Dear present and future family and friends,

In an attempt to minimize the number of "who is this weirdo?" thoughts from everyone I will meet for the first time and the people I have not seen in too long- bear with me while I attempt the completely awkward task of talking about myself.

I was born in 1982 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania- a small city 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh where I would spend the next 18 years of my life (and weekends of the following 4). In a sharp contrast to Erin, the majority of 3 generations of my family lived within a short car ride of each other. Fortunately, I really like my family, so I lucked out. I spent my youth like a typical kid, focusing on sports, video games, and picking on my sister. And wishing I was James Bond. I have yet to grow out of that phase.

My undergraduate studies were in chemical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. CMU is a nerd school. I'll always have fond memories of a horribly smelly dorm room, overloads of work, and a kid dressed in a lobster suit that lived outside of my department's building for a semester. In all seriousness, the last cool thing CMU did was lose the 1939 Sugar Bowl. On the plus side, despite my grandmother's worries that I had no friends, I met some of the most wonderful people there to share in the agony (I am being overdramatic).

I came to Michigan to further my studies and hopefully experience what normal college life is like (in addition to finding out what lies west of Cleveland). And regardless of the normal stresses of grad school, it has been the best time of my life. The largest reason for that, of course, is Erin.

I am incredibly fortunate to be where I am today and must thank those that are close to me. I have been blessed with a wonderful group of family and friends.

To my Mom and Dad: I could not have asked for better parents, who kindly gave me both of their best qualities along with the care and guidance to become whoever I wanted to be and someone such a wonderful girl would fine worth marrying. To my sister Kate: I will always torture you with hugs, not because I still love picking on you (though I do), but become I'm incredibly proud of who you are.

To my grandparents: Thank you for always spoiling me rotten and being a fan of anything that I've done.

To Dave, Court, and Jess: I'd consider myself lucky to find one "once-in-a-lifetime" friend. I somehow managed to find three. You each mean the world to me.

To my future bride: You are the most wonderful person I have ever met. Thank you for your love and support- and for the willingness to put up with a life full of sappiness, sarcasm, and teasing. I will always strive to be the person you deserve.


I look forward to seeing each of you and meeting some of you for the first time. I hope you can share the best day of my life with us.