Attendants

Joni Dickson

I really couldn't have chosen a better maid of honor. I met Joni a couple years after I moved to Austin. It was clear after having coffee a few times that we had a lot in common, but it wasn't until Jason and I started dating that we became close friends. Joni is like a sister to me, and we can talk about anything. She is kind, genuine, and a wonderful mother and friend.

Cory Berry

Cory and I met at my uncle's wedding in Tempe, Arizona, back in 1991, but it wasn't until a few years later, in high school, that we became great friends. He's been like a brother to me ever since, seeing me through the good and the bad, the wonder and the beauty. More immediately, Cory is the reason Phoenix and I met. They've been friends since they were in church youth group together back in El Paso. I've learned so much from Cory, and I was honored to be his best man when he married Holly last October. I'm sure we'll all be barbecuing out back before we know it.

Marie Guggedahl

With eight years difference in age, it's still hard for me not to think of my sister as a little kid. But at nineteen, she's hardly a kid anymore. Marie has always been a bit of an overachiever and is typically involved in multiple scholastic and extracurricular activities. Always the life of the party, Marie can entertain any crowd with her zany humor. She was the baby of the family, so Benny and I may have tortured her a little, but I think she's better for it! Marie just finished her freshman year at the University of Texas, where she is a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority. I'm really glad to have her in Austin.

Danny Schwartz

I've known Danny for as long as I can remember, and for many years I've thought of him more as a brother than a best friend. We've known each other since pre-school, and we were inseparable during most of junior high and Talmud Torah. Between us, we've shared a multitude of inside jokes and embarrassing secrets, stories of teenage angst and hopeless crushes. We've stayed close ever since, and although our friendship has waxed and waned over the years as each of us has moved from city to city, we've never lost that giddy familiarity that served us so well as children.

Laura Duke

Laura is my older sister, but more than that she has been my life-long friend. Without Laura, there could be no Jason. She was my teacher, my confessor, my protector, and my co-conspirator (sorry Mom). Through her example and support, I found my way to many of my great passions in life, and I know she'll point the way to many more in years to come. Laura works as a Program Examiner for the Office of Management and Budget in Washington D.C., where she lives with her husband and my friend, Donald Seale.

Benny Odle

I was excited to have my little brother join me in the Austin area a few years ago. Growing up, I often tricked Benny into playing Barbies with me by incorporating Ninja Turtles action figures as well. I put makeup on him and always made him be the child when we played house. We set traps for leprechauns on St. Patrick's Day, and together we discovered the shocking truth about Santa Claus. Today, Benny is a fantastic artist, and he is working on his Communications Design degree at Texas State University. He dances like Justin Timberlake and Michael Jackson put together, something I hope you all get to experience at our wedding.

Will Robertson

Will and I met our freshman year at Rice, and over the next four years we became good friends. Although our early friendship focused primarily on humor deconstruction and self-indulgent musical references, it soon expanded to the kind of sympathy you find only a few times in life. Before I met Will, I was a guy who loved music and singing in the shower. Will taught me to sing, he taught me to play guitar, and he taught me to write songs from my heart, not just my head. Will is an accomplished musician and producer, and he lives in Atlanta with his wife (and my friend) Amy, and their two children.

Tammy Tijerina

I met Tammy through a mutual friend shortly after moving to Austin. We clicked immediately, and were soon inseparable. We got an apartment together about a year later, and were roommates for several years. Tammy and I helped each other through a lot: crappy jobs, our shared addiction to fast food, and our aversion to exercise. Tammy just graduated from St. Edwards University with a B.A. in Political Science, and just finished an internship at the Texas Capitol.

Josh Apple

Josh and I met my sophomore year at Rice, when several of our mutual friends went abroad for a semester. In their absence, we wound up getting to know each other better and soon became good friends. Although we've lived in different cities since 1998, we've managed to stay in touch and even get together every few years, and Josh has never failed to pass along a great band, a great book, or a great joke just when each is most required.

Cara Bearden

I met Cara when she picked up a shift at my Starbucks after moving to Austin from Milwaukee. She was in tears after having been involved in a fender-bender in the parking lot. I instantly loved her dry sense of humor and the adorable way she pronounced pastry bag ("beg"). She gave me her number that day, and we've been friends ever since. Cara teaches Math at Crockett High School, and I was honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding in March 2008.

Dave Gardiner

What can I possibly say about Dave? I met Dave when I moved to Austin back in 2001, and it quickly became clear that we both thought we were much funnier than we really are. Dave and I share a love of great television, good film, bad television, and the occasional book. Phoenix has known Dave since high school, but it wasn't until Austin that they became true friends. Every joke Phoenix knows (and every joke I've forgotten) was told to us by Dave at least four times. 4 8 15 16 23 42.

Holly Berry

Although I've known Holly for only a few years, being involved in her and Cory's wedding really solidified our friendship. Holly is fiercely loyal, she's loads of fun to be around, and she's never afraid to tell you what's on her mind. Holly just earned her massage therapy license and she gives the best hugs in town. She is an excellent hostess and cook, and she's been a true friend to both of us when we've needed one.

Brian Dickson

I met Brian when I moved to Austin in 2001, and although I had known his girlfriend (and eventual wife) Joni since high school, it wasn't until Austin that we really got to know each other. Brian and I have shared many good times, and I always know I can count on Brian to be up for anything when everyone else has lost interest or fallen asleep. Brian is a great father and a whiz behind a camera lens, but more importantly he's my friend.

Mykelti Dickson

Brian and Joni's daughter Mykelti is our flower girl, but through our close friendship with her parents (and occasional slumber parties at our house), we've come to think of her as a niece. Mykelti has a joyous spirit, a kind heart, and a deep and abiding love of princesses and butterflies. She shares her crayons and isn't afraid to color outside the lines. Mykelti is currently attending pre-school, but she's already got her eye on kindergarten and beyond.

Jelly Bean

Meow meow meow meow meow. Meow meow. Meow meow meow. Mew? Mew mew mew? Meoowwwwwwww. Meow. Meow? Meoww?? Meoww?!!! Meow! MEOW!!!! MEOWWWWW!!! mewwwwww. Mew? Mew. Mew mew mew! Meowwwww. Meouwuwwwwwwwwww. Mrrrrr. Mrowwwww. Mreoooowwww. Meow meow. Meow? Meow meow.

(Meow.)