Here is where you will find all of the fun, up-to-date postings as our wedding gets closer! Plus, some nice words about the awesome people in our wedding party! Use #TheCuraParty on Instagram and Twitter to see your posts appear below! Stay tuned for photos, stories, thoughts, and more!
Noel Russell | The Bride
So there’s this girl…
If you’ve been following along with these blogs up until this point, you’ll remember me mentioning a mission trip to Los Angeles I took a few years back. That the trip led to me meeting many important people in my life, some of which will be a part of my wedding day, including my bride, Noel. To recap: I had a favorite band that still remains my favorite band. In 2009, the singer of that band had a nonprofit organization that held a mission trip in Los Angeles that I went on. During that trip, I met Jason who was starting his own nonprofit organization, Current. Jason was also from Tampa and we kept in touch and became friends. Through Jason I met Brent, my best man, who turned out to work for and tour with that favorite band of mine. Current held meetings on USF campus while I was in college and at the first meeting I attended, I met Michael, our officiant, and many other soon-to-be close friends. It was on that night about five years ago that I also met Noel.
When I think of Noel when I first met her, what comes to mind are little things like that she had a Jeep, she too loved Harry Potter and Thrice, and she wanted pink hair (and she still does). Our relationship didn’t start as anything other than something platonic. When we met, I was also meeting a bunch of other new friends so Noel was just a part of that group. When we met, I think she might have thought I was cute but was suspicious of me because I dressed like an idiot (I had lots of clothes from Aeropostale back then. It was a different time in my life. But no, I wasn’t wearing puka shells.). From there, Noel and I were just two separate parts of this great group of friends.
Over the years she became one of my best friends. We hung out a lot. We talked about lots of life stuff together. I would talk to her about dumb girls and she would talk to me about dumb boys. We even made some silly “kissing tutorial” videos together where we would describe the worst ways people can kiss, and it is so hilarious to me looking back on it. “Fish lips” seems to stand out in my mind as the main offender. The bottom line is we were friends; great, close, fun friends. Then after a few years, Noel went and got feelings. Girls, right?!
Noel could tell you better when this happened for her, so I will only tell you about my perspective. My perspective is that I was a dumb, clueless boy and I had no perspective. If I’m being honest with myself, I could have known back then that Noel and I could have ended up together. But I was too busy being a dumb college kid and decided not to think about that kind of stuff. But I’m glad I was, because I know this relationship happened for us at the right time. And that right time was at my other groomsman, Nick Pratt’s, birthday party about three years ago. At that time, Noel had strong feelings for me and I was still trying (and failing) to ignore my feelings for her. Noel and I ended up kissing at Nick’s birthday party and every friend we have that was there cheered and danced and did back flips and lit fireworks. Okay, maybe not, but they were super excited since they had seen this coming and wanted it to happen for a long time, apparently. As for me, I woke up terrified the next morning not knowing what was going to happen to one of my best friendships. “We” “decided” to not make it into a “big deal.” That lasted for about a week. Shortly after, when we were totally not making it a “big deal,” Noel came over to my apartment to watch a movie. One of Noel’s constant struggles with me is that I have not seen most movies I should have seen while growing up. So that night she came over to force me to watch Office Space. We ended up cuddling on the couch watching the movie and that was about it. We decided to start dating. There’s something oddly romantic about starting a relationship with someone while a group of guys beat the crud out of a printer in slow motion on your TV.
The years since then have been the best of my life. I know I was scared, but trust me when I say this: If you have the chance to date your best friend, you should do it. It’s awesome. At least it has been for us (Don’t blame me if it’s not awesome for you). There’s very little I can say to explain the connection Noel and I have in our relationship because of our prior friendship. Just trust me, it’s the best. We know each other better than anyone and it just amazes me how much we continue to grow together. I’m looking forward to that continuing to happen as husband and wife.
One thing that sticks out in my head about our relationship is that everyone knew it would happen eventually. Everyone knew we would get here. All of our friends knew we were in love before we did. When we told them we were dating we got a lot of “Finally!” in return. When I told my mom when Noel and I first started dating she said, “I had a feeling that was going to happen.” When I was at a bar with my dad when I was going to tell him I was planning on proposing, before I could even mention it he asked, “So when’s the wedding?” I just responded with, “Well, actually, maybe soon?” When I was going to tell my mom and sisters about my plans to propose, I said I wanted to tell them something and Jessica immediately said, “You’re getting married?!” To which I answered with, “Um, hopefully...” When we told our close friends right after we got engaged on vacation last summer, one said, “I had a feeling!” For real, everyone knew, almost from the beginning. I’m just kind of jealous I wasn’t in on it for so long.
Overall, Noel and I have known each other for about five years now and that’s weird to me, because it seems like so much longer, in a great way. The romantic comedy cliché police are going to arrest me for saying that, but it’s the honest truth. The way life happened and our path crossed because of the most random of circumstances constantly astounds me. I’m just so glad it happened the way it did. This woman supports me and loves me so unconditionally, sometimes I have to just sit back and process it. I’m so thankful for her. She amazes me, constantly. She makes me a better person just by being around her. I love her so much it’s just ridiculous. I love that I can make her laugh uncontrollably without question. I also love that she hates my purposefully awful jokes. I love that she is my constant and no matter what is going on in our lives, we can be there to ground each other. The fact that this is all just starting for us blows me away. I’m so looking forward to our future together, every aspect of it. It’s going to be great.
