Megan & Kyle
Wedding Party
Ryan Haas
Best Man
Twin brother! As soon as Kyle graduated from Purdue, Ryan realized what a great place it was and moved up there quickly afterwards. Whether it's cheering for their favorite sports teams (Liverpool, Purdue, Pacers) or visiting National Parks (Yosemite, Big Bend, etc), they always have a blast hanging out together. Now it's Ryan's time to feel the pressure of a best man speech!
Trey Sanfrey
Groomsman
Attended Purdue with Kyle and worked for the same company for 5+ years after graduation. Trey and Kyle enjoy iRacing, pickleball, and golfing together. Even though they both live in different places and don't do as much iRacing, pickleball, and golf anymore, Trey has always been there for Kyle in the good times and bad, and couldn't have asked for a better friend.
Jacob Elpers
Groomsman
Attended Mater Dei High School and Purdue together! These two were also roommates in college for a brief period. Jacob is always the life of the party when he's around and some of Kyle's best memories from college like Flamethrower Fridays or Cactus Thursdays seemed to always start with him. Kyle couldn't have graduated college without him, and Kyle always admired his practical chemical engineering skills and his laboratory finesse. Jacob is one of the hardest working people that Kyle knows!
Zach Goedde
Groomsman
Attended Mater Dei High School and Purdue together! After having lockers right next to each other and graduating high school (both as Valedictorians), Zach and Kyle decided to be roommates freshman year in college in the 2 sqft dorm rooms that were offered. Luckily, they ended up not hating each other and were roommates again sophomore year. Zach was always one of the smartest in the class and Kyle couldn't have graduated college without him. Some of Kyle's best college memories were attending the Purdue basketball games with Zach.
Jonathan Shumaker
Groomsman
Right after graduation, Jonathan and Kyle worked together for years in Kingsport, TN (Even sharing an office for over a year together). Jonathan and Kyle once completed section hikes of over 138 miles of the AT together. Even though Jonathan isn't the best at texting haha, he seems to always be there for Kyle and is one of the best people to bounce ideas of off and shoot the crap together. (Yes, Trey is pictured next to Jonathan at a NASCAR race).
Jon Hostetler
Groomsman
Met during college and lived in Kingsport, TN along with Kyle. Jon and Kyle loved going to trivia together as well as golfing, hiking, and other sporting events. Jon always tries to teach Kyle about hockey (which Kyle just can't understand). Even though they live in different states, Kyle misses hanging out on their porch and the Modelo that Jon always had to keep stocked for him. (Jon can be seen in the far right).
Jenna Menke
Matron of Honor
Oh, man. Jenna is an amazing human being. We went to the University of St. Thomas together for undergrad, but we really didn’t get to know each other until Junior year in the mind-opening class that was Metaphysics. I quickly realized that Jenna is a superhuman. I’m pretty sure she had a time turner Senior year because she took two classes that were scheduled for the same time so that she could triple major in Theology, Mathematics, and Education all in 4 years. She also went on and got her masters and PhD. Besides my girl being wicked smart, she is a person with the most thoughtful heart. She has without fail sent me a birthday card every year since college. I have a “Jenna Shelf” in my room dedicated to her homemade crafts and our memories. Whether it’s day trips to Austin just to be reminded to “keep hatin”, chocolate chip pancakes every time we are together, dates to seek out ice cream, hand holding while walking to class, motorcycle rides through Illinois, making PB&Js in concert lines because we are cheap, stopping by in Ohio for 20 minutes on the road trip back to Houston with Anthony just to say hi to Jenna, to laying completely on top of each each in Guinan Hall for the best snuggles this side of the Mississippi, Jenna is a person you want in your life forever. I’m so grateful she will be by my side at my wedding like I was for her.
Anthony Hernandez
Bridesman
My ride or die, my day one since day one. Though Anthony and I are 3 years apart, we actually went to the same Elementary school and the same Church. It wasn’t until St. Patrick's Youth Group in high school that we actually met and became friends. Whether it’s Star Wars movie marathons/ cooking experiments/ ping-pong tournaments at his parents’ house, cookie throwing drivebys, orange cone stealing, flying to Ohio just to drive back together to Houston, Pokemon Go all nighters to Galveston, absolutely roasting each other and our friends, to dancing in Galway bars, Anthony is a brother I have grown with. I’m even on his family's Spotify plan! I love/hate that Kyle and Anthony have become such good friends that they have a group chat without me (FOMO). He is the only other person besides Kyle that has my continuous real time location. But I couldn’t imagine this day without my best friend by my side.
Emily White
Bridesmaid
During our first year of PT school, Emily and I didn’t really run in the same circles or study together. She moved into the Tuna house I lived in during our second year, mainly because we both needed a roommate and we both thought the other was relatively normal/not crazy. During our first few weeks together, we tiptoed around each other and did our best to not get each other’s way. Little did we know we would become the best of friends! Whether it’s gossip giggles, impromptu road trips to Colorado, art walks, prepping banana bread in 10 minutes flat between online classes during Covid lock down, our love of all things snacks, monkey like posturing, trips to state and national parks, or communicating with only our eyes during class and knowing exactly what the other is thinking, the Tuna House gave me a sister. One of my fondest memories is when a mutual friend saw us working together in the kitchen and noted, “You know, you two don’t really interact with each other during class all too much, but y’all actually get along really well, like better than I thought.” And we just smiled at each other because it was true. Emily taught me to do what you love even in the midst of chaos, to meet people where you're at, to love one another as you are, and to always have a plan ready to ruin someone’s life just in case they even think about scamming you out of a pottery wheel on Facebook Marketplace. I can’t wait to see what next adventures life has in store for us!
