 |
|
|
|
|
Dina's Side
| Justin's Side
| |
|
|
Xenia Lok - Maid of Honor
Xenia and I went to Penn together. She and I could not be more different. I fall asleep before midnight - she doesn’t start getting ready to go out until midnight.
I have had the same boring steady job since college - she has had four different fun jobs since college, including inventing online games, writing news stories for NBC.com in Miami, and now working for Fox Studios in LA.
I have talked about moving someplace warm since college - she actually did move someplace warm (first to Miami and then to LA). I have been in a relationship with the same guy for the past 6 years - Xenia…well, let’s just say she hasn’t… She seems to like guys with "edge"?...And then there’re our extremely opposing (at times hostile) political views…And yet, we could not get along better and complement each other more.
Xenia brings out the fun-loving side of me (South Beach watch out!!) and I bring out the responsible rational side in her (which I’m sure she appreciates immensely). Get ready for a new, totally radical TV show to hit our pop culture within five years (watch out Joe Millionaire!) that she is going to produce. Xenia’s amazing creative and writing talents will not go unnoticed in the Hollywood circles for too long.
I can not imagine having a more fun, cool, funny best friend and maid of honor!
|
Mike Weber - Best Man
Mike and I have been friends since the 9th grade. In high school, Mike was always called by a nickname or his last name, which somehow evolved from Weber to Fubar (for those of you wondering about the last 3 letters, they stand for ‘beyond all recognition’). Back in those days he probably thought that his drinking will one day lead to medical problems so he decided to become a doctor in order to help himself when that day comes. Mike became a lot more studious, serious and mature at Duke. Must be all those really nice, cleancut, religious girls he kept dating…
Mike is now in Med School at Stonybrook, which we’re all proud of, but don’t ask him about it because he will tell you about all the weird bones in your body, or some random gross disease that is really interesting. Girls find it endearing, guys not so much. When Mike is not studying, he’s playing the guitar (he’s never shy about displaying his tremendous guitar talents), studying the stock market (he is convinced that the stock market and its participants are doomed), or kite-surfing (yeah, we don’t really know what that is either). He is always full of ideas for new and exciting activities for the group, some of which work out great and some of which don’t. His energy and enthusiasm make him really fun to be around. Mike has taken his role as best man very seriously and loves telling people (especially his patients) that his best friend is getting married and that HE is the best man.
| |
|
Inna Lifshin - Bridesmaid
(Dina's sister)
Inna is my favorite sister. When I was little, I used to bug my parents for a little sibling because a lot of my friends had them and they seemed fun to play with. One day (after MANY years of nagging), my wish was finally granted and the day before my 10th birthday my sister was born. Thank god! Can you imagine how much more selfish I would be today if I was an only child? And, how much more my parents would focus on me and drive me crazy with all that attention? My sister and I also could not be more different. I got in trouble for cutting class, sneaking out at night, and missing my curfew in high school. She gets in trouble for studying too hard. I could probably name 10 US presidents (if I thought long and hard) and she could name them all (I don’t even know how many that is) with their achievements and fallacies. She is a history guru. And she’s also a great writer (I’ve avoided learning how to write by going to business school twice) which probably stems from the fact that she has already read more books than my whole business school class combined. But if the writing career doesn’t work out, she can always fall back on her fashion sense and become a fashion consultant. Most 16-year-olds would die to borrow clothes from their older, cooler 26-year-old sisters, but my sister only checks out my closet when she needs a good laugh. She particularly enjoys my collection of high school prom dresses. I am the one always borrowing her clothes and asking for fashion advice.
I could not have asked for a better birthday present 16 years ago and every year since.
|
Jenna Silverman - Bridesmaid
(Justin's sister)
Jenna is my favorite sister. Can you believe that Dina and I both have favorite sisters? I don’t think I was very nice to Jenna when we were little. I think I made fun of her for being fat (she was a little chunky) and probably other things. But we’ve grown out of that (I’ve grown out of making fun of her and she has grown out of being “fat”). Jenna has grown up, graduated from college, got a great job, quit her great job, and moved to California to be with her new serious boyfriend. All in the last year. It’s still strange and scary for me to talk to her about her job, to visit her cool pad in the City, or to help her with her resume. When Jenna decided to leave her job, they actually offered to pay her for a full month if she would stay for just 2 weeks. She must be good. The only problem is that Jenna and I are almost never in the same city. When I was living in NY, she was in Hamilton (middle of nowhere in upstate NY). When she came to NY, I moved to Chicago. Now she moved to LA. Hopefully we’ll get to live in the same area soon enough (when Dina finally convinces me to move to LA) so that we can actually spend more time together. Now that we are both grown up, we have a great time when we’re together.
| |
|
Max Osofsky - Groomsman
(Dina's friend)
Max was one of the first people I met at Penn as he was my next-door neighbor in the Quad freshman year. It must have been fate because we have stayed close friends since then. It all started out with a simple symbiotic relationship: I was always hungry and he always had cookies in his room which he would barter for back rubs. Luckily, after freshman year, he found girlfriends who would give him backrubs and I got an apartment with a kitchen where I could actually keep my own food. But we remained great friends nonetheless and have shared many great memories both at Penn – great parties, fun talks (someone who actually agrees with my political views!), seeing each other through various good and bad relationships, and after graduation – visiting each other in NY and Boston, as well as traveling to South Beach to visit Xenia. Max’s funniest quality is regularly going up to random people and striking up random conversations. Many of us find it embarrassing and we often have to pretend like we don’t know him but most of the time it’s endearing. And his undying resolve to become more punctual is at times endearing, although doomed to failure every year a few weeks after he makes it his New Year’s resolution.
