Amy Gallois

I first met Amy when I was visiting a college friend that lived in her apartment complex. She immediately pulled me in. Amy is the kind of person that makes you feel like you are professional comedian. She laughs so much and it is completely contagious. After 8 years of friendship I have learned that Amy only gets better with age. She has always been an amazing friend and I cherish her immensely. Amy and I can go months without speaking and as soon as we see each other, or talk on the phone, it is like a day has not passed. I love friends like that. That is how you know that someone is truly involved and supportive in your life. Amy is a wonderful friend and I am so grateful that she is my maid-of-honor. Love you Lois!!

Elizabeth Baker

I don’t have a sister and I always thought it would be fun to have a little sister. Elizabeth is probably the closest I will come to having a little sister. She and I met at a church weekend retreat. We did not instantly become great friends, but the next time she came home from college we began to spend a lot of time together. We stayed in touch until she finished college and moved back to Atlanta. Since then, Elizabeth and I haven’t spent much time apart. She is my best friend and I have loved watching her grow up and out of her shell. She is the one I call when I need a hug. She is notorious for looking for the positive in everything and has no trouble being cheesy when she says it. She is a wonderful friend to both Patrick and me. She is and always will be a part of our family. We love you stinky!!

Katie Tucker Powers

Katie was one of the first people I met when I joined ZTA my freshman year of college. She has all great/embarrassing stories from my most carefree days. She has been my beloved friend for over 12 years. That is a great feat considering the fact that I really didn’t have any girlfriends during that time in my life. She has stuck with me through the good, the bad, and the unbelievably ugly. She is a beautiful wife of a man serving our country in the Air Force (thank you so much Dan) and a wonderful mother of one and a half children (she is currently pregnant and due in April.) I was the maid-of-honor in her wedding and I am so happy that she is flying from Alaska to stand next to me as my matron-of-honor on my wedding day. You are the best Katie!!

Vanessa Ford

I met Vanessa when I was working as an Admin at Modem Media. I tried to be her friend from the very beginning, but it took her a while to warm up to me. Once she did, we became quick friends. We went rock climbing together all the time and had “friend dinner” at my house every week for months. She and I have almost everything in common including our ability to goof off. We are completely silly every time we are together and it makes hanging out an adventure every time we do it. We love to make a scene and embarrass the people we love!!! I was lucky enough to share the spot of maid-of-honor in her recent wedding and feel so blessed to have her next to me when I marry Patrick. Rawr….Moo!!

Julie Shipp

When I first started helping to build the Young Adult Ministry that I am now coordinator of in our Diocese, I had the pleasure of creepily finding her then boyfriend on Myspace. I found him soon after he moved to Atlanta from Auburn. I met Julie one Sunday at St. Luke’s when she was visiting Charles. The first year of our friendship came in bursts of seeing each other when she was visiting from Auburn. I was very happy when she moved to Atlanta and started helping us with the young adult thing and started climbing while using her pink chalk bag. She was always very gracious when I picked on her (like I do everyone) and about my friendship with Charles. I stood with her when they got married and she and Charles are the best couple friends we have. Julie braved a flight in a tiny plane to help Pat propose to me, which shows her devotion and love for our relationship. I plan on cherishing our friendship and going on vacations with our kids. Patrick and I both feel privileged to have both Julie and Charles at the altar with us. We know they will respect and honor our marriage in the same manner we respect and honor theirs. We love you guys!!

Jenny Millkey

Jenny is one of my newest friends. She and I met briefly at a church in our Diocese. She and I emailed and decided to meet for coffee. I think I fell in love with her in that Starbuck’s the first time she spoke. She and I are kindred spirits. We are the same in so many ways, only she is braver than I am. She keeps me on my toes and her love for horses makes me feel inspired to find passion in my personal life again. I believe we are linked spiritually and I don’t think that link can ever be broken. I am so happy that she will be next to me at the altar and I am anxious to see where God takes our friendship. I love you Jenny!!

