I met Kendra sometime around 2007 at Worlds of Fun (the place that owns our souls...).  I didn't really know her that well just knew she was quite...so I thought.  I ran into Kendra at an Adrian Softball tournament and thought it was weird she was in my neck of the woods...only to find out she was playing softball with my cousin Ricky (see Groomsman). 

Fast forward to approximately to 2010 when her softball team needed a sub.  I got recruited full-time and that is when I first met her brother...Scott. Basically from this point on Kendra and I became closer friends, I became part of her group of friends which are now my group of friends!!  If you ask Scott he will tell you that I like Kendra better than him. :)  Anyway...every girl wishes that her best friend could be her sister and I am one of the few lucky ones that actually get to have this happen!

Yes, yes...Brian is a guy.  Sigh...gasp...that's not normal.  Okay, now that we are past that :).   Brian...what can I say!  Brian and I met in College English back in 2001, lived next door in college, did many silly (but fun) road trips, got me to move to KC, moved in with together, got me an internship at WOF, more crazy things, fought, moved apart, didn't talk for a while, started talking again, moved in together again, moved apart again, moved in together again...you get the idea.  We both still work at WOF together but no longer live together, however I may have to talk to Scott about that :) jk. 

I'm not sure where I'd be right now if it weren't for Brian...I would have never moved to KC, maybe not met Kendra therefore never met Scott.  Brian is one person I can go without talking to for an extended period of time but call him and catch right back up as if no time at all has passed.  I'm glad you will be part of our special day!!

Amanda and I met through softball...surprise surprise. While some thought we would never get along and I wouldn't be allowed to play on the softball team for very long we surprised them all!!  I consider her one of my closest friends; I even lived with Amanda and her husband for a little over a year before moving in with Scott. 

Amanda introduced me to wine and helped me dig deep and find a bit of my inner girly girl...it doesn't come out often but thanks to her I now very much enjoy getting mani's and pedi's.  Couldn't imagine my big day without you!

Charity is my oldest friend...not talking age but talking the one I've had the longest...for starters we're cousins.  Charity and I have grown up together and gone to school together since third grade and have basically been best friends since.  We were basically inseparable during high school but lost touch for a while after college.  We found our way back to each other in 2011 while spending an AWESOME weekend in Springfield.  While we don't have to talk every day; we can catch right back up where we left off in no time at all. 

When deciding on my wedding party Charity is one person I wasn't willing to leave off that list...she is an AMAZING friend and couldn't imagine this day without here there.

Jen...oh Jen!  We were destined to become friends.  I technically met her though Brian in college but we would have found a way to be friends either way. After meeting her we realized we had a class together and our assigned seats had us next to each other.  I have soooo many good college memories with her there is no way for me do her justice.  We technically only lived together for a year but really she spent almost one year living with prior to that. 

I see Jen at least once a year generally not more than three times a year but when we're together it feels like we were never apart.  I love this lady like crazy and couldn't be more thrilled that she will be standing up with me on this special day!

I used to play softball with Jennifer's dad and brothers in Adrian and thought she was a very sweet girl.  I was thrilled when she and my brother started dating.  Scott, Ryan, Jennifer and I get a long great; we even try to get together often for dinner.  This says a lot because if you knew Ryan and I as kids we really liked to fight with each other.  I am also pretty protective of my brothers so the fact that he is with a girl that I love is fantastic.  I love it very much how well we get along now and how great of a relationship Jennifer and I get along. 

I truey hope that one day I can call Jennifer my sister but in the meantime I am thrilled that she will be standing up with me on this special day.

Cute personified.  No other way to describe her, and she was born for this role.  A natural at posing for pictures, she's now ready for the runway.  Scott's niece has welcomed me into the family as Aunt Jodie and I adore her.  She's ready to carry out her duty, but has already informed us that she will not be picking up the petals.

Let me start this whole section off by stating that this kind of reflective, feel good stuff is not usually our groups' thing.  We have lots of softball stories, poker stories, and a few others to go along with those (usually ending with a good laugh at one of our expenses).  So this is difficult for me, but I will try to be sincere, and hopefully a little funny.  All of these guys are great friends of mine and it was difficult picking a best man, but I FINALLY DID IT.

So let's start with Ricky.  What can I say; he is probably my oldest friend (years I've known him, not actual age).  Since he has served the most time, I figured why not give him the best man responsibilities.  Also, and this is very important, he "might" have clued me in on a certain cousin of his that had been known to say that she thought I was cute.  She will deny this I'm sure, but whatever.  I've known Ricky since we were kids, as our parents were good friends while we were growing up.  We've drifted apart at times when life took us in different directions, but even when we hadn't seen each other in a while, we could always pick right back up being friends.  His entire family has always treated me well, and it's an honor to join it as a small faction.

Interesting Softball Fact:  No matter how well your hitting on the year for his team, his average will always be about 5-10 pts better than yours in Ricky math.  Also, find a ballpark; he's already hit a homerun there, hell, maybe even at Kauffman.  Cowan-UP!

Nickname:  Cowanator, Paco-Ping (longgggg story...)

Travis was 1A on my best man list.  He's working hard on getting classwork done for Union Electrician job, so I decided not to burden him with my list of demands for the best man.  What else can I say about Travis?  For starters, Kendra forced him on me.  Just kidding!  I remember meeting this skinny kid in the vets office when I worked there, and him asking if I was Kendra Kirby's brother.  Apparently he had a bit of an interest in my sister.  How could I have guessed that 17 years later he would still be around, having blessed me with an excruciatingly cute niece and nephew.  Travis is always willing to lend a hand with any project I have, and has been a great friend.  Thank you for everything you do Travis, you're a good man, don't ever let anybody try to convince you otherwise.

