Our wedding party is complete! We were finally able to ask
our groomsmen to be part of our big day. Luckily they all said, “Yes, yes,
yes!!” to quote one of the groomsmen. J
Much like I did for my ladies, I asked Ron to put together a few quick blurbs
about each guy. Ron has known a lot of these gentlemen since grade school and
their friendship is absolutely amazing. He is incredibly honored to have them
stand by his side on our big day...much as they have stood by his side throughout
his life.
So, without further ado, here are Ron’s groomsmen...
CHRIS (Best Man)
What can I say about my best man? What can I tell you about him? What CAN’T
I tell you?? He and I have lived together for the past 4 years. That’s weird to
think about…it feels like a mere few months since we moved out on our own – living
temporarily in a hotel in Kentucky (just outside of Cincinnati) playing
soc-tennis, “bribing” the hotel bartender for additional free beer vouchers,
and about to start our first adult jobs.
I’ve known Chris since 6th grade at Edison Middle
School, but I never really hung out with him ‘til 7th grade. Our
circle of friends had already started to intertwine in the year prior, but in 7th
grade we were in advanced math together. Nerds from the start, and nerds ‘til
today, we’ve been very nearly inseparable ever since.
Chris is not only my best guy friend and Best Man, but
through his upcoming marriage to my little sister, will soon be my little
brother. The years have been full of goofy antics, tons of fun stories, and
lots of laughs. I know that we will have many more to come.
CHARLES (Groomsman)
Charles is first and foremost the friend I’ve known the longest. We’ve shared a
great number of adventures, from breaking various windows using an assortment
of “weapons” and camping in the great wilderness of Amboy, IL, to completing
business ventures together.
We first met when I moved to Wheaton back in the summer of
1995, on the 4th of July. Since then we’ve gotten into more than our
fair share of shenanigans and gone through all sorts of hobbies together.
Starting out with BMX biking and Razer scooters, then onto bigger and more
complex toys, like cars. Charles is by far my most handy friend, and any time
I’m in need of automotive assistance, I know I can call on him. We’ve recently
completed our first “project car” together with the tear down and repair of a
2007 Scion tC.
It is still my hope that someday I can go into some form of
business in the automotive world, with Charles as my business partner. It’s
certainly been a good ride, and I look forward to the good times ahead.
NATHAN (Groomsman)
Nathan and I have been friends since about the 3rd grade.
Similar to Chris, our social circles had started to intertwine in the year
prior, but it was through Math TAG (the Talented and Gifted math program at
Madison Elementary School) that we really came to know one another.
Nathan has always been the friend I could discuss the deep
stuff with – from theoretical physics and complex mathematics, to religion and
life (as I know it, anyway). We spent our formative years taking very nearly
all the same classes together, and only really started to vary to any
measurable degree in college.
If on the first day of meeting him, I had been asked what
Nathan was most likely to do upon graduating college, I would have told you
that he would work for Microsoft or some such tech company. Sure enough, after
graduating from U of Illinois Nathan decided to pursue his passion in computer
and info tech and accepted a top-notch job offer from Microsoft.
MYK (Groomsman)
Myk and I have a very interesting and unique friendship. (Spoiler Alert)
The truth of the matter is that it’s surprisingly similar to me and Matt
Trevino. We actually met back in elementary school and played on two
separate baseball teams together. We hit it off quite well, not only because we
were the best at keeping benches at their optimal temperature of right around
98.6 degrees, but also because the time we spent warming those benches gave us
the opportunity to realize how similar we were.
Perhaps on a certain level, we knew that we would one day
meet in the future. I mean, we didn’t go to the same elementary school, and we
weren’t going to go to the same middle school, but certainly we must have known
that we would be going to the same high school, right? Well, no. We didn’t
actually acknowledge that fact at all. So though I had a great friend on a team
of jerks and losers, I figured that once the season was over, I’d be losing
that friend and we’d lose touch.
WRONG! Myk and I did end up going to the same high
school! One odd awkward freshman or maybe even sophomore year morning at
school, I saw him in the hallway. I built up the courage and said “Didn’t we
play baseball together?” And with that question, we’ve been the best of friends
(again) ‘til today.
