The minds (part 3)

I've been putting off writing the next installment of Meet the Minds. Why, you ask?

Simple. Writing about this chick is no easy task! I wanted to write something perfect and witty... fully befitting Jen, but knowing that I'll probably fall short, I kept putting it off until divine inspiration hit. Well, that's never going to happen, so I thought I would just dive in.

I remember explaining to a guy that Jen was dating once that, yes indeed he was wrong... Jen is always right. I don't mean sometimes. The girl is a wonder, and so if she says something is fact, it is. All the googling in the world will only bear her out. I used to try disagreeing with Jen, but it's a useless endeavor! Not only is Jen right, but she is also smart, funny, humble, crafty, creative, reality-based and emotionally intelligent. And I'm still selling her short with this description.

Jen and I met in the first few weeks of grad school. (Let me know if I'm getting this right, Jen). She was a nutrition chick and I was into Infectious Diseases. One of my earliest memories of hanging out with Jen was when I somehow convinced this nutrition girl to walk with me to the corner of Shattuck to go to McDonalds. Apparently, I had no shame eating the worst food in the world with one of the healthiest people I know. I reflected on this moment in August when Jen had a McDonald's biscuit waiting for me on dress try-on day. She always knows just what I need! So, on our first outing to McDonald's, I remember thinking, "Man this girl is cool." Maybe it was the witty banter or maybe it was the biology nerd in her. I can't remember the particulars, but I knew there was no going back.

Since then, Jen has been there through thick and thin. We suffered through altitude sickness and gastroenteritis together in Tibet and China. Eww, we tasted scorpion together, and we used the worst bathroom in the entire world on one of the most memorable nights in Tibet. (Side note: When I say worst bathroom in the world, I am not exaggerating. I'll save the particulars for those who are interested, but trust me when I say that you never have and never will see anything like this anywhere, ever. Period.) We've lived in Tahoe together, snowboarded together in Jackson Hole (and elsewhere), hiked, canoed, shopped, plotted, and played Taboo. Jen kicks all ass in Taboo, and I have been lucky enough to be her ass-kicking assistant. To this day, I've never been able to break our record of Taboo points with anyone else.

Now we live far from each other, but we see each other when we can. She's my fashion and decorating consultant. Jen doesn't need me for anything... she's far too competent for that. But for whatever reasons, she lets me hang out! She's way too busy for words, being such a successful person... but she still finds time for me... and for that, I am forever and ever, tears in my eyes grateful!

My taboo clue is, "Something Homer Simpson might enjoy ingesting"

Meet the minds (behind the bride) Part dos

This post is dedicated to my sister Liz, or Lizzie if you prefer (aka the Cupcake Princess). I've known Lizzie for the entirety of her 26 years on this planet. The first irony here, which is not at all lost on me, is that my sister is the same age as my fiance... Well, that's not true... She's 6 months older than him! This is ironic because I always thought of Liz as my "baby" sister (being that she is 11 years younger than me). Of course she settled down and got married and started a family while I was still in school, so who's the baby now, baby?!

Anyway, I was always kind of in awe of Liz. She was such a *good* kid. You know, so polite and kind and happy and angelic-- the perfect kid. I have a picture of her from when she was two where she literally looks like an angel. The awe and the age gap put us in distinctly different realms growing up. I moved away when Lizzie was 2, so we didn't exactly spend a ton of time growing up together.

We bonded over fashion when she became a teenager. Liz became a 5'9" beauty, and being a stubby 5'4" myself, I lived vicariously and dressed her in various outfits that I purchased in the Haight... She introduced me to Delia's online store(I still get their email), and I introduced her to the musical Rent. Bonding was fun, and I'm always really glad I had that time with my youngest sister to finally get to know her!

Facts about Lizzie:

When Liz was little, the family called me at my high school to say that Liz was hit by a car on her bike. I was so worried that I was physically ill, because as everyone knows the really good ones are most prone to really bad things happening.

Liz was once a model for Papa John's Pizza.

She is a burgeoning triathelete (which I think kicks all ass!)

She planned a gorgeous Mendicino wedding on a shoestring budget.

She is a brilliant cake decorator and will be designing the cupcakes for my wedding.

She has two kids named Jonah and Myleigh.
Here is a photo of my beloved Liz (and all the neices):

*next up... wait for it... Jen!

Meet the minds (behind the bride)

The name of this post could have been "Meet the Maids", but that would have just been cheesy! I realize that most of you know a lot about each other, but don't know each other so much... and I figured it would be fun to do a little "get to know ya". Let's see what I can put together.

I'll go in order of the length of time I've known you.

Yup, that means you Sandie.

I've known this girl since she was in utero. I talked to you before you were viable on your own, and I have to say, I always credit the fact that we can be singing the same song in different states at the exact same time or decide to call each other at the same moment to the fact that we've shared our pre-natal environment, home, and experiences since day #1.

Facts:
I have a tape of Sandie singing in made up foreign languages when she was about 5. It is one of the cutest things that I have. We should definitely burn it onto a CD!

I've never seen someone so scared as my sister when I fell out of the Gumm's accelerating truck and almost got hit by another car in the middle of a busy road. That might be the first time I knew how much she loved me.

Sandie adores most things Japanese, and is more fluent in Japanese than she lets on.

She used to love the Julianna Hatfield 3 and Pizzicato 5. (Maybe just a fetish with bands that have numbers in the name?) Sandie has seen Madonna live in concert in Japan. (Which I made fun of at the time, but now think is *way* cool.) Sandie has a great fashion sense.

She has 3 adorable kids and one husband who is pretty cool. She's got 2 dogs (Cavalier and a Lab) and a cat named Omaha (think Counting Crows). She used to have a cat named Julianna (named after the aforementioned band) and now, even better, has a daughter named Juliana (not after the band)... Note the different spellings.

She's an ESTP on Myers Briggs Testing... which might have had an impact on me. Chris is also an ESTP. But when it comes down to it, she has the biggest heart and is the glue that keeps our family together!




*next up-Liz