Softball Stat:  2nd best softball pitcher on every team we've ever played together on.  Known to get mad about not beating teams bad enough when coaching (ever seen Hal McCrae's epic rant, well...)

Nickname:  T-Bag  (Self annointed.  Who gives themselves a nickname?  This guy.  HAHA)

The story of meeting Kevin is somewhat funny.  Ricky brings this guy that I've never seen before to fill in at SS for a softball game.  I always want to play SS, but when you are the Frank White of slowpitch softball, I guess you keep your a** at 2nd base.  So this guy plays lights-out!  Snags everything!  I tell Ricky, we have to bring this guy back.  He says "You don't understand, I've never seen him play like this.  He was a last minute call."  I tell him I don't know, but he played well today.  Flash forward about 5 more weeks, and ol' Kev-O gets the call to come back up to the bigs.  Ter-I-Bull!  But to make a long story short, he eventually started playing all the time, got better, and became a good friend of mine.  Later on he forced Amanda into our tight knit group of friends (See above description of A.  She's a good friend too, but no time for Amanda stories here (of which there are a few!))  Kevin is the type of friend that would give you the shirt off his back if you were really in need, just don't expect him to jump if you are just calling in a favor. HAHA.  But truthfully, he's a really great friend who you can always talk to about anything.

Softball Stat:  How do you get burned at least once a game when I pitch?!  My ERA would be lower if you would just play back and catch the damn ball!  Also, the best hat thrower in the game.  Great velocity, and sometimes distance.

Nickname:  How many can one guy have, you ask.  Well...

1.  Biscuit              2.  Tow Truck             3.  Baby!  (Has to be yelled phoneticall like Bay-Bay!)

I never knew what to think of this guy when we were younger.  Ricky's little cousin that would show up at times when we were playing catch in the road in front of Ricky's house.  Years later, Ricky starts dragging him with him to play softball.  My first re-introduction to him didn't go so well... might have plunked him directly on top of the head with a pitch when he looked away.  Ooops... my bad.  No permanent injuries though (my slowpitch fastball has never been much.)   How would I have known then how great of friends we would become.  This guy gets ALL my jokes!  Always laughs, even at the bad ones.  Everybody needs a buddy like that.  Also, you CANNOT make this guy mad.  May God have mercy on you if you do, because you sir or madam, are a baaadddd person.  I've always considered him the glue to our group of friends, and we sorely miss him since his move to Oklahoma.  Checks Ricky when his jokes get too mean, keeps Travis upbeat when he might get a little down, keeps me laughing even when I want to get mad, and keeps Kev-O on the lighter side of things.  We all have our things, but Zeb will always bring the best out of everyone.

Softball Stat:  Best slowpitch catcher ever!  No arguments!  And the only one I've ever known that has never wanted to play anywhere else.  Not the first to ever attempt the swinging bunt in slow pitch, but damn well perfected it (even if on accident).

Nickname:  With a name as unique as Zeb, who needs a nickname?

The short-short version:  Jodie's brother. 

Long version:  I've known Ryan for only a short period of time, but he has become a good friend of mine too.  First time I met him was at a softball game he came to watch, and I thought he was Jodie's boyfriend.  Took me a while to realize she was single.  Guess you just got to ask.  He started playing softball later with the group, and brought Jennifer into the group too.  I also think he might have helped talk some since into Jodie after our short break-up, but I'm not 100% sure of this.  The brother - sister dynamic with Jodie and him is hilarious, and far different from me and Kendra's.  You can tell they probably fought a lot back in the day, but don't doubt that they love each other (and don't even try to say a bad thing about him or her other brothers, cause she will bring the pain and fury!)  However, she is probably one of the few people who can check him, if he steps over the line, and it's amazing to watch.  But let's be honest, Rhino is just like his namesake:  a gentle giant most of the time, who only wishes to be left to his own devices, but who can become grouchy and combative if startled.  Ryan and Jennifer have become good friends, and I always enjoy meeting up for dinner or at the bar to listen to music, and the interesting conversations and fun we have.  I'm glad you have welcomes me into your family, and hope you know I consider you part of mine now.

Softball Stat:  Holds the record for the longest single ever... In fact, if they still made you run the bases for hitting one over the fence, I'm sure he would argue with the ump to just let him stay on first.

Nickname:  Rhino

This monster sized ginger came into my life (and everyone else's) in May of 2014.  He has been adorable ever since.  I wasn't sure if he was going to learn to walk in time (stubborn as a mule and both his mom and dad) but it has happened and we haven't been able to slow him down since.  He sure knows how to play to the ladies, and would have been a great wing man for me years ago, but now... it's too late for me.  Maybe we can rent him out to men in need.  And he was meant to be a ring bear-er, just ask him to growl like a bear, he'll do it.  It's one of his favorite things to do when he isn't eating nana and papa out of house and home.  Love this little guy and can't wait to see him grow up... Just not too fast.

Softball Stats:  Watch him, he'll steal your bat and throw a fastball at your head.  He don't care.

Nickname:  Bubba

Scotty oh Scotty...by far my favorite Scott HANDS DOWN!  This kid is my baby brother and I could not imagine this day without him.  I was trying to determine the 'right' roll for him in this wedding and someone had the idea to get him ordained and I ran with it.  I just knew this would be the roll for him; I knew he would take it seriously yet input a bit of  humor.  Scotty and I have always been very close and I was often mistaken as his mom...YIKES a kid at 12 would have led to a different life.  I could go on for days about this kid; he is an amazing individual and wouldn't want anyone else to perform the ceremony.