Teresa and Caleb

David and I grew up in the bubble of Cupertino (as did many of my closest friends). We first met at a house party sophomore year while I was visiting Berkeley from San Diego. I felt a bit like an outsider crashing a party, but David quickly made me feel welcomed. Years later, fate brought me back to the Bay Area where our paths crossed again. We got to know each other during snowboarding trips and nights out exploring San Francisco. It didn't take long before we became full-fledged partners in crime, getting ourselves into all sorts of trouble wherever we went. Over the years David and I have shared countless adventures together. 10+ countries, 20+ cities, and 10000+ nights of good food, drinks, and company. We're kindred spirits as he would put it, brothers from different mothers, soul buddies if you will (not to be confused with soulbond buddies). While David might sport a tough guy attitude (he likes to tell people he hunts, follow him @davidhuntsforfood), he's definitely a softie. He's thoughtful and one of the most sentimental guys I know. I've always appreciated how passionate he is about his many hobby's, and how he loves to share his interests with friends.

Despite probably knowing the most embarrassing stories about me out of all my friends, David will be doing Teresa and I the honor of marrying us as our officiant. I'd trust David with my life, and I trust that he won't bring up the one time I did that one thing during the ceremony. I can't imagine being up at the altar without this man by my side. 

Josh is the most generous person I know. As long as I can remember, Josh has never hesitated to spend time, effort, or money on the people he cares about. He was the one who took me to my first fancy meal, bought me my first nice watch, bought me my first suit, even bought me my first nice car. He is the reason I like nice things. But it wasn't just that he spoiled me growing up; he was always intentional about motivating me to dream bigger and work harder.

When reminiscing about our childhood, Josh always mentions that he still vividly remembers the day my parents brought me home from the hospital for the first time. Growing up as his kid brother, I'd remember always wanting to tag along -- whether it was roller skating or playing video games, Josh rarely ever turned me away. At 9 years older, he has been both a role model and best friend. Josh has always been there for me. I'm lucky to have him as my best man and even luckier to have him as my brother.

I first met Jason in the 8th grade while playing video games at a family friend's house. Fast forward several years to college where we both attended UCSD, this time adding beer pong to our past time activities together. Another 10 years have passed and we're still playing video games, and I'm still beating him at beer pong. Kidding aside, Jason is a friend that I can happily say I see nearly every weekend. Whether it's cooking, going on a hike, traveling, having a few drinks, or enjoying some non-basic activities; I can always count on Jason for a good time. Despite how much we may tease each other, Jason is genuinely one of the nicest guys I know. He also has the uncanny ability to eat unlimited burgers and maintain six-pack abs. Over the past 5 years, Jason has become a fixture in my life -- it's hard even imagining what life would be like without this man. I hope the day we live in different cities never comes (don't move to NY Jason). He's easily one of my closest friends, and the person I derive the most satisfaction beating at video games. 

I like good food, after all who doesn't? But you'll never catch me calling myself a "foodie", and Kevin is the reason I don't. He is the definition of a "foodie." He is the embodiment of a walking dictionary of food (and Kim Petrus music). I have never seen somebody enjoy the culinary arts as much as Kevin, nor have I seen such rage when people don't enjoy food "correctly." Kevin and I first met through David (also a groomsman) in San Francisco a little over 7 years ago. I had heard stories of him before actually meeting him, but once meeting him I quickly began to appreciate the force that is Kevin Liu. Passionate, smart, and painfully generous (in the sense that you cannot turn away a drink he buys you). When hanging out with Kevin, I was never hungry, and almost never sober. The man likes to eat drink and have a good time, and he ensures that everybody around him does the same. Within the first year of knowing Kevin, he quickly became a friend at the center of my close friend universe. A staple in our circle of bros. It was when he moved to New York a few years ago that I realized how much his friendship meant to me, and I knew one day I would be asking him to be a groomsman. He may put on a tough front (he likes to flex his arms and kiss his biceps), but he's just a big teddy bear who loves to dance. Catch him at the bar ordering shots and tearing up the dance floor.

