Introducing...the bridesmaids!

first of all, we hope you like the new layout of the blog! it's still in revising mode - we're trying to learn a little HTML so we can make it even better and more personalized, but...we get impatient and don't like keeping the blog off-line for too long. plus, i'm exhausted from trying to figure out how to add that third column for literally the last four days. FAIL.

anyways, i thought i'd take today to introduce the six lovely ladies that i am honored to have as my bridesmaids. each of them are so special to me and i can't wait to share such a special time in my life with these amazing women.

jolie hoppe - middle school friend
i am ecstatic to have jolie as my maid of honor :)

jolie and i met on cinco de mayo 2000 when i was her "host" at a visit to our middle school when we were in 7th grade. she came there to school in 8th grade and we have been the bestest of friends ever since. we've been through just about everything together - the good, the bad, the really really bad, and the absolutely amazing (traveling to paris with our moms in 2004, trips to costco and sam's club just for the samples, eating peanut butter and nutella straight from the jar on manyyy occasions, and so much more). jolie is in med school at touro university in vallejo, CA, and i have no doubt that she'll do amazing things with her life! i consider jolie like a second sister and i can't wait to have her standing beside me on the big day!

hannah fricke - sister
hannah is my only (but favorite) little sister, and even though we're almost nine years apart, we're getting closer everyday. hannah will be entering high school next year (eek!) as is one of the most multitalented fourteen-and-a-half-year-olds i know - she's involved with dance, choir, yearbook, running club, etc etc etc. sometimes i still think of her as my baby sister (she always will be) and i can't believe she's all grown up now! she is one of my very best friends, and i am so excited to have a sister to share this exciting time with. plus, she's great at arts and crafts, so maybe i can talk her into making some pretty wedding decorations!

ashly moore - college friend
i met ashly during my first days at creighton (we lived on the same floor) and we've pretty much been attached at the hip ever since. we even joined the same sorority at creighton and attended many a date party together and...single. ashly is my go-to person for advice, a sushi (or really any kind of food) date, a good laugh, and a good beer. ashly just moved out to LA last year for a masters program at usc in occupational therapy, and will make an amazing OT someday very soon.
california is happy to have inherited ashly for a little while, and i'm so happy to have standing by my side. ashly has an absolutely ridiculous sense of humor and will be the comedic relief of the wedding party : (if it was up to her, i'm pretty sure the reception theme would be burritos + mojitos!)

ruth gyllenhammer - friend from preschool 
ruth and i go back, wayyy back...to calvary baptist preschool, to be exact. after a brief, sad absence from each other's lives (read: elementary school), we were reunited when we attended the same middle school! ruth and i share a love for cupcakes, stationery, and bailey's in our coffee :) we've shared many memories together throughout the years, from beach bonfires to serving on student council together to mixing wine in our cranberry juice (slightly underage) when staying at my parents' timeshare. i was elated to be a part of ruth's wedding last summer to david, and am so excited to now have her be a part of mine.

nikki elsasser - college friend
nikki was my freshman year roommate at creighton and now a longtime friend. i'm not sure how we would have survived that first year without each other :) i'm fairly certain that it was because of our excessive mutual awkwardness that we became such fabulous friends and learned to survive "real life" together through late night talks, stalking creighton basketball players (cough...dane watts), and saturday morning breakfasts in the dining hall. nikki is about to finish up her doctoral degree in occupational therapy at creighton this december. i'm so happy to have her in our wedding!

meghan kimani - sister of the groom 
meghan is kevin's older sister and lives in springfield, missouri with her husband, working as a special education teacher. not only do i get to marry her amazing brother, but i inherit another sister in the process. although we've only met a few times, i am so excited to get to know her better and to have her as a part of our special day. sadly, i don't have any pictures of the two of us (yet!), but here's a great one of she and kevin at last thanksgiving's 5k turkey trot - how cute are they?! :)



so there they are, the six lovely ladies that i can't wait to have stand beside me on our wedding day and everything that comes after it! on a more superficial note, more to come soon about their dresses and accessories, but here's a sneak preview: the dresses were $19.99 at target!