I’m so excited to marry this girl, you guys!
- Daniel
Daniel Cura | The Groom
Once upon a time there was a girl who believed she would be married by 24 (cause that just felt like a good age). She’d have a couple kids a few years later (maybe like six of them). And that was about the end of the details she had determined. There was no real plan for career (youth pastor was a long term goal for a while and then owning a book store and then owning an airstream and just wandering). When she was young she would wonder what kind of adult she would be. She hardly believed that she would ever actually achieve that. (She’s still not totally convinced).
Then this girl turned 25 and decided that in a lot of ways her meandering approach to life just wasn’t quite taking her where she wanted. For a few of the years between 20 and 25 she wasted some time kissing boys she knew were not relationship material. There was this similar meandering approach to romance as there was with everything else in her life. And then when 24 hit she refocused. She didn’t want to be married at 24 anymore. But she did want to start being the kind of person someone would want to marry. So, she dug in and started to weigh out the things that were important to her. Somewhere in the midst of all of that self-discovery and rebranding of sorts the idea crossed her mind that Daniel just made sense.
Even now when I try to think about the beginning of the story of my relationship with Daniel I have a really difficult time finding it. There was the night he walked in to Current for the first time (I will swear 'til my deathbed he was wearing puka shells; he denies it). Then there was the brief period of time when Applebee’s was the highlight of my social calendar every week and Daniel and I made kissing tutorial videos. There was the day I was showing my mom pictures of us after the first Hope for Homes project and she said something about his dimples and I deflected.
And then, well, you’ve read this part already – the study abroad (that never happened) would-be the catalyst to this love story. I imagined it would launch us into a gauzy, romantic fairy tale. Happily Every After and the sweetest friends to lovers story you ever did hear. Even after all the writing classes I’m not sure I’m the best at plotting out my own life. That vague, gauzy version didn’t happen for a variety of reasons and I’m not totally sad about it.
My love story with Daniel is different. To me love has always been about a conscious decision, a daily effort, a continual focus. I read a line recently that so resonated with me, “I didn’t fall in love with you. I walked into love with you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way.” It’s from a novel for young adults, but that line so called to me. I walked right into love with Daniel and let me tell you why:
He is aware of people. Daniel walks into a room and doesn’t stop until he’s greeted everyone with a hug, a handshake, or a kiss. For that moment Daniel makes you feel incredibly important. You matter. When we go for a drive he holds my hand and before he lets go to make a turn or change a setting on the radio he squeezes. A very brief thing. To me it means that he doesn’t take holding my hand for granted. It’s a minor thing but it speaks volumes to me. For the rest of my life I get to love a man who thinks other people matter. I get to raise children with a man who will love them intensely and make sure they know they are important. I get to come home every day to a man who makes a point of saying hello to me and kissing me right when he first sees me.
He cares. Daniel and Max (our adorable dog) both have this one expression that is so similar I find it eerie, but it’s perfect. They raise their eyebrows and stare at you, pausing to reassure themselves that you’re ok. The other night I did a dramatic pratfall on our dining room floor and Max bounded over to make sure that I wasn’t hurt. Daniel does that all day long with the people important to him. He’s quick to defend someone feeling low and always has some dumb joke or silly observation to make them smile. Because of this there is always laughter. He often tells me that he’s so glad we can laugh together so often. I’m grateful for this.
He thinks. Daniel is comfortable with wrestling with his beliefs. We belong to a house church with some of our best friends. In structure you wouldn’t necessarily recognize that’s what we are now, but we’ve carved out a special sort of community. As a group we have conversations about faith, becoming adults, our relationships with our families, and our hopes for future adventures. All of these discussions are built on a deep trust and unfathomable care for each other. I love that Daniel and I can ask questions. I love that he works to better know himself and his faith and to find how he can live his life according to his personal ideals without harming other people. And I love that though we’re not always on the exact same page about things that we’re learning to better understand each other and we’re going to get a lot of practice in understanding.
I love that we are going to write an action-adventure-romance together. That we’ll spend our evenings watching movies or reading books. That we both have a not-so-secret affinity for lame dad jokes. I love that when he wanted to ask me to marry him he wanted to find a mountain top that we could go to where we could see everything and even when I was cranky with him for carrying his own back pack on the hike instead of sharing a bag with me he didn’t change his mind. He puts up with my stubbornness and loves me in spite of it.
Daniel loves me. And I love him. Our story isn’t exactly how I would’ve written it.
It's better.
- Noel
Michael LeBlanc | The Officiant
This blog took a little bit longer because we both wanted to write about Michael. We wrote our parts separately, so they include a few of the same small anecdotes. It’s longer than you’re used to, but I promise it’s definitely worth it. Without further ado, we present Michael LeBlanc, our officiant and honorary groomsman.
Daniel:
I actually met Michael at the same time I met Noel. It was at a meeting on USF campus for Current, Jason’s nonprofit organization I mentioned earlier. Just like my friendships with Jason and Brent, my friendship with Michael is a direct outcome of that random mission trip I took to Los Angeles. When I met Michael, he was awesome and inviting from the beginning. At this point in my life, I was going through some transitions with friendships (starting college will do that) and Michael was one of the first connections I made in joining/starting a whole new circle of friends.
