As her older sister, Mandi has been a constant in Katie’s life since the day of her birth. Although their early years were peppered with some typical sibling name-calling and tattling (the name calling mostly on Mandi’s end and the tattling on Katie’s), they have grown a very, very strong bond. Mandi and Katie love to travel together, and manage to find (or create?) shenanigans everywhere they go. They are in constant contact via text message or e-mail, and Mandi has managed to visit Katie and Nik frequently since their move up north.

Justine is Katie’s younger sister. With 11 years between them, they never experienced the typical sibling arguments. They did, however, develop a really strong bond. Especially as Justine became older (can you believe she’ll be 19 at the time of the wedding?), Katie and Justine have become good friends. They love to chat and make each other laugh (banana juice, anyone?), and Justine joins in on the sisterly shenanigans when school allows.

Gaby and Katie have been friends for about 20 years. They first met when they played soccer together on Team Hornets, possibly the worst-performing soccer team ever. They remained in contact on and off over their childhood years, as they attended different schools but had mutual friends. Their friendship was renewed on the first day of high school, when, searching for a familiar face in English class, Katie found Gaby. They formed a fast friendship, and have so many great memories together. From sleepovers to beach naps to illegal cheesecake, these two have a blast.

Kimberly and Katie met when they were both in their masters programs, albeit at separate schools. They shared an internship together so rough that they very quickly developed a strong camaraderie. Their friendship began over forced shots of wheatgrass in the city of Long Beach, and continued through office chatter and internship-from-hell survival. From then on, they were important pieces of one another’s lives, Katie having recently served as one of Kimberly’s bridesmaids.

Melissa is Katie’s oldest friend. They first met as babies, when their mothers would walk in the neighborhood together, with the babies in strollers. They then attended preschool together, and continued to develop their friendship. Living just around the block from each other for their entire childhoods, Melissa and Katie were inseparable. Although they attended different elementary and middle schools, they remained in daily contact through Girl Scouts and jaunts around the block. No matter how much time goes by between each face-to-face meeting, Katie and Melissa pick up like they’ve never left off. They share a deep, forever bond. Melissa is also a special part of Nik and Katie’s relationship, as they met at her house. With Katie practically living at Melissa’s house growing up, and with Nik friends with Melissa’s older brother, something was bound to happen! And at their house on September 15, 2005, their relationship began!

Sara is Katie’s very favorite cousin. They really began to develop their relationship a few years back, during an ill-advised sledding adventure through the backwoods of their grandparents’ home in Massachusetts (there was hardly any snow, and there were bushes…). Since then, Katie has really treasured Sara. They don’t get to see each other too often, as Sara lives in North Carolina, but they do all they can, meeting in Massachusetts or accepting Katie as a visitor in North Carolina. They love to go out on the boat together, play flashlight tag, make s’mores, and microwave whole corn cobs.

Zena is the third member of the Katie-Kimberly-Zena internship survival trio. Zena and Katie attended USC together, where they both earned their masters degrees in social work. They happened to be placed in the same internship together during their first year, and their friendship grew strong. From difficult internship days to uncontrollable laughter in class, Zena and Katie made a blast out of their graduate education. Zena and Katie, along with Kimberly, are famous for their four-hour meals. They have closed down more restaurants and annoyed more servers than anyone around!

There can only be one, and Dave is the bestest of best men. After a certain age, parents can no longer influence the decisions made by their offpsring. Nineteen plus years of friendship, by Dave’s count, certainly can. Dave throws right and bats left, upsetting every right handed pitcher in Little League. My interest and current passion for computers and technology can all be blamed on this guy. Katie hates the music I listen to, and this is also his fault. Dave pulled me out of my mom’s K-Earth 101 musical tastes and threw me head-first into bands like Screeching Weasel and Death-By-Stereo.

My oldest brother, not to be confused with my old brother. He was always getting to do everything first, except graduating college: I beat him to that. I remember the days when I would end up being forced into doing things I hated, simply because Foti started doing them at that age. This worked to our advantage once Mike became old enough, because then we could both pass the buck down. Foti was the popular guy and I followed in his shadow, just one year behind in school. Teachers would always ask me if I was as smart as he was. Without Foti I might have snuck under the freshman initiation radar, but no such luck. Most of my classmates knew Foti, and often they would come to the realization that we were brothers as late as my junior year.

My younger brother Mike is always on the same “team” as me. We have many more common interests than I have with my older brother. I’m grateful for all of his efforts and the responsibilites he has taken on. This has given me the opportunity to move away with Katie, growing our relationship. I see no way to ever make it up him. When we were younger, if you asked him what he wanted to be he would respond: “Motorcycle Rider” and run around riding his pretend motorcycle. He was an invincible kid, taking injuries in stride everywhere he went. Our mom always wondered how she never had to speak to Child Services, because days could not go by without Mike needing stitches. He dominated any sport he played because he started playing them at the time that Foti and I did. He was on the high school varsity soccer team as a freshman, while I still played on the junior varsity team as a junior.

El Segundo High School Soccer for 4 years brought us many humbling defeats. We played an amazing lazy defensive offsides trap that usually ended in an “oh shit” sprint. Our “Iron Curtain” as we jokingly called it was more ironic then iron. Ryan took me to my first live concert, The Offpring, and then later we attended Vans Warped Tour where we discovered The Living End. Ryan took to the drums, with Dave playing bass, and with myself on guitar we formed the still overdue band: Overdue.

Boyscout Troop 747, if I remember correctly. The buddy system is very important when venturing forth into the wilderness, and this buddy has also been there every step of the way through the rougher parts of life. He may appear quiet or shy, but he has a dormant awesomeness that bursts forth at the most unexpected times. There were many stops made in Santa Barbara to either pick up Mike or drop him off at college. Lunch in Santa Barbara was almost always enjoyed at Woodstocks Pizza or The Habit, both of which I still enjoy while living in Davis, CA. I’m sure there is still an unfinished Co-Op Halo game on an Xbox with our names on it.

Steve’s friendship came about through Seven Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Dave was friends with Bret, who attended Bishop with Steve. Kevin Bacon fits in there somewhere…I swear. Meanwhile, Katie and Steve’s sister Melissa were good friends and attending Bishop as well. Without this Katie and I would never have met…twice! The second time was at Melissa’s birthday party that I attended, as did Katie. It was from there that the remaining events of our relationship unfolded. Steve’s friendship is the only reason that I was able to meet the love of my life.

Mark and Katie met on their first day of graduate school, when Mark bravely volunteered to participate in a role play and blew the class away with his acting skills. From their first meeting, Mark and Katie were inseparable. From entertaining each other in torturous classes to scouring their downtown high rise for a good lunch to nonstop conversation, Mark and Katie supported and celebrated each other in times bad and good. As soon as Nik and Katie started thinking about who would be a good fit to officiate their wedding, Mark sprung to mind. The bravery and public entertaining skills exhibited on the day of their first meeting, combined with Mark’s sensitivity and closeness to the couple, led him to be a perfect choice.

Diego is Katie’s super adorable, hilarious, and unique 5-year-old step-cousin. He has a penchant for foreign languages, speaking English and Spanish fluently, as well as being well-versed in baby sign (which he claims counts), and beginning Chinese classes soon. He is obsessed with foreign, exotic cars, loves to bowl and swim, and is an avid reader. We can’t wait to have Diego in our wedding!

To Be Announced…