Rachel & Matthew: January 2010

Hello again! Well, as promised, I suppose it's time to announce our wedding party :) And a party it will be! We have 8 people standing on each side. In no particular order:

Bridesmaids:

Christina "Nina" Marti- Nina will be my matron of honor and has been my best friend since I was 2 years old. We grew up across the street from one another and she will soon be my real sister, as she and my brother will be getting married this summer :) Nina has always been my best girlfriend and we have more inside jokes then I can count. Halloween Horror, Federov, Osgood, forts, bathing suits against the brick wall, tree tacos, "Do you have any Gray Poupon?", Gina. Nina just graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Education. She is currently living in Rochester Hills with Chris, post-graduation job hunting, raising their new puppy Mozie, and planning their upcoming wedding.

Ashley Miller- Ashley is our maid of honor and she has been one of my closest friends since high school. We have experienced much of the ups and downs of teenage life and young adulthood over a cocktail or two. :) We have shared many tearful phone calls over the trials of finding love, stresses of getting a college degree, transitioning into being career women, learning what we want from life, and discovering how to get it. She's my Sex and the City companion and partner in crime :) Ashley will be graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management, and will soon own her very own high-end hotel chain, similar to Mariott or Hilton :)

Kristi Hershiser- Kristi and I didn't become close until our senior year of college, but have slowly become closer and closer ever since. She is the friend I can always rely on when I want to dress up all cute, have a girls night, and talk about nursing/boys/traveling/U of M/shopping/hair/etc. I have discovered a lot about what I want out of my life because of Kristi and her friend therapy, haha. She never judges me and is always there for me. Kristi graduated from U of M's School of Nursing with me in 2008. She is now an RN at the University of Toledo in the MICU and about halfway through her Family Nurse Practitioner program, also at UT.

Kaylie Gerds- Kaylie and I met freshman year of college at the good ole Baits dorms. She lived across the hall from me and we soon became close friends. With a single Mikes Hard Lemonade, Kaylie and I participated in many silly antics, 3am Taco Bell runs in A2, and the unforgettable Bursley/Baits Bash '05 (Oh my, was it really that long ago??). It is through Kaylie that I met my now future husband. :) Kaylie's cousin is married to Matt's best friend and they have many other mutual friends. She introduced us because of our mutual love of country music. Kaylie is one of the most intelligent and witty friends that I have and I love her dearly. Kaylie graduated from U of M with me in 2008 with a degree in Sociology. She now works at a marketing firm in Detroit and is attending Wayne State University for her MBA.

Katie Garcia- Katie and I also met freshman year of college in the dorms. She lived with Kaylie across the hall from me that year until the three of us got an apartment Sophomore year and lived with one another for the remainder of college. Katie and I went to nursing school together and share many college memories. She is one of the most intelligent people that I know and is also one of the craziest! Upon graduation, Katie decided to do Navy Nursing and is living in California. At this time she is in Haiti, until further notice, helping save lives after the earthquake.

Dina Zalewski- Dina and I met through Matt. She started dating Matt's friend, Matt Cammarata, when I had been dating my Matt for a little while. We quickly became close friends. I have always been able to share things with Dina and trust that she will give me her unbiased opinion, whether I like it or not. She was always there for me when Matt and my relationship was at it's best and worst. She is the strongest, and most opinionated, women that I know and I am so lucky to have her as my friend! If I were a conservative, I don't think we would be as close of friends, haha. Dina graduated from Wayne State University and is in her first year of law school at U of D- Mercy.

Jen Riske- Jen and I also met through Matt. Jen is the sister of one of Matt's best friends, Jason. We really hit it off when I was in nursing school at U of M. She had graduated from U of M's School of Nursing a couple years prior and was an Oncology nurse at Royal Oak Beaumont. We shared many U of M and nursing stories and soon shared everything with each other! She helped me get a Nurse Tech position at Beaumont and answered all of my questions as I transitioned into being a real nurse. :) Jen is now an Oncology Certified Travel Nurse. She has been to Chicago, California, and Maryland and I am always eager to hear all of her traveling stories and see her when she comes home.

Melinda Jessop- Melinda and I met in high school through a mutual friend. We didn't really become close friends until after high school graduation, when we started talking all the time. We shared all of the ups and downs of finding love and never really thought we'd actually find good guys, haha. Although we don't get to see each other nearly as much as we'd like, I can always rely on her to give me good advice and share our stories. Melinda works as a dental assistant and is currently attending Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

Groomsmen: (maybe in a little less detail, lol)

Joel Hetzner- Joel is Matt's brother, best man, and best friend. Joel graduated from Michigan State with an English degree and currently works for the Wayne County Medical Society

Drew Jablonowski- Drew is also the best man and has been Matt's best friend for 13 years. They met Drew's freshman year of high school when Drew moved to Michigan from Georgia. They became close friends by playing football together and lived together for several years before Drew got married. Matt was the best man in Drew's wedding in 2005. Drew is a mechanic and has been married for about 5 years to his wife Beth. They have a little girl, Lily, who will be 2 years old this summer.

Jason Riske- Jay and Matt met in 1995 in high school. They also became friends playing football and basketball together, as well as singing together in a number of choirs. They lived with one another at one point also. Jay has a Marketing degree from Oakland University and now lives in Pheonix, Arizona.

Earl Hardy- Earl and Matt met while working together as electricians at Daimler Chrysler about 7 years ago. Earl graduated from the University of Michigan and continues to be a Michigan football fan, making his and Matt's friendship that much closer. Me and Earl both love iKea, also.

Doug Sell- Doug and Matt became friends in high school and have grown closer over the years. Doug is also a Michigan fan and has always participated in our tailgating festivities. Doug graduated from Specs Howard and currently works at Asset Acceptance.

Dave Budowick- Dave and Matt also became friends in high school and played football together. Matt and Dave share a love of sports, except for Dave's clouded judgement with his Spartan loyalty. Dave has a Marketing degree from Oakland University and currently works at Asset Acceptance.

Phil Condon- Phil and Matt also met in high school and played football and basketball together (you see a theme here?). Their friendship really blossomed in Geometry class when Matt and Phil were study buddies. Phil graduated from Grand Valley State University (where he played football and won a National Championship) with a degree in Business Management. Matt was a groomsman when Phil married his wife, Sarah. They now have two children, Kellen and Kylie, and Phil works for Paychex.

John Zois- John and Matt met about 5 years ago through mutual friends. They became close friends also because of their Michigan fanhood and their ability to have inconsequential, yet very in depth, conversations. John moved to New York City a few years ago where he recieved a degree from NYU.