How did you and the bride meet?

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I met Lauren in 2015 at a grass volleyball tournament. My first impression of her was that she has a blood-thirsty, competitive nature, similar to myself. By the end of the tournament, we were both completely covered in dirt, scrapes, and bruises.

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What is one thing everyone should know about the bride?

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Lauren is fiercely loyal to her friends and family. She is an outstanding human being who consistently goes above and beyond for others. Much like her mother, Lauren is incredibly kind and compassionate. 

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What would you like to share about your friendship?

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Lauren and I share a friendship that borders on sisterhood. We were born one day apart (September 6 and 7), so we are both Virgo queens. We share a love for writing, organization, and diligently planned vacations.​​

How did you and the groom meet and what was your first impression of him?

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I moved to Georgetown halfway through the school year during our Kindergarten year. I got introduced to the class, and I've never liked that kind of attention, so I was probably terrified. Almost immediately after the introduction, five-year-old Brad walked straight up to me and put out his hand and, like a fifty-year-old man, said, "Hi, I'm Brad." We've been friends ever since.

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What is one thing everyone should know about the groom?

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Brad is a resilient man. He has lived through deathly illness, organ transplants, bouts of temporary insanity (happens to the best of us), and a mortar-style firework exploding at his feet in the backseat of a packed Volkswagen Jetta. I'm in awe of his ability to laugh in the face of true danger and hardship. Also and importantly, don't mention Smokey the Bear around this man. Brad has no respect for that Bear's authority.

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What is one thing everyone should know about your friendship?

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Brad and I won a lip sync/dance competition in the 6th grade by doing a choreographed and rehearsed dance to NSYNC's "Space Cowboy."

How did you and the groom meet and what was your first impression of him?

 

We met at Best Buy 333! He was this “hot shot” specialty sales manager being brought in all the way from Indianapolis to clean things up! We were glad he got the job over Mercedes. My first impression was, “Wow, he has a lot of energy.”

 

What is one thing everyone should know about the groom?

 

Brad is extremely well-suited for attic and crawlspace work; the man moves with the speed of Tyreek Hill through an attic!

 

What is one thing everyone should know about your friendship?

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Brad has been a major influence on me as a leader, friend, and human being. I quite literally would not be the man I am, or physically where I am at in life, if Brad Ling had not graced my life with his presence! I mean that in the best way possible!

What is something everyone should know about the bride?

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Lauren never misses an opportunity to better herself, to learn more, and succeed at everything she puts her mind to. Outside of trying new food, she is open to any experience and will try anything at least once. Lauren is a word "geek" and relishes in communicating through the written word. She's the kind of person you can rely on and is readily available to help you write a resume or bury a dead body. :-)

 

What would you like to share about your friendship?

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We share the love of an email/text well-crafted with gargantuan words and thoughtful insight. Although many of our topics are "deep," we can giggle and laugh about the silliest things most people wouldn't understand. (Garrett)

 

How did you and Lauren meet, and what was your first impression?

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We met in the unlikeliest place (a church) and it was an instant connection. My first impression of Lauren is that she is SMART and insightful, that she is dedicated to bettering herself, and she LOVES Brad. Talking how wonderful he is, good advice he gives her, and how long it takes to finish a sunroom (just kidding). Rarely does any conversation pass without her referencing Brad and how important their relationship is.  

How did you and the groom meet and what was your first impression of him?

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I met Brad in 1st grade, he was the smallest kid in the class but he did seem to be pretty popular with the other kids. I thought he was funny and we later became best friends.

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I remember he always won the top prize for all the fundraisers we had in elementary school. No one else even needed to try. I’m pretty sure his mom just bought 10 cases of chocolate bars.

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When we were young, he was always at my house or I was at his. His family became a second family to me. I can still eat more hot wings than his stepdad, don’t let him tell you otherwise.

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What is one thing everyone should know about the groom?

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Brad is like a wise old owl; he gives the best advice and sometimes he just sits and listens to you talk. Brad is also distinctly the most generous person I know and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He always helps others and would be the person I would call in the middle of the night if my life came crashing down.

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What is one thing everyone should know about your friendship?

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He has 11 toes. It’s gross I told him he should have surgery to get the second pinky toe removed but he says, “it builds character.” No, but really, we have been friends for as long as I can remember and even lived together for a while.

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I remember one time we were living together in an apartment, and we jokingly talked about getting a projector for a room that was about 10 foot wide. The next day, I got home from work and Brad went out and bought this thing just to have the entire wall a screen. He mostly likely spent well over two grand on that impulse buy. He was almost blind then, so it did help his game play oh so slightly.

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Brad and I have been close for as long as I can remember and I know that we will always be in one another’s life, and for that I am forever thankful.