Lindsay and I met at Hazen High School in 1997, and Lindsay and Casey have known each other since birth, they are cousins! Funny thing is, the first time I went to Lindsay's house and met her family, Casey was there visiting and made us a Mexican dinner. I will never forget how warm and welcoming Lindsay's family was as well as hilarious. Lindsay and I have been best friends ever since and we are and were one fun duo! We worked together, we lived together and we spent a good part of our lives together. Now I get to watch Lindsay morph into a beautiful mom, raising her two beautiful boys. The photo of Lindsay and Casey is when they traveled to Germany together. Lindsay is a very special person in Casey's life as well as mine and when I look back on some of the best times I've had, Lindsay is there.
Cousin Heidi! Heidi is more than a cousin, she's a sister. If I need advice I go to Heidi, if I need anything at all, I can count on Heidi. When I was young, I looked up to Heidi because she had the amazing early 90's bangs, the awesome oversized sweaters and leggings. Now I look up to her as a mother and a wife. One of the best moments was when Heidi and her husband Jessie asked me to be their daughter Sophia's God Mother. Heidi is a huge ro-model in my life and I will always admire the woman she is. I'm proud to have her standing beside me on this big day. Can't imagine it without her.
Along with dating Casey came another best friend. Tiffany is Casey's closest friend and she shares that title with her husband Jason. Tiffany and I met at the Dundas family reunion in 2006. She had her reservations about me, but after spending lots of time together, I think I changed her mind! Tiffany and Casey have been friends since they were 15. They have been through a lot of life together including months of traveling to Thailand, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, and Tahiti. They are also professional arguers. They like to argue over weather the sky is blue and that is when Jason and I like to tune them out. That's not a joke. Arguing or not, I love how much Tiffany and Casey care for each other and I'm so happy to have her in our lives. She also gives my Dad one hell of a time which makes me love her even more!
Casey and Jason met in middle school. They had a bond early on as entrepreneurs. They bucked bails, dove for golf balls and then sold them, as well as selling juice and cookies at a rest stop to raise money for Casey's trip to wrestling finals. Casey and Jason have traveled to Mexico twice, and lived and traveled together in a VW van. Yes, Casey, Jason and Tiffany shared a bed in a VW for months. Amazing they lived to tell the story. I asked Casey what makes Jason your best friend and he said, "Jason is the person I can count on the most. If I needed anything, he'd be there, no questions asked."
Most people think Jack is older than me, thank you. The fact, Jack is one year and 13 days younger and lets face it, better looking. But I know I did inherit more common sense. When Jack was little he would get really tan in the summer. I found him crying in the bathroom and he said he was crying because he'll have to go to another family now that his skin is so dark. This was also the same person who swore up and down that you will not get a sunburn if you move around, because you are not in one spot for the sun to get ya. And people wondered why we'd yell at each other. It was very hard to get Jack to understand reality! But Jack did get the book smarts which has sure helped him. He has grown into a man I really admire, I adore. Casey and Jack have gone through a lot together the last year. We remodeled our house in Renton which could of torn a family apart but the experience brought us closer. We celebrated with a trip to Montana and Wyoming with my Dad and had a vacation we will cherish forever!
Dylan Dundas, loaded with knowledge! Casey and Dylan are opposites but what they do have in common is they can BS and BS until the cows come home. Now, Dylan actually does research and knows what he's talking about when he comes over to hang out and talk about the latest, but Casey likes to think he know's what he's talking about without research and then spews out the information like its fact. It makes for great arguments at our house and great conversation! Dylan is the most traveled person we know and admire the fact that he has seen the world. We like to live through Dylan and his stories of traveling to places like "the south." He's picked up a great Louisiana accent. And most recently he traveled to Ghana for work and wheeled and dealed some very expensive hand woven fabric for myself and his aunt. Probably not what he really wanted to do, but he knew we'd love it. That is the kind of guy Dylan is. He'd do anything for his family.
Our flower girls and Ring Bearer! Kennedy is the daughter of Jason and Tiffany Gaul and Casey's God Daughter. She also says Casey is her best friend. Casey likes to say they are soul mates! Sophia is the daughter of Heidi and Jesse Parrott. Sophia is also my God Daughter and she has added a lot of life to our family. Jaks Schnarr is the son of Lindsay Dundas and Jimmy Schnarr. He's an angel boy and loves giving Casey a helping hand. We think he'll be a great handyman one day!
