Dr. Ariel Mason and I first locked eyes in kindergarten and grew up a few blocks apart. Over the years her family, the Crockers, have allowed me to crash hundreds of family dinners and laugh, a little too hard, at my references to being another Crocker-daughter. We solidified our friendship over episodes of General Hospital and beach days which transferred into Ari becoming a well respected and established Del Mar Lifeguard and me needing to be rescued by Del Mar Lifeguards on more than one occasion. Ari is located in San Diego, living with her husband, Evan. She is currently in the second year of her residency at UCSD.
Carolina and I also met in kindergarten and grew up neighbors. We played basketball together and she was ... much better than me. I could go on and on about how unique and special a person she is, but I think it's simpler to tell everyone that in high school she one time cried seeing Lifehouse in concert. Carolina is currently located in San Diego where she is a veterinarian with a heart as big as you can imagine a veterinarian's heart to be.
Claudia (along with half the groomsmen) and I met about six years ago in San Francisco at a bar watching a Duke basketball game. After many group hangs, side texts, and and late night karaoke sessions, we learned that you can in fact make friends as an adult. As a designer/decorator/event planner extraordinaire who lives for a good summer soirée, Claudia has been a blessing during the wedding planning process. Claudia and her husband Eli have a one year old daughter, queen Emilia, who allows them to live with her up in the Bay Area.
Danielle and I met freshman year at UCLA while pledging Chi Omega. She had red streaks in her hair and a nose ring, therefore making her my coolest friend. We lived together for three years during which time Danielle introduced me many adult concepts like cooking, cleaning, and doing homework on time. Danielle and her husband Doug are currently located in San Jose where she shapes the minds of the future as a the kind of high school english teacher we all wish we'd had.
Davina and I met in middle school and later were both cut (read: resigned) from the Torrey Pines basketball team which redirected our energy into a love of the music stylings of Fall Out Boy. We continued our codependence at UCLA together and spent a year living in the same room. She threatened to kill me every night because of my snoring … but never did! Davina's dad helped Kevin make my engagement ring so I’m fairly certain that means part of my soul belongs to the Simantobs. Davina is a Speech Language Pathologist located in Los Angeles where she recently started her own practice.
Devin and I crossed paths in 5th grade when I faced her team in rec league basketball. Devin played at a skill level my dad said I should "aim for." We finally met in highschool and turns out, she's pretty cool! We both ended up in San Francisco (I followed in her footsteps and started working at Google a year after she did) where we were roommates for two glorious years. Devin is currently located in San Francisco, but lived in London for while so she says things like "flat" and "loo" and gets away with it.
Kim and I met six-ish years ago and yeah yeah yeah, she married my brother, but she’s also the love of my life. We've made it through six Christmases, two engagements, and a few family zoom calls together — she also knows first hand how to survive a Linn family wedding. Kim is a fellow member of the Google cult and we spent two years working a block from each other and meeting up for lunches and discussions of our moon charts. Kim lives in Pacifica with some dude named Brad, and the real boss of the house - their corgi, Uni.
Michelle and I met when we became Chi Omega sisters for life our freshman year at UCLA. We spent summer 2010 as roommates - three beautiful months we'll never forget and also struggle to remember. Michelle lived only a few blocks from Kevin and I in North Beach where we spent our time discussing the quality of corn dogs in Fisherman's Wharf and walking Michelle's dog, the one and only, Mr. Feeney. Michelle is still up in the Bay Area holding down her title as smartest person I know and weaving both South Park impersonations and over-my-head engineering terms into most conversations.
Doug and I met shortly after my birth in San Francisco. We’ve run hot and cold ever since but manage to still find time to play golf, fish, and share a pint here and there - ideally in Tahoe or Ireland. Doug lives with my sister-in-law, Jamie, my niece and nephew, Natalie and Mikey, and their dogs, Nori and Yoshi in San Francisco.