MATT T. (Groomsman)
Much as I’d already spoiled through my story about Myk, Matt Trevino and I
met in the 5th grade (sorry, I couldn’t remember exaaactly when he
moved here and had to ask him). We became close friends and even had the
wonderful experience of sitting down in front of Mr. Grace as he chewed us out
for rough housing and wrestling on the playground. What a random fun memory.
While we were always good friends, and always had a good
laugh, for whatever reason throughout high school, we ran with different crowds
and didn’t see much of one another. When we did, it was like no time had
passed, and we were right back to laughs and joking.
After high school Matt and I hung out very sporadically.
Throughout college, I was busy doing my own thing, and he his. At one point,
before I moved to Cincinnati after college, I ran into him and we played
volleyball a couple times. How random.
It wasn’t until after college, after I’d moved back from
Cincinnati, and he’d moved back from Colorado that he and I reconnected and
became close friends once again. It’s weird how time and distance can separate
you, but in the end, people don’t often change as much as they think they do.
Funny people with great senses of humor will often stay that way. Luckily, we
learn a few new things along the way, and mature.
Matt and I have what Bethany calls a very unique
relationship. We talk about literally anything. Anything. We laugh and joke,
but often conversation lends itself to more serious topics. Matt and I have
spent many a late night over a drink or two commiserating about past experiences
and planning for future ones. He has become a close friend that I know I can
always talk to.
ALI (Groomsman)
Ali… hmm. What can I say about Ali? Almost nothing, because 98% of his file is
classified, NTK-basis only, security clearance level-5 required, and the other
2% is in fact missing – stolen, in fact. Much like the Stig (from BBC’s Top
Gear) some say he’s wanted by the CIA and that he sleeps upside down like a bat.
Some say he never blinks, and that he roams around the woods at night foraging
for wolves.
Ali has always carried an air of mystery about him. This
shroud has of course slowly developed over the years, oddly enough, as I’ve
gotten to know him more. We first met in 6th grade, and believing
that our sisters were best friends (I think they might have known each other,
yes, and maybe worked on some school project together…) we decided that meant
that we had to be friends too. Thus, history was made.
Ali and I have been friends from that point on, and we even
roomed together in college briefly. I was present at his wedding in Pakistan,
and won the Pakistani-look-alike award for having the most authentic beard. (It
should be noted that I actually looked more Pakistani than some of his family
members!)
Ali is a great friend and a wonderful confidant. Much as he’s
been an expert at keeping some of the details about his own life a secret, he
also keeps your personal stories a secret. At the same time, I know I can
always count on him to be a great listener and to chime in with sound advice,
often things I’d never thought of myself.
JOHN (Groomsman)
John and I have been friends since 7th grade, when he moved here
from California. We hit it off right away primarily due to John’s good sense of
humor and easy going nature. It’s the one thing about California that has stuck
with him. I know he’d like it to be some semblance of skin tone, but alas,
no. :)
While I like to think much is the same of all my friends,
this is most true of John: even if we’ve been apart for months, and haven’t
said a peep to one another, I can pick up from nothing and start having a goofy
or serious conversation with him.
While we don’t always stay in close touch, I know that John
is one of those friends that no matter how far either of us may roam, we will
be able to call on one another and talk about whatever may be on our minds.
MATT M. (Groomsman)
Matt Mosconi and I have been friends since 2010, when I relocated to
Cincinnati for my first job out of college. While many people experienced that
connection with others that was akin to “survivor friends” in college, I felt a
real connection with Matt. Not only was he my senior and mentor through
Nielsen, but he was a few years older than me which lent him all sorts of
sagely wisdom.
Even more than John’s California, whatever goes attitude,
Matt brings to the table a passionate sense of apathy. Now, there’s a bit of
witty oxymoron that could at first sound offensive. Buuuut let me explain. The
things that Matt does not care about, he really does not care about. However!
When it comes to the things he cares about, he is a juggernaut of information
seeking. He does not rest until he finds out all he can.
He is much the same in his friendships. He is a close
companion who has even faced a winter storm that dumped 5 or so inches of snow
on us, just to come out to Oak Park from the city for dinner. Matt and I have had the happy luck to come together through
work, but to truly form a friendship outside of the working relationship.
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