Lindsey Woody

Lindsey is married to my brother and going to deliver my niece or nephew mere weeks before our wedding. I had the honor of standing with her when she married Neal (crying a little from seeing my brother get married) and I hope that she will be able to stand with me. She is so perfect for my brother and she was easily a welcomed member of our family. She made the most beautiful bride and I know she will be an even more beautiful mother. Lindsey is kind, caring, and an extremely loving individual. I am happy to call her my sister and I can’t believe she is going to be blessing us with the first little Woody of the current generation. You are amazing Lindsey and I hope peanut will join us in enough time to see you standing with me, although I think it will be just as wonderful to see you two sitting with my parents. :)

Ryan McGarty

I've never had a better or more lasting friendship than the one I have with Ryan and his twin brother Chris. We first met after my family moved to Alpharetta in 1994 and now, 16 years later, I'm proud to have them both in my wedding party and to have Ryan as my best man. Ryan is one of the smartest guys I know and I'm certain that my life wouldn't be what it is today if it wasn't for him.

Sometimes it fascinates me to look back over the course of our friendship and remember who we were then and to look at how much we've changed. I remember all of the things we would get into together: building things, programming games on our TI calculators, or harnessing the expansive power of evaporating dry ice. Things haven't chaged all that much. We still build things together, we still program together, and we still learn to get the most out of the world around us together.

I'm so grateful for you Ryan and I'm so glad that you're my friend.

Cory Caldwell

It's pretty unfair that the four most important people in my life constitute two pairs because that makes it quite difficult to write four individual biographies. It's hard to write about Chris and Ryan separately but it's almost impossible to talk about Cory and Colin separately. They have both been such an enriching part of my life and I couldn't have picked better brothers. In fact, I can only imagine one thing better than being a big brother: being a dad.

I doubt there's anybody around who has a bigger heart than Cory does. He's caring, and loving, and everybody likes him. In fact, he's Lauren's favorite Caldwell for this very reason. Cory sees the beauty in everything around him and you can see it in his photography. Cory can point his camera at anything and end up with something beautiful. Somehow, I think that's the way he sees the world. There's always something beautiful if you're willing to look for it.

I love you brover and I'm proud of you.

Colin Caldwell

It's been such a great experience watching my brothers grow into the men they are today. I didn't know it at the time, but the day they were born was a miricle in my life. We got along as poorly as any siblings could, and I remember the day that all changed. One day, I was home visiting from Auburn and my brothers and I spent most of the weekend hanging out. We drove around, watched movies, listened to 311, talked all about life and love, and had a great time together. Sunday night, when it was time to head back to school, I gave my little brothers a hug and I felt sad. I said, "I love you guys and I'll see you soon."

I drove the whole way home thinking about how much I was going to miss my little brothers and it was such a remarkable change of heart and we've been close ever since. I've always tried to take care of my brothers, but there were many years when I was away and couldn't. I didn't worry though, because I always knew they'd take care of each other. Colin is a protector who won't let anybody tread on anyone he loves. He's strong, brave, and adventurous. I remember a few years ago, Colin and I went on a camping trip to a waterfall in North Georgia.

There was a flight of stairs from the top of the waterfall to the bottom of it. We were almost all the way to the bottom when we decided that we wanted to know how many steps there were. It tooks us 4 tries, but we counted 'em. Then, we headed back to the campsite, built a fire, and made dinner. We dipped our peanut butter sandwiches in our pot of beef soup and laughed and joked and had a great time. When it was time to pitch the tent, we decided there was no need. It was nice out and who wants to pitch a tent anyhow? Colin slept on the table and I slept in my hammock. The whole way home, we joked about what a bad idea that was.

The way I imagine it, one day we'll be septuagenarians and we'll find ourselves camping together again with our grandkids; only this time, we'll have 70 years of memories to laugh about.