When I think of Michael, I think of Applebee’s. I know, that sounds terrible. This is because we would all meet with Current every Monday night at USF and then we would all go to Applebee’s for half-off appetizers and drinks after the meetings. Was the food good? No, but we were broke college kids and $3 mozzarella sticks weren’t something we had the luxury of scoffing at. Was the company good? Absolutely it was. It was nothing but good times, making Michael laugh until he almost threw up, and not thinking too much about what we were eating. We don’t go to Applebee’s anymore.
Since then, Michael and I have shared so many incredible memories; ones of a solid, strong friendship. This is the guy I turn to without hesitation when I need to have a serious, brotherly chat or when I just need to share something funny and embarrassing. I’m honestly at a loss for words describing my friendship with Michael. It’s just one of those friendships I hope everyone has at some point. We’ve traveled together, we’ve just sat together, we’ve completely lost our minds laughing, we’ve helped each other out through hard times. For the past year or so, Michael and his wonderful wife, Amanda, have lived in Texas, following where Michael was called to work as a youth pastor. They’re moving back to Florida shortly after the wedding and I just can’t wait to hang out with them regularly again.
Michael is officiating our wedding and will be marrying Noel and me. There was no question that our officiant had to be him. Noel and I each have such a unique and strong relationship with Michael as individuals and as a couple. He knew Noel and I would end up together before anyone, and he pushed for it to happen. I remember one time I was thinking about dating a girl so I invited a group of friends, including Michael, out for a few drinks with her to test the waters. Michael sabotaged the date by putting his leg up on the bar and showing off his calf muscles. I didn’t hear from that girl much after that (Thanks, for doing that, man. I owe you one.). When Noel and I were still only good friends, we were planning on studying abroad in England together and Michael told me that we would fall in love there, because real life is like sitcoms. It didn’t take traveling to England for it to happen, but he was right. He just knew, as did apparently all of our friends, and he helped facilitate the relationship Noel and I would have. I love him, he’s my brother, and I’m so honored to have him conduct our wedding.
Noel:
Michael, I am not now, nor was I ever, hitting on you. Just wanted to get that cleared up before we get started. You probably won’t read the whole thing anyway.
::Clears throat and cracks knuckles::
Michael is one of my absolute, end of the world, favorite people. You know the old party question about what books or music you’d want to have with you on a deserted island? There would be lots of Jimmy Eat World, a series of books by Diana Wynne Jones and Michael (and his wife Mandi) on my deserted island. Anything post-apocalyptic, I want the LeBlancs there. Don’t worry, I want the rest of the PORFSS, too.
I met Michael in college. That story is pretty funny, but I don’t want to take forever to say everything I have to say about our relationship, so I’ll let you ask him about it. Even though he lies. We were at Current together (the non-profit thing that Jason started while we were all at USF). Michael was the guy that had us all rolling with belly laughs whenever we went to Applebee’s for half off appetizers and two for ones. I left each Monday night feeling so warm and fuzzy about the people that I met as a part of Current.
There have been a few times in my relationship with Michael where he’s said something, sometimes just one sentence, which has changed my entire perspective on the world and my place in it. I told him once that I was scared all the time, constantly anxious, and he said something like, “Girl, you don’t need to live like that. Get it out.” I left that conversation feeling confused about how I was supposed to do that, but with very much determination to make it happen.
When he turned 21 I bought him a Guinness beer on draught at Four Green Fields. He didn’t like it. There’s no real purpose to me saying that. I just had to throw it in. We took a fiction writing class together and I think from day one Michael regretted agreeing to take the class with me. There were quite a few not-so-great writers in that class and I didn’t hold punches when critiquing their stories. I think most of the people in that class hated me. One time Michael ducked down in his chair a little bit when I said something. In retrospect I’m glad he was there with me after class so I didn’t get attacked in the hallways. He refused to critique one of my stories because he knew it was more real than it was supposed to be. He hugged me instead.
Michael and I went to see Daniel graduate together. Michael was the second person I told about my crush on Daniel. I thought I was being rather opaque. I said something like, “If our life was a sitcom the summer abroad trip with Daniel would be when we fall in love and come back to tell all our friends and they pretend they knew all along that we loved each other.” Michael saw right through my hypothetical situation. I had a little lego keychain that I bought for Daniel and a matching one for myself. They were both Ron Weasley. Daniel and I talked about how you could buy most of the other Potter characters separately from the set, but you could never find Ron on his own and he was my favorite. Who knew a keychain would be such a declaration of attraction? Michael did. He ragged me so hard when I gave it to Daniel on his graduation day. “Girl, you really like him, huh?” I denied it.
Daniel was incredibly gracious with me when I was adamant that Michael officiate our wedding. Growing up in a ministry family I was always pondering who I would have perform my wedding ceremony. Michael was the person that felt right. If you’re one of the lucky people cared about by Michael LeBlanc you know he is your BIGGEST FAN. And he will unabashedly cheer you on. But just as important he will speak real truth to you, challenge you, call you out of complacency. There is a lot of love in this guy. I wanna be like Mike. I cannot wait to see the LeBlancs and celebrate, and belly laugh, and start this whole new thing knowing that some of our best friends are right there with us.
Camille Dupree | The Maid of Honor
I ignored Camille for a long time. We’re almost 7 years apart, though in this case she’s younger. So when all I wanted to do was kiss boys and sit in my room and write sad things in a journal Camille just wanted to hang out. I’m sad to say that I didn’t pay much attention to her as a person until she was about 12 or so. I decided at that point that I would make her cool. So, I took her to rock shows and bought her Chuck Taylors and thought I was really helping her out. She’s way cooler than I am now, but I still take credit for establishing her music taste early on.
