Facebook Friends: Brian - Bryan

Brian Lippard

Sometimes I get kind of nervous to be around people that I used to know very well, but only see occasionally nowadays. I'm a little bit of an outsider. But as soon as I see Lipp, my nerves ease up. He is always happy to see me. I bet if I called him and asked him to help me move furniture he would do it. (Although he might oversleep and forget on the actual day.) God bless you, Brian Lippard. God Bless.

Brian Schmitt

Fellow Panther. Fellow Painter. Fellow Human Being.

Bryan Rowland

Aw, Bryan Rowland was always so nice. Now he's nice and can break your bones with a wiggle of his finger. (That's what they teach you in the army, right?)

Bryan Krueger

Oh, Beek. Everytime I hear No Doubt's I'm Just a Girl I am immediately teleported back to 1996, sitting in the passenger seat of BK's little white car. He drove me home after school every day, saving me from the humiliation of riding the bus, allowing me to not only play that song on repeat daily, but also let me control the stick shift when he pushed in the clutch. "First gear!" "Second Gear! NO! Second, Cimino!!!"

He is such a wonderful person. To this day, my girlfriends and I can not say his name with out someone interuppting with an "I love him!" or an "Oh, Beek!"

Bryan Loss

Bryan is smart, genuine, witty, honest, ambitious, and opinionated. I also assume he is very talented, but what do I know about music? He works with famous people. To me that's always impressive. He's more successful doing what he loves than anyone I know. What a lucky s.o.b. There is absolutely nothing phony about Bryan. He is what he is and he's certainly not at all interested in acting any way else to make anyone comfortable. I envy that a little bit. He's also a Do-er. He just does stuff with out trying to over analyze. It would probably be very good for me if I hung out with Bryan more. Too bad I'm in a self-destructive phase.

Facebook Friends: Brandon-Brian

First off, let me apologize for the week-long lull. Work has really been getting in my way. But, you know, they pay me and you guys don't. 

Now, back to business!

Brandon Lesinski

Brandon was the unofficial leader of the pack at FZNHS. He and his posse were like a pack of Greasy T-Birds and he was their John Travolta. They didn't have singing, dancing, or leather jackets, but they did have rebellious natures and no respect for authority. For a brief period they let me play Sandra Dee. I was far to much of a goodie goodie to get into any real trouble with them and we all eventually parted ways, but they always treated me with respect and terrible amounts of sweetness. I always knew I could go to them if I need defending or a big bag of weed. (I never needed either, but it was nice to know it was there) 

Brea McAnally

So, I don't really know Brea directly, but indirectly, she sort of unintentionally stalked me for a while. I did meet her at a wedding years and years ago, then she briefly worked for my brother-n-law, then I started seeing her at church, then art shows and THEN she was supposed to photograph my friend Blaire's wedding. It was weird. Kind of like when you see a coke bottle full of urine on the side of the road. Once you see it once, you see EVERYWHERE. (Not that she is ANYTHING like a bottle of urine, it's just the best analogy I can think of at six in the morning.) Anyways, Brea seems to have far more ambition and talent than should be allotted to one person. Her and her husband run the art empire over at The Luminary, she has a band, AND a photography business. That's a lot of links. She also wears bangs REALLY well. 

Brenda Boswell Long

In my youth, Brenda was the scrappy younger sister of Bobby Boswell, who reminded me of Sam from Clarissa Explains it All. When I think of her, I see her with a low-sitting pony tail and an over-sized blue Adidas jacket. This memory may or may not be accurate. Accuracy, Shmaccuracy. 

 

Brian Barnes

So, Brian isn't really the devil, but in every girl's book of romance someone has to be the villain. Most of us have several, but one out shines them all. For me, my bright, shiny villain is Brian Barnes. Before him, my heart had certainly obtained a few scrapes and scratches, but Brian really put a good callus on it. A callus that has actually come in pretty handy over the years. 

He and I "dated" a few times in college. Each time beginning with him pursuing me with the extravagant charm of drunken fraternity prince (which, to my college self was actually pretty attractive,) and ending with me getting dumped for someone else. I don't think anyone has had quite the hold on me that he did. Looking back, I realize what I was really attracted to was his confidence and his backwards baseball cap. He was probably attracted to my naiveté, sense of humor, and big boobs. Brian was a liar, a cheater and a chewer. He wasn't all bad though. He did clean out my car the day before he dumped me for the girl he was cheating on me with. (Another form of shame cleaning, I suppose.)

So, yeah, Brian was a big fat jerk to me in college, but I was also a big fat moron. I am an entirely different person now, thank God, and I imagine he is, too. 

PS - If you don't have a good picture of yourself up, you'll get a stick figure too. 

Brian Dunston

Such a good guy. I haven't seen him in years, but I assume he's blossomed into a good man by now. 

