we had some pretty interesting and entertaining times. We stuck together through Nike summer tennis camps and nightly classes at Willow Creek and will never stop regretting not playing doubles together at State. Pete- we definitely would have taken it!
Jean Kolb:
Very good things do come in small packages! Jean and I met in 3rd grade when we were both assigned to the best teacher ever, Frank James, and we have been friends since. She humored me by attempting to ride our bikes up the Laurelwood hill, watched my first horror movie, (The Exorcist!) with me and joined me in the nerdy calculus and AP biology classes. We spent many a summer fawning over the “Fairmount Street boys” and becoming slightly bitter towards an unnamed group of girls. I quickly learned that Jean’s cute and cuddling appearance is just a façade, she is feisty and fierce and I love her for it!
Jennifer Yeager:
Well, she is actually still Jennifer Ouimet to me, (or just Weems). Another friend since elementary school Jennifer taught me that being a little different actually meant being super cool, (even if your mother does ask you if it’s Halloween when you walk down the stairs in a bright turquoise boa). Jenn always had the best ice skating outfits to dress up in, after which we would all get our hair french-braided by her mother. In high school I remember watching way too many hours of The Real World Marathon then managing to get lost on Mt. Pisgah and contemplating floating down the river to find our way back. Our navigating skills have since improved, or at least now we just carry our iPhones wherever we go. Jenn- thanks for letting me steal your adorable daughter for the ceremony!
Best Man: Travis Oglesby
Travis and I met when he moved in up the street from me the summer before our freshman year. As we made our way through high school he did the talking for both of us. I was always amazed at his ability to make friends about 25% faster than enemies. It's a good thing his mind moves faster than his mouth, because you can count on Travis for a solution to just about any problem. He just knows how things work and uses colorful language to describe the function. He has the mind of an engineer and the mouth of a sailor and I love him for it. This skill set is perfectly applied to his job as a Field Superintendent for a construction company in Denver. I apologize in advance for his toast.
Groomsmen:
Aaron Kunkel:
In high school Aaron taught me that Kraft's mac' n cheese directions had it all wrong. Experience taught him that melting the butter and then stirring in the cheese powder and milk before adding the macaroni is how it should be done. Aaron's love for food has one condition, there has to be lots of it. Hot to cold, fast to slow, tofu to turducken, fresh or otherwise, Aaron loves it all. Aaron is currently eyeing the meal of a sleeping patient as a nurse at a hospital in Portland.
Art Deakins:
In grade school I used to love to spend the night at Art's house. In the span of 14 hours I'd get to loose in some version of basketball at least 10 times. He had boundless energy and I had no choice but to keep up. In 2008 Art came to Portland for a vacation, and helped me install our hardwood floors. The first day we worked about 14 hours, there was no basketball and the Hawaiian Punch was replaced by Pabst and a backache. I felt terrible for making Art work so hard, but in true form, he seemed to be one step ahead of me with twice the energy. He even greeted me the morning of our second day of labor with a box of cinnamon buns and more PBR.
Elliot Garton:
When I was in the 6th grade Elliot told me that the money I'd been saving up for a bike should instead be spent on a skateboard. That skateboard and the many that followed took us all over our city. Throughout that time Elliot and I learned how to deal with unruly pedestrians, angry dogs and the occasional police officer. Elliot is currently working as a cook and is undoubtedly socking money away for his next trip to the other side of the planet.
Noah Johnson:
As long as I’ve known him, I’ve always been impressed by Noah’s ability to pick out what is good; music, food, books, skateboard videos, etc… I was quick to latch onto this and for years I’ve pestered him for recommendations. Noah helped Shannon and I both find our way through our “Personal Statements” for Med/Law School. We benefited greatly from his ability to point out what should stay, go or be strengthened. Other folks have taken note of Noah’s talents as he was recently hired as a Senior Editor for Complex Magazine. In late August Noah and his fiancé Jayne will get married. For the first time in my life I will be beating Noah to the goods, if only for a couple weeks.
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