Camille and I have always lived together except for one year. When I moved out she took my old bedroom, and now that I’m home until the wedding I’m in her old room. It’s strange. We’re very different. Camille likes to cuddle and I don’t really like people touching me. She buys shoes that look like avant-garde art to me and asks me if I think they’re cute. Watching from the outside it seems like she’s good at everything she does with minimal effort. It would be easy to be jealous or resent her if you didn’t take the time to see that she is also unwaveringly supportive of people trying to do something they’ve never done before. She’s honest with people and doesn’t hold back on calling you out, but she’s also quick with a compliment and a smile.
I’m proud of this kid. I’m fascinated by the way she approaches the world. When we talk there are times we’re coming at a problem from totally different places and we don’t quite sync up. And then there are other times when we barely have to speak to confirm that we feel the same or perceive something the same way.
Camille was the first person I admitted my crush on Daniel to. We were driving out in Balm for something and I asked, “What do you think me and Daniel dating would be like?” She responded, “Weird.” So, I stated my case. I said that we were really good friends and that I always enjoyed being around him. Blah blah blah. She said again, “It’s just weird.”
Camille was the first person in my family Daniel told he planned to propose to me. He needed her help to distract me while he talked to my parents so he told her and she said, “Okay!” (I imagine a bit of a pause here as Daniel tries to process her casual response and Camille processes what he just said to her) and then, “Wait. What?”
Hopefully she doesn't think it's weird anymore. Otherwise the whole Maid of Honor thing would be a bit awkward.
- Noel
Brent Cayson | The Best Man
This guy. My best man. Where do I even start?
Earlier, in Jason’s blog, I mentioned how I met him on a mission trip to Los Angeles in 2009. Brent and Jason have been best friends for years and years, so I met Brent through Jason after we got back from that trip. Now here is where things get crazy: That mission trip was through an organization that was started by a member of one of my favorite bands. It just so turns out that Brent worked for that band, touring the world with them and selling their merchandise. Essentially, Brent and I had “met” countless times at concerts when I would buy shirts, records, or whatever else from him before we actually knew each other. I actually have a vivid memory from before Brent and I met, when I was waiting in line for a show outside of the House of Blues in Orlando. It was nothing more than him walking by and getting ready for the show, but in retrospect I just kind of remember seeing him there, and many other times before and after that. I officially met Brent later on at a show in Ybor when Jason introduced us.
It’s been about five years or so since then and, man, am I glad our paths crossed in the crazy way they did. Brent and I have become such close friends and sometimes it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around how that’s happened. We’re both kind of known as the grumpy old men of the group. Do you remember Statler and Waldorf, the two old men Muppets who complain and ridicule everything from atop their balcony seats? That’s pretty much Brent and me. I like to think we’re both great, caring, fun guys but we just have such a low level of tolerance for dumb people or ridiculous things, that we don’t mind making it known. But it’s always in a fun way. And just to be clear, just because we ridicule from our balcony doesn’t mean we don’t give each other a hard time too. In fact, we probably rip each other, and ourselves, more than anyone else and it’s just a blast. There's something to be said about a friend who can be straight with you and tell you when you're being awesome and when you're not being awesome. And don't tell him I told you this, but under that hard exterior is one of the kindest, most genuine people I know.
Brent and I talk almost everyday about music, the music industry (the good, bad, and weird parts of it), music we love, music we hate, music we’re excited about. We came up listening to the same music and love it, but also have different relationships to it. For the most part, I was a teenager when a lot was coming out and Brent was older and sometimes had ties to certain bands. It’s interesting to talk about the same songs and bands from different perspectives and connect that way. It’s kind of a major staple of our relationship.
Brent has lived in Chicago for the last few years but we have somehow gotten closer over that time. This is a guy who will randomly call me while riding the bus because he “just wants to hear my voice” or video chat me from home because he “just wants to see my face” and it makes me laugh every time. Whenever he visits home, it’s always the best and we laugh until we can’t take it. I know when he’s here for the wedding it will be the same. It still blows my mind that a random guy I bought merch from at concerts as a teenager became one of my best friends and is now the best man at my wedding. Life is crazy and the way we’ve been connected is such a great part of the story. I can’t wait to have Brent be such a huge part of our wedding day. You’ll see him standing right beside to me as I get married and if you want to meet him, he’ll be selling t-shirts in the back after the show – I mean the ceremony.
- Daniel
Allison Dupree
Allison is my cool big sister. We are 7 years apart, and except for a brief time when I was quite young we’ve lived in different homes. So, I feel like I’ve always looked up to her from afar. She was beautiful while I was still in an awkward preteen phase. I ran into a friend of hers at a wedding earlier this year. She said that Allison is the most beautiful person she’s seen in real life. Now, I know that Allison has a latent dork personality that rears up every once in a while. She laughs at fart jokes and the whole time she was looking for a bridespeople dress she sent me selfies with the angstiest mean mug face. But even though I know that she’s not perfect, my big sister still awes me. She’s strong. Strong in ways I feel inept to describe. She has made two beautiful little people. She runs her own business. She puts such a priority on her family.