Danny's laugh is the first one you hear when you walk into the room. His laughter is contagious, and it's what drew me to him when we first met at church camp back in 6th grade. Through high school and college, we managed to stay in touch and occasionally see each other. Danny was one of those friends that I could go years without seeing, but after ten minutes together it's as if nothing has changed. It was during one of his visits to the Bay Area that I invited him to tag along on a trip with me several buddies to Asia (four of whom are groomsmen). Two weeks of sleepless nights eating and drinking in a foreign country brought us closer than ever. Seeing Danny instantly mesh with some of my closest friends on that trip was strangely gratifying. It was as if we were all already life-long friends. Shortly after the trip, he moved to the Bay Area, where our friendship continued to blossom into what it is today. Danny is one of the kindest most genuine guys you'll ever meet. He'll be the first to compliment what you're wearing, or tell you how delicious something is. While I'm sad that he has recently moved back to Reno, I know he'll visit and we'll crack open a few cold ones and it'll be like nothing has changed. I'll be counting on him to get the party started on Oct 17th.

My friendship with Edwin dates back to the beginning of time (aka second grade). It's hard to recall a time when Edwin wasn't in my life. Furthermore, not only does our friendship span multiple decades, but we have also been roommates for the past six years. Suffice to say, Edwin is one of my closest friends who has stood by me through my best and worst. He may know me even better than Teresa does. If I had a body to bury, Edwin is my first call. If the apocalypse hit San Francisco, Edwin is who I'm coordinating with. If I needed to strategize a game plan to survive a zombie attack, Edwin is who I'd sit down with. I knew Edwin would be a lifelong friend after my mom got sick -- Edwin was the first friend to offer a helping hand. He told me "if there's anything in the world you need, just let me know." Edwin hasn't stopped being there for me ever since. He has always wanted the best for me and pushed me to be a better version of myself. I couldn't ask for a more caring, loyal friend than Edwin. If anything goes wrong at the wedding, I can count on Edwin to take care of it.

Middle school, high school, and college are times in life that typically involve extraordinary change. At each stage, people tend to grow a little more into themselves, develop preferences, figure out who their true friends are. I was lucky to have Aaron as a friend at each stage, and it didn't take long before I realized he was a true friend. He was a constant rock in a stream of awkward social interactions in middle school. Aaron strangely seemed to always have life figured out; as if he already knew one day he would become a successful lawyer with a beautiful family. I owe my college social life to Aaron. His silver tongue got us into countless parties we weren't invited to. He would always hype me up whenever he introduced me to friends (best wingman ever). It's hard for me to even recall a college adventure that Aaron wasn't a part of. I wouldn't be the person I am today if I didn't have Aaron in my life. Despite both living in the Bay Area, we don't nearly get to spend enough time with each other (it's still hard for me to believe he is a proud father of a beautiful girl). I look forward to the day we get to interrogate the boy who tries to take Abigail to the prom, Bad Boys II style. I know that Aaron is one of those friends that I will always be able to count on (definitely for advice legal or otherwise). Friends like Aaron are one in a million, and I'm lucky to have him by my side.

Easily the hardest working guy I know. Whether it's for work or personal life, Chris always puts up 100% of himself into everything he does. From inviting 100 friends over for Thanksgiving, to picking up everything and moving to Singapore. For somebody who may seem like they would be intense on paper, he is by far the most chill guy in the room. I met Chris around the same time I met David while visiting Berkeley from San Diego during college. We eventually became closer friends going to "mass get-togethers" featuring bright lights and loud music. After college, we both had overlapping stints in New York and San Francisco. To me, Chris was always a much needed familiar face in strange new cities. It was shortly before he left San Francisco that he met his now wife, Jessica Lee who is Teresa's maid of honor. Both Jessica and Chris are naturally some of our favorite travel companions. Over the past decade, Chris has grown to be a source of inspiration and somebody I look forward to seeing (this may be because I now associate seeing Chris with being on vacation). No matter where the rest of our lives take us, I'm certain Chris will be part of it. I'm honored to have him as one of my groomsmen.