Facebook Friends: Blaire - Brandon

Blaire Bacher

(If you don't like reading too much, skip down to the third paragraph)

Some people have the gift of being able to size someone up within moments of meeting them. Most people think they have this gift. Neither of these pertain to me. I am an awful insta-judge and I know it, but, this knowledge of myself does nothing to prevent me from making my assumptions anyways. One of my more blaireingly (tee hee) obvious miscalculations is that of one Blaire Bacher. 

I've "known" Blaire since high school, but I've only known her for the past five or six years. I'm pretty sure she sort of hates it when I say this, but, I was pretty intimidated by her in school. We had many of the same friends. I mean, it was almost weird how much we DIDN'T talk given our constant co-existence at social gatherings. I doubt we had any classes together. She was probably goofing off in all the advanced classes while I was goofing off in the remedial ones. I can't really put my finger on why we weren't chummy in those days. I probably just thought she was too smart and too serious to be entertained by my immature antics and therefore froze and said nothing in her presence, so she had no idea how awesome I was.

Maybe that's not how it happened at all. Maybe we talked all the time and I just don't remember it, but it's my dang blog, an all that matters on my dang blog is my own dang memories. Real or not. 

Anyways, 

The days of Scary Blairey are long gone and what a waste they were to begin with! Now she's my #3 go-to girl when I'm looking for something to do on a friday night other than sit at home by myself. Blaire is ornery and hilarious, has my favorite talking AND yelling voice, a not-so-secret-now artistic talent and a gigantic brian that she can use for both good and evil. (Late-night-shenanigan-evil, not EVIL-evil.) She's also the last to leave any party, no matter how boring. She's super and that's all I have left to say about it. 

Bonnie Rooney

Oh, well, look who it is! My dear friend, Bonnie. I was really excited to do this for Bonnie. She deserves it. She's a giver. Her time is predominantly spent pouring herself out for others. Not just friends and family; she does it for a living! Now, don't misunderstand. Bonnie's no doormat. She'll let you know when you're taking advantage. That's the best kind of giver. It's so authentic. She doesn't do for others to gain their approval, she does it because that is truly her heart. We've known each other a few years, but, our friendship had always relied on a group. Never just the two of us. Until recently, that is. Now we go to dinner once a month (2 months in a row). I must say, becoming one-on-one friends with Bonnie is one of the best things that has happened to me this year. I'm looking forward to much more one-on-one time with this SuperWoman.  

*Incase you are wondering, Bonnie's favorite past times are: getting degrees, playing with her dog Jude, and filling out paperwork until three o'clock in the morning. 

Brandi Bostic

I don't know what Brandi spent the 10 years after high school doing, but somehow she finally got her braces off (in my head you ALWAYS had them),  birthed out 2 cute kids and gave the finger to her old career and started a new one, all on her own. Well, I'm sure she had some help manufacturing those kids. Bravo, Brandi. Bravo. 

Brandi Brown

I wish I had a tenth of the energy that Brandi Brown has. She is a dynamic, exuberant and boisterous Christian woman. When she's not busy keeping her house of husband and 4 kids in order, she's funneling the buckets of talent that ooze out of her eyeballs into her extremely successful photography business. When she's not doing that, she's probably making out with her husband, with whom, she is still ridiculously in love with. As soon as they come up for air she probably goes out to feed the homeless with her church or something. Sheesh, Brandi. We get it! You're awesome. 

If you live in the St. Louis Area and need a photographer USE HER. It might be the best decision you've ever made in your life. Ever. Or, at the very least, one of the better ones. Click here!!!

Brandon Kuester

Brandon and I went to high school together, but, I think his facebook page must have been highjacked by some teenage boy. That's the only explanation I can come up with for why he uses absolutely NO punctuation in any of his posts. No one who received the fine training that we did at Fort Zumwalt North would dare show such a lack of respect for the period. See how nicely it breaks up sentences? It says, "Hey! Pause for a second. New thought coming." Seriously, facebook-highjacking boy. Whenever the real Brandon gets a hold of you, he's really gonna ring your neck!

Facebook Friends: Betsy - Bill

Betsy Mason

One of the best times of my life was a trip I took a year ago to Arizona. I got to spend a few days reuniting with dear friends, attending a great wedding, and after that I spent four days in Tucson with my beautiful friend Sarah (OH, I can't wait to get to the S's) and her future in-laws, the Masons. I know it shouldn't matter, but some people are so fascinating and wonderful that you DO feel a little bit better about yourself when they like you. Such is the case with Betsy. I am better just by association. See you in June, Betsy!

Bill Asher

Bill Asher is solid proof that you never have to completely grow up to be a solid man. He's an eternal 16 year old boy beating his drums and riding around doing tricks on his bicycle, with the integrity, ambition, responsibility, and respectability of a seasoned old wise-man. A great dad and extremely loving husband and–OH, WAIT–Let's not forget to mention Bill's endless energy and creativity. If you're the kind of person that thinks being a strong Christian dude = becoming a boring, uptight weenie, then you should meet Bill. He'll change your mind.

