CAST:

Noah: (UPDATED 7/31/04) My HUSBAND!! We didn't get married on the beach in the Cayman Islands, in the middle of our wedding/honeymoon carribean cruise. Instead we opted to have a small ceremony here in Minnesota and a dinner reception with friends and family. Then we planned to fly to Cape Cod to have a reception with my family, but the snow in Boston kept us from flying. (Ha HA! to all the people who tease me about living in Minnesota.) Anyway, we finally had a reception there in May, and it was amazing, and our wedding was perfect and the honeymoon was THE best vacation of my life. So there you go. The rest of what you should know about Noah: I met him at an otherwise very bad time in my life, and he gave me something to smile about again. He�s my best friend, and every moment I spend with him is like a little piece of heaven. So I talk about him all the time, and I apologize if the gushing bothers you.

Andy: He�s my late husband, that being the cause of the very bad time in my life. He was amazing in every way and I cherish every moment I got to have with him. A little�cantankerous, and sometimes hard to handle, but it was worth living through his anger to get to the inside and feel safe there. I still talk about him a lot because he still is, and always will be, a very important part of my life, and of me.

The brothers and sisters of Theta Sigma Tau: When I was in college I joined a co-ed fraternity, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. It�s a very hard group to describe, and impossible to put in any one category. I have friends who had already graduated by the time I got to college, and friends who are freshman now, three years after I graduated, and friends all in between. Though it could be said that a lot of us have absolutely nothing in common, we always have the group, and that makes us sort of a family. Probably the most-mentioned are Jen, Dan, KC, Jake, Erin, George, Andre, Tricia, Cat . . . There are a lot of them, so listing names is a bad idea. But if a name doesn�t seem to fit into any other group, chances are they are a Tau. I love them all, despite intermittent comments to the contrary.

Jaime: She�s one of my best friends from college, and since college we�ve gotten even closer. She was the creator of my life when I had to rebuild after Andy died. She got me a job, introduced me to Noah, and just generally went above and beyond the call of duty in every way. She�s a Tau too, but needs special recognition because I see her every day.

Dave, Liisa and Alex: These are my three best friends from high school. And, unlike almost everyone else I know, I am still very close to my high school friends. The four of us were a very exclusive unit for a while, and although we have branched out a little as we have grown up, the same bonds still exist. Liisa (yes, the name is spelled correctly, her father�s Finnish) and Alex are getting married this June, and I am the maid of honor!! And Dave is one of my favorite people in the whole world, for so many reasons. I also sometimes refer to him as Homer, it�s a private joke.

J.E.: Noah�s best friend, they grew up together. Very strange guy, but you gotta love him. I have a little brother feeling abut him.

Amber and Neil: Amber and Noah have been friends since high school, and since I met her she has become one of my best friends. She has a certain Andy-ness to her, which I love, and she�s just generally fun to be with. She and Neil have been dating since high school and they are getting married in August, 2004. I get to be a bridesmaid!! UPDATE ON 7/31/04!! They did get married, and it a great wedding, and I was actually the maid of honor, which is a long story but a supremely great honor. Amber kicks ass, so does Neil...so there's an update.

Dan and Laurie, Eric and Kathleen, Nick Smith, Stevie: The rest of Noah�s motley crew. We don�t see eye-to-eye with most of them. Nick and Stevie are cool. That�s really all I have to say about that. UPDATE 7/31/04: Eric and Kathleen are pregnant, which is cool but I am jealous. Steve is funny. :)

Parents: I have a lot at this point. First there�s my mom, who is incredible, both as a mother and as a friend. Then there�s Andy�s parents, who I am happy to say will always be my parents. And Noah�s parents, a new edition that I count myself lucky to have.

Doreen, Jacqui, Terri and Robert: These are my siblings. I don�t talk about them in here a lot, I guess because they live so far away and that makes it hard for them to have an impact on my every day life. But they are all very important to me, and definitely have had a great impact on who I am. That also goes for their respective spouses and children. Thanks to them I have nine nieces and nephews (and one on the way!).UPDATE 7/31/04 The one on the way is John, who is here now. Also, Tim is my brother too, and his wife, Marcy, is pregant now so I will be an aunt again in October!!