In the early 90s we went to school together at Ruskin Christian School. I was in 2nd grade and she was in 8th or 9th. One time I was in the main hallway the same time as her and I was so excited about it. She was eating sunflower seeds with her friend and she offered me one. This was a big moment for 7 year old me. I popped the entire thing in my mouth and basically swallowed it whole. It still had the shell. I remember Allison laughing at me, not in a mean way, more of a “this little weirdo” fond kind of way. I remember packing to move from Balm to Wimauma and we got in a box (Allison, me, and Camille). There’s a picture somewhere. Daddy taught Camille to say Allison whenever she got to the gorilla in her animal flashcard deck. Allison had this shirt from the Warner Brother’s store, a short-sleeve baseball jersey. It had plaid sleeves and a plaid hood and Tweety Bird on the pocket. Such a dumb shirt, but I remember thinking since she wore it, it must be very cool.
Being the oldest hasn’t always been easy. Allison doesn’t have anybody to “warm things up” for her. She has a whole different set of memories from growing up. But she is resilient. Allison is strong. I won’t quantify that by comparing her to other people I know. I think Allison’s strength in the face of adversity is a standard in its own right. Her love, strength, and protectiveness for her family inspires a protective loyalty to her.
Every time I've seen Allison since July she's asked me if I had a wedding dress, yet. She threatened to hold an intervention to get me jump started on wedding planning more than once. She's offered advice and entertained my requests for pink hair on my wedding day. I am so happy that Allison is standing up with me on my wedding day. In a lot of ways I'm still the weird little kid eating a whole sunflower seed and she's still my awesome big sister. I still get excited any time she's made a point of including me even if she doesn't always get me.
- Noel
Jessica Cura
Jessica is my older sister and one of my best friends. Our bond started early. When I was a toddler, Jessica was the only person in the world who could understand my special form of gibberish, so she was my translator for our parents. But I guess our relationship of big sister-little brother truly began when I was a young kid and she told me I wasn’t actually her brother, that our parents found me in a dumpster and decided to keep me. And I believed her. For a very long time.
I also remember believing her when she told me she could see through her eyelids when she was actually just squinting very hard. I remember sharing a bedroom and making a fake carnival for our mom in it. I remember playing Donkey Kong Country on Super Nintendo for countless hours. I remember watching way too much Saved By the Bell together. I remember throwing a coconut at her head in Key West thinking she would laugh about it (she didn’t). I remember getting banned from watching Power Rangers because I got too into it and kicked her in the head (Jeez I’m really sorry about your head, sis). I remember walkie-talkie games and bike rides and water gun fights. I also remember patiently watching her set up her dollhouse to perfection for hours only so I could completely destroy it with my Batman action figure when she went to show her masterpiece to our parents. We had an awesome childhood together.
As we got older and I hit adolescence, Jessica became my confidant and overall good friend. We were concert partners. In the early 2000s we loved all the same pop punk bands and she was kind of my keeper. I was too young to go to shows by myself, so we went together and it was just the best and it still is. Anyone who knows me knows music is a huge part of my life, and my love for music came from those days. I’ve lost track of how many times we saw Something Corporate or The Starting Line or Yellowcard or any number of young, floppy-haired, broken-hearted bands together. Those experiences really were such a strong foundation for us.
Jessica has always been my constant. She protected me from hard stuff and shared with me fun stuff. To this day she is still who I go to when I might be having a rough time with something and we still joke and goof like when we were kids, though I don’t throw stuff at her head anymore. I cherish our relationship and I’m so excited to have her share my wedding day with me. She’s my Big Sitter and I’m her Little Brodder, always.
- Daniel
Ashley Dupree
When I reminisce on growing up with Ashley two major things stick out in my mind. 1) I mostly remember giggling, giggling, giggling. Giggles forever. And 2) Another golf cart story. She was driving the golf cart, I was impatient for my turn, so I stepped on the “go” pedal to make us speed up and we ended up hitting the side of the house. I think I’ve gotten up to the most shenanigans with Ashley. We drove the golf cart into the side of the house, got the three-wheeler stuck on tree roots behind my grandparents’ house, and I watched in horror as she flirted with the guy at the pizza place in Ybor one night. She was totally not serious but I don’t think he knew that right away.
Ashley is two years older than me. Together with Bethany we are three in a row. I’m lucky in this line up because they get to warm things up for me. Ashley graduated first, and then Bethany, and then me. We did college, and then found careers all in that order. Ashley just turned 30, then it will be Bethany, and then me. We used to all cram ourselves into one Lay-Z-Boy and watch The Rescuers Down Under and play Candy Land. In middle school Ashley played trumpet. To this day she completely terrified of spiders. She and I have had several deep conversations where I could feel the earth spinning under my feet and it seemed like we both were solving a mystery. Growing up with Ashley has been a blast. She is one of the most supporting and loving people I know and her work ethic has always blown me away. I especially love that we still giggle together.
- Noel
Kendra Sheets
Kendra, my younger sister, is one of the best people I know. And I’m not just saying that because I have to. I was four years old when she was born and almost every day up until then I would ask our mom, “When is my baby coming?” I was so excited to be a big brother. I took my big brother preparation class and wore my graduation pin with pride. I reality, they probably just wanted t make sure a four year old wouldn’t drop a newborn so they had me practice holding dolls. At any rate, I was probably the most eager kid to ever want to have a little sister.