Chris McGarty

Pretty much every weekend, I can remember heading out the front door and hearing my mom ask, "where're you going?" As the door closed behind me, I said, "going to hang out with the twins mom." I can't even count how often the three of us sat around at the McGarty's house trying to figure out what kind of trouble we could get into. Much of the time, we never did come up with anything to do, but we still had a great time just bein' together.

I left for Auburn and they went to Georgia Tech. We didn't really talk much while I was gone, but one weekend when I went home to visit, I called them up and we got together. I wondered what it would be like after not talking to them for so long. Instantly we were getting along and catching up like I had never left. The best thing about good friends is that you can grow separately without growing apart.

One time after I moved back to Atlanta from North Carolina, the three of us were hanging out having dinner. On our way out the door, Chris hugged me and said, "I'm so happy you moved back to Atlanta Pat;" I am too. Chris and Ryan are as close as family to me and I love them like brothers. I've always looked up to Chris and Ryan and have always wished I was half as smart as they were or that I could have the positive outlook on life that they have.

Chris and I don't always get to see each other as often as I'd like, but I'm comforted to know that when we do get togoteher, it'll always be like it always has been.

James Brechtel

James and I started working together in 2006. He lived in Gulfport, MS and I lived in Alpharetta. Our company was in the process of relocating the home office from Gulfport to Atlanta. A few months after I started working there, James and his wife Ashley moved up to Alpharetta. At the time, we didn't have a lot of office space, so James and I moved into the same office together. We didn't have cubes or anything so we just shared a desk.

When we expanded our office space, my boss offered to give me my own office with my own desk. I respectfully declined and instead James and I took the opportunity to move our desk to a larger space. For three years, we spent 40 hours a week (at least) working in the same room directly across from each other. After work, we still enjoyed hanging out and spending time together.

Sometimes it amazes me that two people can get along that well for that long in that close proximity. Then, I think about me and realize, it's not me getting along with him; it's him getting along with me, and anybody who can put up with me for that long is someone special. James is very special guy and has been a great influence. I can't remember all of the times I would get frazzled or frustrated by something and would run it by James to vent. James would say, "did you ever think of it this way?"

"Huh, well no. No I didn't. That's a good point James. Thanks." He always had such a great perspective on things. He is so much more than just a great programmer (and he is a great programmer; one of the best I've ever known). He's also a great person to be around. I always enjoy my time with James. He and I have been through a lot together and he is a true friend. I know I can always count on him and I can only hope that he and the people around me feel like they can count on me the same way.

Charles Shipp

Charles is my newest friend. Charles and I met through Lauren's church work and he very quickly weaseled his way into my heart. Spend 10 minutes with Charles and you'll see how selfless he is. He is unbelievably talented, artistic, and creative. One of the best times I've had with Charles and his wife Julie was one night when we spent two hours hanging out making a list of things we could be doing around Atlanta ifn we weren't sitting around making a list.

Charles helped me plan my proposal trip. He organized getting our friends together, he filmed the whole thing, and he even got Julie to take her first small plane ride to make it all even more special. He's been involved with our wedding from the beginning and I'm glad he'll be be standing next to me on the wedding day.

Neal Woody

Neal is Lauren's brother. As a brother myself, I know what happens when you disapprove of your sibling's significant other. It means a lot to me that Neal not only puts up with me, but that we enjoy hanging out together. He's a hell of a guy and I have a lot of respect for him. He takes good care of his sister, he has a great sense of humor, he's a hard worker, and he surrounds himself with good people.

From the first time I met Neal, he's always made me feel welcome. Sometimes the four of us (Neal, Lindsey, Lauren, and I) visit Lauren's parents together. One trip, the girls were inside and the three of us boys went outside and threw the football in the driveway. For the two of them to make me feel like a part of their family meant a lot to me and I feel honored that he'll be up there with Lauren and me on our wedding day.