Brad is Jessie’s younger, taller, more athletic brother. He and I met in San Francisco and hit it off quickly, chatting about NL West baseball and the proliferation of advanced analytics in front offices. Now both nascent dog dads, these days we’re more than often swapping war stories over the latest destroyed piece of clothing or furniture in our homes. Brad lives with his wife, Kim and their dog, Uni in Pacifica, CA.
Eli and I met during fraternity pledging where I gained an immediate appreciation for his apathy and sleepiness. Some say our relationship soared in San Francisco over trips to wine country, time spent in karaoke bars, and when he offered up his company tickets on the 50 yard line to the niners game. Eli and his wife, Claudia were kind enough to throw Jessie and I our engagement party many years ago, and remain great double dating buddies to this day. Eli and Claudia live in San Francisco with their daughter, Emilia and their RoombaⓇ, Wall-E.
Greg and I met during our freshman year of college and had a healthy friendship until we roomed together during our sophomore year. Since then I’ve learned to appreciate Greg’s hyper-transparency, candid feedback (isn’t feedback a GIFT?) and boat club membership at Lake Berryessa. We’ve done it all from a Reba McEntire show in Vegas to a George Strait show in Vegas. Greg lives with his fiancée, Kelly and their dogs, Archie and Bo in San Francisco.
Joey and I first brushed shoulders at the infamous courtyard that marks the heart of America’s oldest public high school west of the Mississippi River, Lowell High School. Our friendship was sealed somewhere between a Funkadelic concert, late night screenings of Dazed and Confused, and ski trips to Tahoe. After years of creating memories from Ann Arbor to Joshua Tree, Joey currently resides with his wife, Allison and their dog, Bugsy just down the road from Jessie and me in Los Angeles.
Luke and I met during our freshman year of college where I couldn’t help but notice his iconic neon green yankees cap in the row ahead of me at a basketball game. I was like “this kids got style! lol!” We went on to room together when studying abroad where we spent romantic weekends together in such places as Split, Paris and Amsterdam. A true New Yorker, Luke currently lives in Manhattan with his girlfriend, Lisa where he is known to give unsolicited stock tips to strangers.
Mr. Dechert and I met one of the first days of college when he recognized my great friend Peter and proceeded to accost us on the spot. A social dynamo, spelling champion and an oft-underestimated golfer, Michael (as his closest friends know him) refined his je ne sais quoi and dance moves on the shores of the Mississippi River, where the great states of Illinois and Iowa meet. These days, Mr. Dechert and I enjoy talking about San Francisco politics, as the city-by-the-bay is where he makes his home with his wife, Caroline, and their daughter, Lucy.
Mike I met one of the first days of college where we bonded over our love for Warriors basketball. A native of Walnut Creek, only later did I find out that Mike spent most of his childhood in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore, after which we decided we could also talk about our love for Asian food (talkin’ depth, people). In addition to getting us tickets to the Olympic Club Crab Feed, Mike had the privilege of living with Jessie and me at the legendary 23 Scotland St. apartment, where we would discuss insurance commercials, slow cooker techniques and airplane etiquette. Mike lives with his fiancée, Stephanie in San Francisco.
Peter was the first person I met on the first day of college at one of America’s premier institutions of higher education, Duke University. I wasn’t sure if Peter liked me until almost 8 years later when he decided to join me by living in San Francisco - but later I found out the move was primarily to be closer to delicatessens with dutch crunch bread. We’ve shared some great memories together - mainly over dinner tables - from Florence, Italy to Charleston, SC. Peter lives with his fiancée, Sarah and their dogs, Colt and Jojo in Palo Alto.
Tom and I met during fraternity pledging where he made me bring him bottles of gatorade to the library in exchange for a lifetime of friendship. He stayed true to his promise when we connected for many years in San Francisco (as Tom rounded out the roommates at 23 Scotland St.), and have gone on to share deep conversations in some remote places - from Stuart Island, BC to White Pigeon, MI. Tom lives with his fiancée, Beth and their dog, Peanut in Scottsdale, AZ.