I always have a great time when I visit Max (and my other friends) in Boston. He is infamous for having PRE-PARTIES – he can’t go out unless it’s preceded by a pre-party at his place, but it’s always a great time. Not to mention dancing at Pravda, where we have been the first on the dance floor on numerous occasions. We have such a great time when I visit Boston that Max didn’t want to give that up and move to Chicago and go to Kellogg together – he decided to stay in Boston and go to HBS instead. Thankfully, Harvard hasn’t corrupted him yet – he is still an awesome, friendly, nice and fun Max that I have always known and loved.
|
Chuck Murphy - Groomsman
(Justin's friend)
Life is never boring when you’re hanging out with Chuck. Back in high school, Chuck was always the guy “encouraging” the rest of us to stay out later, have that one extra drink (especially Mike), or get into some sort of trouble. Chuck and I were doubles partners on the tennis team for 3 years, before we both played singles our senior year. Our freshman year, we played these two seniors from Garden City who were both twice our size and decided to mock us the whole match (at one point they started doing push-ups), but we showed them who is boss by winning the match. If you’re hanging out with Chuck at the wedding (you’ll know which one he is; he looks like Frodo from Lord of the Rings), ask him to tell you some stories from Wake Forest, because he has definitely got a few good ones. Chuck lives in DC, where he is in a band called “The Nighties.” They may have to change that name one day when they make it big. Chuck is really funny (Dina is particularly fond of his sense of humor) but he can, when necessary, be serious and always gives good advice when it’s called for.
| |
|
Eli Miloslavsky - Groomsman
(Dina's friend)
Eli and I go way back. We met in 1989, shortly after I moved to the US. He was introduced to me as an aspiring tennis star and our relationship started as tennis partners (well…opponents really – we were both very competitive on the tennis court). It quickly evolved into great friends and then more. Eli was technically my first boyfriend and all through 7th grade we were a hot item. After 7th grade, we went back to being great friends and remained that way since. We shared many great times in middle school and high school and stayed closely in touch while he was at Tufts in Boston. Eli is an idealist and is constantly in search of something that makes him passionate in life and where he can make a difference. It’s totally impractical, but I admire that quality nonetheless. This is why 3 years after graduating from college he finally decided that he wants to be a doctor and is now taking pre-med classes at a local college in California. I’m sure he’ll make a great doctor someday in like 12 years when he actually becomes one. The reason it will take that long is that he spends all his spare time fencing. He picked up fencing at Tufts and it has been his life’s passion ever since. He has traveled the world for fencing tournaments and secretly aspires to make the 2004 Olympics in Greece. Which would be really cool! Eli is the closest thing I have to a brother and given how close our families are sometimes it really feels that way. Of course, most of the time Eli is not even there because he lives in San Francisco and spends all his vacation time going to fencing tournaments, but he is always there in spirit. And whenever we do see each other we always have the best time catching up.
|
Greg Vlacich - Groomsman
(Justin's friend)
Everyone calls him “Vlach.” In high school, Greg was always the guy who looked the oldest and had the best fake ID, so he was always the person buying the drinks. Greg is a real slacker! After going to Yale for undergrad and majoring in Molecular Cell Biology, Greg was admitted to the MD/PhD program at the University of Chicago. They actually pay him to go to school for 7 years. What’s even more weird is that he likes it. He’s probably the coolest person in his program (but then again, not many MD/PhDs know how to talk to other people). Right now, Greg is training to run the Chicago marathon in May, which is a huge surprise to all of us given all the amazing food his parents feed him every time he goes home. Greg’s parents own an awesome Italian restaurant in Queens, which Dina has never been to and is very bitter about. It’s great to have Greg around with us in Chicago because he is always really fun to hang out with (and he loves hanging out with us because it gives him a chance to escape all the MD/PhD nerds in his program and actually talk to normal people).
| |
|
Monica Russo - Bridesmaid
(Justin's friend)
I guess I really liked the friends I made in high school. Monica is another high school friend. But the best stories about Monica probably come from her time in New Orleans (at least the ones she makes up for us). She went to Tulane, which was very convenient during Mardi Gras. I visited her just about every year when I was at Penn. Freshman year we went there for spring break and Monica squeezed four of us into her tiny dorm room and introduced us to New Orleans. The next year I came back with my friend Eric and Monica tried to keep an eye on us during Mardi Gras (the good old days…). Monica stayed in New Orleans after graduating and only recently moved back to NY. She always keeps things interesting. For a while Monica dated a guy named Jason (although we like to call him “Iceman”). When that didn’t work out, Monica found another Jason so that there would be no confusion. She likes to keep things simple. Monica is very mysterious and unpredictable and sometimes tough to track down. But when we do, we always have a fun time.
|
Jean Beier - Bridesmaid
(Justin's friend)
Although Jean and I have known each other since Junior High School, we really started hanging out senior year. Jean was always a good sport about whatever we, or particularly Mike, had planned for the night and the night was always more fun when she was there. Right now she lives in NY and works for Martha Stewart. Martha must really like her, or she must be ridiculously good at her job, because she has managed to survive about 10 rounds of lay-offs. What’s probably most amazing about Jean is how persuasive she can be -- she actually convinced Greg to run the marathon (see “Greg Vlacich” for why that’s such an accomplishment). The group wouldn’t be complete without Jean and our wedding party wouldn’t be complete without her either.
Disclaimer: None of this can be thrown back in my face without the express written consent of my lovely fiancée Dina who “strongly encouraged” me to write something about each of you.
| |
|