Kendra and I had a great childhood together. Before she was born and while she was a baby, my only experience of playing and having fun with a sibling was me being the younger one playing with our older sister, Jessica. Once Kendra was old enough of a kid to play with us, that experience kind of flipped and I loved it. Kendra and I would spend countless hours together playing racecars or board games or having water gun fights or whatever. At that age she really didn’t care what we did; she would just show up in my bedroom ready to hang out with her big brother. And of course I did do the necessary big brother stuff to her while growing up. There were a lot of pranks and there was a lot of teasing, but it all came from love. Like I’ve told you before, Kendra, it was just my job.
And it still is my job! But for real, now we’re both adults. Kendra just turned 21 a month ago and I still can’t believe it. We’ve been through a lot together. As a kid, I thought the best part of having a baby sister was to have someone to play with all the time. As an adult and over the years, I’ve realized that the best part of having a baby sister has been being able to watch her grow into a beautiful woman that I am so ridiculously proud of. Kendra is undoubtedly one of the kindest and most passionate people I know. She loves her friends and family so deeply and is always first to go out of her way to help them. I have seen her put her mind to countless things and just do them, and do them well. She was a star athlete in pretty much any sport she’s ever tried (even though when she was little she got her hair tangled in the goal net during one of her first soccer games). Since she was old enough to watch TV, she would watch cooking shows and the Food Network instead of cartoons, and now she’s almost finished with culinary school. Throughout her whole life, Kendra has had a fierce drive and determination that I haven’t seen matched. I cherish my relationship with her, I love that whenever we get together we still act like kids, and I can’t wait for her to be a part of my wedding day
- Daniel
Bethany Dupree
Bethany and I are 13 months apart. When we were little we walked around like ducks. I was always just behind Bethany. When we were young, not quite teenagers, we were driving a golf cart at our grandparents’ house. We used to be strapped in the back while our older sisters drove around, but this one time it was just the two of us and I remember feeling very excited to be able to do what we wanted on our own. The result was that we flipped the golf cart on its side because we drove too far down the side of a ditch and the golf cart was top-heavy.
I have always looked up to Bethany. She played soccer and read and ohmigosh is her hair the stuff hair envy is made of. She’s also got like 80 tattoos, making her my most metal sister. Bethany still sets the bar high. She’s in nursing school and she works and she is raising a little boy. Everett is such an adorable little man. And I’m so glad he is part of our crazy family. I know we were all super excited to finally have a little boy born into the family. Early on, when Bethany was first pregnant, I remember seeing a look on her face that was fierce. Bethany has a lot of my dad’s expressions. There was a resolve that came over her. And this is why I still look up to her. So many people make excuses for themselves; they give themselves an unearned out. Bethany looked straight into her future and determined she would continue. Being a parent is not a simple thing. I admire my friends and family who have made sure to be good parents. Bethany is high on that list. There’s a quote that I like that floats around on the internet. I looked it up. R.S. Grey wrote it in the book Scoring Wilder. It is simply, “She believed she could, so she did.” This is my perception of Bethany; she believes that she can, so she does.
- Noel
Bradford Winter
Let me tell you about my oldest friend.
I became friends with Brad when we were about 11 years old. We were in the middle school band together. He rarely participated in class, usually claiming that his clarinet was in the shop being fixed. One day, he actually felt like participating and as he was waiting at the bus stop before school, the bus pulled up onto the curb and ran over his clarinet. No one believed him when he told everyone what happened. This story pretty much sums up everything you need to know about Brad.
It’s been about 15 years since then and I can’t even keep track of all the great times we’ve had. We worked together at a sandwich shop and one time Brad served a customer while wearing nothing but an apron. We went on the best trip to San Francisco one summer and we got lost in downtown and then he lost me in Alcatraz. We threw a few parties when we were younger that almost ended the world (that just sounds exhausting now). We’ve made a ton of music together that I can’t even remember. We’ve discovered a ton of music together I can’t even remember (NIGHTBEAST!). We constantly throw all discretion to the wind to act like fools. We’ve ended up in approximately a million different families’ photos at amusement parks and such over the years (I rounded that number up). We’ve been on some great road trips, one that included brushing our teeth in a McDonald’s parking lot on a Sunday morning. We’ve laughed at the most mundane things for hours. Seriously, Brad is the funniest person I know. Together, we’ll make the most ridiculous jokes about the dumbest stuff and keep pushing them to the brink. It’s almost impossible for us to have a serious conversation, but when we do, they’re always the best.
This is a guy I can always count on to be there, whether it is for some help or a good laugh. I’ve always (kind of) joked that Brad was my first relationship. Noel knows that and I think she’s accepted it at this point. Brad being one of my groomsmen wasn’t even a question. He has been such an important and long-running part of my life; of course he would be a part of my wedding. I’m honored to have him share the day with me, my oldest friend, Sir Bo Bradford.
- Daniel
Madison Russell
Madi. Madi. Madi.
If you see the two of us together you can immediately see a resemblance. I would call her my doppelganger. But that’s not exactly fair. Madison has, as the youngest of six girls, set herself up to be quite unique. We look alike, and we both love The Giver series by Lois Lowry. We both have Grandpa Russ’s hot temper in reaction to incompetent people. But we have different opinions about Camo as a fashion choice.
