Facebook Friends: Carol - Casey

Carol Floyd

Let me start off by saying that this is a horrible rendering of Carol. BUT she is always the photographer in her photos and the few I had to choose from were small and far away. Sorry Carol!!!

Carol has played three roles in my life. In high school, she was my friend, Chad's mom. In college, for a few months, she was my boyfriend's mom. Now I'm thirty and she's my personal friend. (Who I haven't caught up with recently - but still.) Carol is a strong woman and has been dealt more than her share of blows. She knows more about sufferin' than most of us, but she remains strong in faith throughout it all. Not only that, she makes her living counceling others through THEIR problems. She's always sharing so much wisdom at bible study and I am proud to call her my friend.

Carol Siegler Martin
Carol is a gorgeous girl and still looks exactly like she did in school which isn't fair because she's married with two kids. She should look AT LEAST 4 years older than she actually does. Her and I keep running into each other lately. Hmmmm. Clearly she's stalking me. The fact that she manages to stalk me on her own turf is merely a coincidence. Hopefully, she'll keep doing it even though Katie's wedding is over. Being stalked by Carol ain't so bad.

Carrie Mackintosh Kelsey

Carrie was my best friend the first several years of my life back in Gainesville, FL. Coincidentally, our mom's were best friends when they were kids, too. Both families moved away from G-ville around the same time. Hers moved to NYC so her dad could write, produce and star in the Christian musical masterpiece Upside Down. (My favorite home-movie is of Carrie and I acting out this musical in my living room wearing tutus.) My family moved to St. Louis so my dad could do whatever it is that he did with the phone company. You'd think we'd never see each other again, right? WRONG! When I was 10ish, my family made a pit-stop in Gainesville on our way down to Sanibel Island. While walking through the isles at the Kash n' Karry, who should I bump into? That's right. Carrie Mackintosh. Both our jaws dropped. She just happened to be in town visiting her Grandma. WEIRD, right?? We were able to convince her Grandma to give her up for a week so we could take her to Sanibel with us. Thank, God, because that led to the making of my second favorite home movie of all time. The pool skits. We wrote about 40 skits - all hilarious (to only us) - and all ending with one of us falling or being pushed into the pool. I remember thinking we were geniuses. My poor dad. He filmed them all. Looking at them now, I realize what a patient man my dad used to be; and also how obnoxious I was, and, lets face it, still am.

I haven't seen her since then, but she lives in Gainesville again with her husband and two adorable little kidlets. Maybe I'll see her at the Kash n' Karry next time I swing through town.

Carrie Sota
I really really like Carrie SO MUCH. Although we've known each other since high school, we haven't really gotten to know each other until recently. And JUST when it started getting good she up and moved to Chicago. Whatever, Carrie. I mean–OH! I'm so happy for you! Seriously though, Carrie is SO NICE and adorable and tiny and knows how to take a joke and make fun of herself. A quality I highly admire.

Casey Logue
Casey radiates goodness. The other half of my favorite couple in the world. The Brad and Angelina of O'Fallon. Casey is one of those people you just want to curl up and take a nap on. If people can have a warm and fuzzy aura - Casey's got that. Literally one of the finest human beings I know. Kind, generous & hilarious. And he really listens when you talk to him. You know, sometimes when you talk to people you can tell they're only half listening and half thinking of what they're going to say next. Casey is really good at making you feel like you're loved and that you matter. All that AND he's super manly and drives (or rides?) a Harley. Those guys are rare. There's nobody like Casey. I'm am actually getting a little misty just thinking about how wonderful he is.

Facebook Friends: Caleb - Carly

Caleb Spinks
Everyone has that guy in class who isn't afraid to break up the monotony with a little bit of socially outlawed humor. Yes, I'm talking about farting in class. Openly and proudly. I actually just laughed out loud thinking about it.

Callie Poole
Sometimes I wish I could reset my life and start over following in Callie's path. I had the pleasure of meeting this fine woman last year during my 3 day fun-a-thon with my dearly beloved Sarah Steppelman in Tucson, Arizona. For those of you who seek to live a life-less-ordinary and don't give a rip about the materialistic finer things in life and want to actually make a difference in peoples lives (and not just talking about it) - this is the kind of person you want to imitate. Callie Poole: Teacher & Adventurer, spitting in the face of taking life for granted.

Candi Logue
This is going to be a long one:

There's a huge group of people I went to high school with that are still thick as theives. We always refer to them as "The Friends." This is a huge group of people, folks, and Candi is the undisputed Matriarch of them all.

Now, I love practically everybody. Even people I dislike. I have always been this way. But, some people I love a little more than others. Candi's one of those people that is extra special to me. Maybe it's because I wanted to be her friend SO BAD before we actually were. I vividly remember walking through the eighth grade hallway, a greasy fat mess on one of those days where I actually made an effort to NOT look like one, and walking towards me was Candi Miller. The most popular girl in school. As she walked by, she pointed at me and exclaimed "Oh my god! I love your shoes!" That's all it took. My day was made. I no longer felt like a greasy fat mess. I had cool shoes. It was another year before we became friends and it was well worth the wait. Here are some of my favorite things about her:

1. She is one half of the best couple I know (Casey you will meet here soon.) I swear - it slightly terrifies me that I may never love & adore someone as much as these two love & adore each other. They totally blow the bell curve for the rest of us.

2. She gives me hope. In high school, Candi definitely out did us all in the messy department. I don't think I ever once saw her bedroom floor. But, as soon as she became an adult - she cleaned up her act. Her house is so cozy and clean and beautiful and reflects her completely. Now, I'm 30 and still a total slob - but if Candi can do it, so can I!!!

3. She always knows what is going on with EVERYBODY.

4. EVERYONE loves her. I mean, IT'S CANDI!!! (those who know her, will understand this. I can't quite put in to words why she's so loved - she just is!)

5. Candi is one of the sweetest people in the world, but she doesn't take crap from anyone. And she doesn't let her friends take crap from anyone either.

6. She is gorgeous, hot, and (yes, they are different) and always SO PUT TOGETHER.

If ya'll don't know Candi, I pity you.

Candice Palmer Posey
Now, if anyone were to tell me that they were going to get married right out of high school, first I would tell them that they are crazy and try to talk them out of it. But then, if they still insisted on doing it, I would immediately send them to Candice and her husband Rob. That's what they did and from where I'm standing they have an absolutely incredible marriage. Candice is pretty, pretty, pretty, sweet as sugar and a natural-born super mom. At least she makes it look that way.

Carly Rees
Carly was my BFFMS (Best friend for middle school.) I moved to O'Fallon in seventh grade and she took me in when I didn't really know anyone. One time we were sitting in my basement with her then-boyfriend who happened to be my then-neighbor. These two just STARED at each other all gooey-eyed. For like two minutes!! No talking. Just staring. I think this may be the root of my fear of awkward silences. Maybe it was all rainbows and flying hearts for these two, but I just wanted to barf. She was way better at being in relationships than me.

Things that ALWAYS remind me of Carly are: Greenday. Clam Chowder. Silk shirts. Campgrounds and infusium leave in conditioner.

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.