Victor Tal
Bridesman
Victor and I initially became friends when I convinced him it was more efficient to skip anatomy class and learn through self study instead. We would occasionally study together, but what I remember more were the frequent breaks from studying to the Float on Wednesdays and Stuttgarden (RIP) on Thursdays. During school, I really struggled with doubting my competence and capabilities. It was difficult to feel like I deserved a break. Victor and the rest of the gang made it easier to fight those thoughts. He really helped me attempt to corral classmates for social gatherings during the first semester. Without knowing, he forced me to take the breaks I so desperately needed. Once when I was sick, he shamed me into going home because I sounded like I had the plague from coughing so much in the quiet area of the library. Quite literally the “Go home, you’re gross” tough love I needed. Whether it was PT beer Olympics, Mardi Gras and art walks, introducing me to new drinks, how to shotgun a beer, game nights, wrestling against me and Sean at 4am, birthday celebrations, learning how to two step so I could have a dancing partner in Galvy, binging Love on the Spectrum during my Bachelorette, to hiding Smirnoff Ices under pillows/in cakes/ in banana bread/ in dirty dish water, and all over Sean’s house to his displeasure, Victor definitely helped me survive PT school. He is a friend that is there when it matters and I am so glad to have him and the guys next to me on this big day!
Stephanie Sour
Bridesmaid
We’re not really strangers, but it felt like it at first! I’m pretty sure without PT school, I would have never attempted to get to know Steph in the “real world.” Steph and I are different. Lol. And I’m going to be real, she can be loud and a little bit of a psychopath. But the thing I love most about Steph is that she is 100% authentically herself. And I honestly admire her so much that I try to emulate that trait for myself. Whether it’s showing off her prized catch of a dead mouse in a grocery bag with glee, helping me Ice the guys on campus in their bikes and backpacks, yelling “I’m upset!” at big and small inconveniences alike, letting me hug and touch her because she knew I was a big physical touch girlie in stressful times, driving by to check in and yell at each other across the road during Covid social distancing, phone calls every couple of months to just check in, to standing on business so we could win a round of Monikers together even though we both knew we were in the wrong, Steph is a person I am grateful for the opportunity to have met. Throughout our friendship, she taught me that’s it’s okay to not be okay, that I am enough, to show up for people in the ways that you can, to vocalize and set boundaries for oneself are vital parts of relationships, and that even though people can be very different, maybe even strangers at first, we are really just people that should be try to be kind to one another, and ourselves, while we are here for the time we got.
Sean Reinertson
Bridesman
Sean and I met at UTMB during our Doctoral Program. Along with Victor, we bonded over finding the time to socialize during the hellish first semester of PT School. Eventually, we were able to drag Jordan along with us. Sean is annoying, but in the best way possible. Whether it’s mocking me with a game buzzer while I was slumped over a toilet after a night of drinking, walking to a bar mid- 5K to get his free Bloody Mary, having a “steel trap” brain for Ortho, being ridiculously good at Mario Party, manipulating others during board games, thinking he can take down anyone by “throwing bows” or even taking down an unlimited number of 10 year olds with nothing but a baseball bat, to yelling “You got it sweetie!” in an old lady voice, Sean made my time in Galveston not only bearable, but unforgettable. Amidst all the chaos and shenanigans, one of my fondest memories was when Sean calmly stated, “You’ll be okay.” while I was having a mini panic attack before an Ortho practical. At a time where I was constantly doubting my abilities, it was comforting to have someone as annoyingly confident in what comes out of his mouth to say that to me. Though I jest, Sean has really helped me to not take life too seriously. I definitely want him by my side for the good vibes and to *insert accent* “take it easy.”
Catherine Chew
Bridesmaid
Cat and I also met in PT school. Along with Eric Li, we quickly became parallel study buddies in the library. We would basically live on campus with routine breaks to free food at Willie T’s on Wednesdays and BSM on Thursdays. One thing I always admired about Cat was that she, like myself, would truly want to understand and learn as much as she could. Unlike myself, Cat would translate that into beautifully curated notes and spending hours into the night meticulously dissecting cadavers. It was this extreme patience with honing a craft that made me extremely comfortable with having Cat be the first person to bleach and dye my hair in my entire life. And it came out so good that I had her do it again! Like her nickname, Cat is someone who is reserved and distant at first, but with time and the right finesse, she is goofy and playful, lets you touch her if she is in the mood for it, and can nap like no other. Whether it’s Christmas chicken tender charcuterie boards while watching cheesy rom-coms, all nighters with a 2am nap sprinkled in, forming the Sneky Sneks with Eric, claiming entire class rooms in SPC and the HEC as our own study basecamps, drives to League City for wings, spilling the tea, discord studying for PT boards while watching Loki in between, going months with the only form of communication is mass sending of reels, to impromptu visits just to make time for each other. Cat is a loyal friend that I am happy to have by my side.
Jordan Meregini
Bridesman
Jordan, AKA Slab the Killer, became the fourth Musketeer later during the first year of PT school. Jordan and Victor’s apartment was a hub for post-finals celebratory Mexican food and naps, UCF watch parties, game nights, and hot sauce tasting challenges. For the most part, Jordan was the calmest and coolest one of the gang, but when he lets his guard down, he has the most infectious laugh and lights up like a kid at play. We enjoyed playing games so much, my first cross stitch project was of the board game character Slab the Killer for Jordan’s birthday. Whether it’s almost busting his bladder on a Mardi Gras float, crawling under my bed to hang during one of my house party while I had anxiety about hosting, giggling over UFC fighter Derek, having the strongest finger flexors with a PR Jenga stack lift, having concern for his hypertension but single handedly demolishing a whole cookie brownie from Dominos, planning our podcast, guiding us in San Diego, to going river floating knowing damn well he can’t swim, when you’re with Jordan, laughter and memories are made.