Watching Madison grow up has been fascinating. She’s significantly younger than the sisters she lived with giving her a sort of unique experience - both sibling and only child. She’s making her own way. Sometimes, it’s easy for us, her big sisters, to think we know what’s best for her. The thing about being the youngest is you get to see what everyone else did and figure out what works. Madi, I hope you do that. I hope you learn from our mistakes and our successes and you carve out for yourself something that makes you feel very proud. I hope you take a minute to listen first, even though it’s annoying to always hear from people who think they know everything. And I hope you find a thing, one thing to do, which ignites passion in you to stick to it and be amazing. I can’t wait to see.
- Noel
César Mata
I met César in my freshman year of college at USF. We had an early morning English class together and our friendship began as us poking each other awake when there was something important we needed to hear (which didn’t happen that often). All I really remember from that time was that we did a group project together for that class but then after that semester we kept loose communication, chatting about music and bands and whatnot, but didn’t really hang out. Fast forward to about our senior year of college, and we starting hanging out regularly, going to football games, and becoming pretty good friends. By the time our graduation came around, we were close enough friends that walked across the graduation stage together, celebrated together, all of that good stuff. A few months after that, we both and the previously-blogged-about Nick Pratt were looking for somewhere to live so we all moved into an apartment together. And that’s how we all became roommates and the best of friends. That was three years ago now and it’s been great.
César and I have had some great times in these three years living together. Whether it be our big apartment parties, César coming along to my family parties (Cuban grandmas love him), the two of us watching Ninja Turtles together, going to concerts, talking about or playing music, or chatting about life stuff good and bad. We even worked together for a bit. César and I were good friends before, but living with someone really enhances that. Just being able to tell when someone has had a good day and wants to celebrate by playing Mario Kart, or when they’ve had a bad day and want to unwind by playing Mario Kart. What I’m trying to say is César and I play a lot of Mario Kart. But for real, this guy is one of the most loyal and passionate friends I’ll ever have. He’s willing to do anything for his friends. I’m glad we were randomly stuck in a class together seven years ago (and I’m glad he woke me up when it was time to take tests). This guy and his friendship mean the world to me and having him stand up with me on my wedding day is a no-brainer.
WOLBERIIIIINES!
- Daniel
Nick Lyons
I have five sisters. You’ll get to read some about them in the next few entries. And I have one brother that I picked out of all the dudes I’ve ever been friends with to be my brother. On a weekly basis it is not uncommon to find us together watching something inane on the television, drinking cider or wine, and generally geeking out over some upcoming movie, art, or book.
Do any of you have a friend that aggressively made you their friend? I sometimes hide myself away from people. I shut down and am difficult to communicate with. Nick doesn’t put up with it. You know those days when you feel like you’re just not going to make it? Like you’re not capable enough to accomplish a goal you’ve set out for yourself? Or you feel like you’re surrounded by insanity and you need someone who commiserates and asks what you’re going to do about it?
That’s Nick for me.
When I called to tell him Daniel asked me to marry him Nick’s response was almost monotone because he was in a granite store, of all places. But he immediately looked up wedding planning and found the highest rated planning book on Amazon and gave it to me.
He answers my esoteric, theoretical questions without needling me about being weird. When I start getting too deep into my own thought processes and creating ridiculous hypothetical situations he steals my journal and reads it out loud or writes something silly in it for me to find in the future. And whenever I’m writing he asks me if there will be a flying unicorn in it. “All good writing is supposed to have a flying unicorn in it,” he says. This is probably the only thing I will write that has a flying unicorn mentioned somewhat seriously. Make that three times it’s mentioned seriously.
I’ve always felt like you should surround yourself with the people that can make you a stronger person. That there should be an element in every relationship that’s a little bit abrasive that moves you out of your comfort zone, that goads you, demands better than where you’ve settled. We all need a person that you can be stomping mad at, but know they still care about what’s best for you. Everyone needs a friend like Nick. An adopted brother like Nick. Or a flying unicorn, I guess.
- Noel
Nick Pratt
Nick and I have had many phases in our friendship, all great, over many years. Nick and I met in middle school but didn’t really become friends until a few years later in high school. We were both saxophone players in the high school band and Nick was a few grades ahead of me. During those years we had countless fun times that, honestly, just kind of roll into one big foggy memory of teenage debauchery, pranks, and antics. Nick was older than me so when he graduated, I was still in school. But, he stuck around for a year or two to be the sax instructor for the band. On paper that mean he was my direct superior and he was who I would have to answer to. While that was certainly the case, it was also with a big nudge and a wink. What it really meant was we would still act like teenage fools, except now Nick would have to answer to the adults any time we were causing mayhem, which was pretty much all the time (sorry about that, man). The next phase in our friendship would be when Nick joined the Navy and spent his years serving. Though we were in different countries during that time, it actually seemed like we talked more and became closer friends; just talking about music, life, and whatever else. Whenever he would come back home on leave, we would plan a huge bash, have some drinks, share some laughs, and make some great memories (like the time we were convinced that his neighbor using a rotary saw at 2 a.m. meant he was a serial killer, so naturally we snooped in the windows to check).
The most recent phase in our friendship is having been roommates and some of the best friends for the past three years. Nick was already one of my best friends before and living together somehow strengthened that bond. The last few years were actually the first time as adults that we could hang out whenever we wanted without one of us being in a different state or country, and it’ been awesome. I owe a lot to Nick, but right now his birthday celebration a few years ago is probably the most important, and kind of silly, thing. Essentially, we were all out celebrating his birthday and that was the first time Noel and I kissed. Before that, she and I were best friends that were kind of not sure where to go from there. But that night Nick and some other friends all but pushed our faces together, and there was no turning back since pretty much every friend we have saw it happen. Flash-forward to now, Noel and I are getting married, Nick will be standing up there alongside me, and I couldn’t be happier about it. The next phase of our friendship will be starting soon, I know it will be far from the last, and I’m looking forward to see how it unfolds.