Experience Bill, the photographer and web design extraordinaire for yourself right HERE!!!

Bill Best

This Bill began, to me, as nothing more than my friend Carly's annoying little step-brother, but as he matured (and I did to) I was able to appreciate his sharp whit and kindness. By the time we got to high school I upgraded him to Pretty Cool Guy that I would openly acknowledge in the hallway.

Bill Chott

You may recognize Bill, here, from the Emmy award winning show Wizards of Waverley Place or from Epic films like Galaxy Quest and The Ringer. The guy has an IMDB page a quarter mile long. That's not how I know him though. I met Bill a few years ago when I was going through a phase of doing things that scared the sh*t out of me. One of those things being Improv. Random, I know. Bill, is extremely passionate about Improv AND about St. Louis which is where he grew up. A few years ago he came back to start building his Improv empire and I got in on the ground floor for a class. Bill is a great teacher. Kind, enthusiastic, encouraging, but tough and honest. I, however, was a lousy improv student. Apparently the first thing that comes to my mind when put on the spot is insulting people or acting like a jerk. That's quite alright though. I was so happy just to do it (and be done with it). Keep your eye on Bill, folks. He's going places even further than the places he's already been. If you are interested in putting yourself out there, and giving Improv a try, there's no better place in St. Louis than the Improv trick. Get to know more on Bill's site.

Bill Keaggy

I'll do my best to keep this short. A couple days ago I was trolling through my list of upcoming friend portraits and realized that Bill Keaggy was not my friend. GASP! What!! No, Bill!?! NOT Okay. Especially since Bill has so indirectly inspired this little project. Thank God he accepted my friend request within minutes. Bill is the blog and coffee table book king of St. Louis. He was recently a guest on Jimmy Kimmell Live promoting one of those coffee table books Milk Eggs Vodka. Buy it. Bill did great on Jimmy Kimmell, but what I don't think really translates in this interview is the Silent Power that Bill carries around. He's a very unassuming guy and upon first meeting him you may never suspect that he's probably one of the most intelligent, creative and unintentionally ambitious guys you've ever met. Not to mention the nicest and most valuable kickball player for A Team Named Sue. Seriously, you guys. If bombs start dropping over St. Louis, somebody grab Bill and stick him in a bunker. We're gonna to need him around. I could shower Bill with much more flattery, but it's probably embarrassing him, so I'll stop, but take a break and follow this link IMMEDIATELY to check out Bill's website. Hours of fun await you. You'll see what I mean.

Facebook Friends: Autumn - Beth

Autumn Wiggins

Do you like crafts that deviate from the usual? So does Autumn. She likes them so much that she started a show to showcase them. I was in it. Once. It didn't go so well. I haven't found my niche in the craft world yet, but plenty of other amazing crafters have and you can check them out at Autumns Strange Folk Craft Festival September 25 -26 in O'Fallon, Illinois. Hey! Don't roll your eyes at me St. Louis!!! It's right over the border! It'll take you 15/20 minutes to get there! Sheesh. You know, you're really starting to sound like the folks over in St. Charles who act like they'll turn into a pillar of salt if they cross the Missouri River. Don't be like dat.  

Beener Kitty Kuhn

This is my friend Kerry's cat who I've never met. According to facebook, he likes eating, pooping, snuggling, biting and playing Farmville. It's also important to know that he hates going in the basement and he's missing a nipple because Kerry shaved it off.

Ben Trujillo

Co-Owner/Operator of Star Clipper Comics on Delmar. You've seen it. Ben loves fancy food, gadgetry, talking, and his lovely wife A.J. who you met in my first post. Ben is a genuinely nice and friendly guy. (yes, there's a difference) You can tell because he has a lot of cats. Cat people are sensitive........ and weird, which Ben is also.  At first glance he looks like you're typical waspy lawyer. Which he was for a while, but he knows more about comics and newfangled gadgets than you will ever hope to.

Bess Bacher

Bess is pretty great. When you first meet her, she might be a little intimidating. She's not going to put on a big fake smile to impress anyone. But after a few minutes you'll see that she is sweetish, funny, in excellent shape, down to earth and can drink you under the table. Well, she can drink me under the table, but that's not saying much, and I have no idea how much you can drink. ugh. She's good with a beer is what I'm trying to say! She's also a great girl to have with you if you get lost in the woods. She's got a degree in Parks and Recreation, after all. PLUS, I'm pretty sure she could take a Mountain Lion out with her bare hands. 

Beth Hartley Harrison

The funniest person I've never actually met. (She's Amy's former boss) All of the best emails I've ever received have been originated by Beth. Some of Beth's favorite pastimes include, but are not exclusive to: rescuing animals, shopping online, shopping offline, sending people the stuff she bought online or offline, writing funny emails, embarrassing her daughters, and drinking diet coke. 

Beth needs to start a blog so I can read it and the forward it to the rest of you.