And always remember: He’s Nick Pratt and you’re not.
- Daniel
Pam McMillan
Pamela is the most nicknamable person I know. I think that might have been one of the first things she told me. I mostly call her Pamcakes. When she is in town we get pancakes and discuss all the things. I met Pam because of Warren Willis Camp and a pen pal friend of mine from my first summer there. Pam met him when they were both counselors. When she decided to come to USF he let her know that I lived in Tampa and suggested we meet so I could sort of help get her acclimated. She didn’t really need my help, but I’m glad Adam introduced us. Even if Pam did think I was dumb the first time she met me. :)
So I’ve known Pam for almost a decade now and that’s blowing my mind. We’ve done a lot together, and a lot far away from each other. This kid has a great taste in music. She loves to laugh a really good belly laugh. She is loud most of the time and if you tickle her she responds with physical violence. She once led a debate with some high school students while waiting in line at Rock the Universe about whether Wolverine would die if he was beheaded or if there would be two Wolverines. Deep stuff, yo. And man, can this lady craft and bake like nobody’s business.
But for serious Pam is one of the tenderest people I know. She’s decided on a profession based on serving other people. We lived together last year and I was amazed over and over again at her capacity to listen and provide care to people who had a great need. Serving as a chaplain at Tampa General Hospital is not an easy training ground for future ministry. But Pam gained valuable experience there and it showed. I’m excited to see what’s in store for her.
- Noel
Jason Sowell
Jason and I met in one of the most random, most crazy, and most awesome ways. In 2009, I went on a mission trip to Los Angeles. That trip consisted of a group of random strangers from around the country that met for the first time in California. Jason just so happened to be on that trip. Jason also lived in Tampa. He was starting his own nonprofit organization, Current, so we kept in touch when we got back from L.A. and I started going to the meetings that were held at USF at the time.
In the years since then we’ve become awesome friends. We’ve been on numerous mission trips together, shared just the most ridiculous laughs, gone to countless concerts, have constantly bombarded each other with random Star Wars, Doctor Who, and comic book talk; and we have had multiple serious debates about whether Batman or Wolverine is the best superhero ever (don’t get us started). Jason and I have had some great times and I know we’ll have a bunch more as I get older and he gets old. I would have never thought that random mission trip to L.A. I decided to go on one summer would give me one of my best friends and continue to give me some of the best things in my life. But more on that in future blog posts.
- Daniel
Jenn Owen
Jenn and I have been friends for 6 years now. I met her when I transferred out to the Campo YMCA. We’d been around each other a few times, but the clincher for our friendship was Christmas Eve 2008. Jenn listened to me moan and groan about things I thought were really important. She happened to be one of my only friends during a pretty lonely time of my life. I don’t remember much how I started. I remember being generally an emotional mess during that time. I do know that Jenn and I started bonding over books.
Do you have a friend that pushes you? If you don’t I hope you at some point in your life have a friend like Jenn. I call Jenn a shark because she can’t seem to ever stop moving. She’s intense. And incredibly loyal. I’m constantly inspired and motivated by her. This girl runs marathons like they’re no big thing. She reached the highest level of SCUBA certification available in the course of year just because she wanted to. She bottles wines, and crochets, and kicks butt at Disney Scene-It. She’s always down for a movie, a glass of vino, an impromptu writing session. And she’s incredibly gracious when you accidently throw red wine on her bedspread. (That might have been a one time thing).
- Noel
Joey Howard
Joey is without a doubt the all around happiest person I know. For real, this guy can put you in a better mood just by being around him. Joey and I went to high school together but weren’t really close friends since he is a few years older than me and we were in different grades. In fact, though we went to the same school and had a lot of the same friends, we actually met outside of school. My first memory of Joey is me being in the crowd at Warped Tour as a teenager, watching Senses Fail play and standing next to a guy with a mohawk who was watching his favorite band and absolutely losing his mind and jumping around like he had just learned how to. That guy was Joey.
Since then he and I formed one of the friendships I cherish most. He went on to marry a friend I consider to be like a sister, so I consider him a brother for more than one reason. And we have had some of the best times. Times when we have fun acting like fools, times when we have a beer and just sit and talk about life and how we’re doing, and times when we just laugh at old memories. Joey is the kind of guy who cares about his friends. He is one of the few people I know who still uses his cell phone for actual phone calls with his mouth and not his thumbs, and he will randomly call you up while he’s driving just to chat and see how you’re doing. I love this guy and I’m so looking forward to having him stand up with me at my wedding.
- Daniel
Wedding Party Introduction
Daniel and I both love to tell stories. We’ve had the idea for a little while to use the blog space on this website to talk about the special people we’ve chosen to stand with us on our wedding day. We are now 8 weeks out from the wedding, so it’s go time. Over the next 8 weeks we’ll be updating with stories about our bride and groom's people. And we’ll probably tell stories about each other. We have such a huge celebration planned for the wedding day and with so many people to celebrate with we wanted to take the time to tell you just a little bit about these awesome, amazing, wonderful people.
Cheers!
- Noel