Grant Boatwright is my bro and my right hand man. My brother is my best friend and one of my mentors, even though he does not know it. His faith and passion for life (especially the outdoors) is one of the things I love most about him. He just finished teaching English with his wife Jashley in South Korea, and is now traveling through Australia and California before coming back to Texas. A funny thing about my brother is that he (like all my cousins) does voices. He is particularly good at one of the old Jack in the Box commercials, “The Earl of Sandwich”.

I've been friends with Faith my entire life. Our parents were friends long before we were born. Faith has been my homeschool convention and theme park partner in crime, fellow country music lover, exercising motivator and continues to be one of my very best friends. Faith is a talented graphic artist at Texas Trophy Hunter's magazine in San Antonio and I couldn't get through the workday without a chat with the girl who can always make me laugh. Faith is an outstanding photographer and enjoys snapping pics whenever she gets the chance. She's the most driven person I know, evident in everything she does, including triathlons and half-marathons. We survived our 10K together in August!

Katie and I knew each other as wee King's Kids at Wayside Chapel and we also took piano lessons from the same teacher. Mutually close friends with Stephanie Gahm, we never connected through college, but after we both graduated in December '06 and moved to Dallas for our "grown up" jobs, we started hanging out and discovered a wonderful commonality. Katie is a traveler, art lover and artist, wordsmith and wonderful friend. The UT grad is an amazing public relations woman and is married to a Maroon-blooded Aggie named Brad.

I'm eternally grateful to Jashley for introducing me to her best friend Alicia. Almost instantaneously after meeting, Alicia and I discovered a plethora of common interests. I think I can say we are kindred spirits--at the least, we're practically twins. Alicia knows how to develop a friendship and we've grown very close. Always ready to watch our favorite period piece movie or a hilarious Youtube video, I'm blessed to count Alicia as a friend. Alicia has a heart for Africa and her Lord, a love of beatles music and all things Jane Austen, and she also holds a journalism degree from Baylor. She works for Chuck Swindoll these days as a transcriptionist.

Renee is my mom's cousin, and the closest thing I've had to a big sister! She took me to the rodeo when I was young, where I rode my first pony at age 4 and I've been horse crazy ever since. She taught me French from her college notes when I was little, which has turned into a love for the language and the country. Renee has always been there when I needed her with great advice. Married to her husband Reuben, Renee runs her own catering company while taking care of her three boys.

Jason Tompkins is the older brother of Brandon Tompkins. Jason and I are very close and we have a unique relationship. Other than the fact that he and I are very close, he and I banter all the time. I think it is our goal to get on each other’s nerves by trading dry-humored insults. It is just our way of expressing our love for each other. I mean, all the cousins do this but Jason and I do it frequently. His job consists of helping others find jobs. He enjoys writing scripts for movies, playing the guitar, and riding his motorcycle. He is the wild man of the bunch. Jason secretly likes chasing Sasquatch while riding my dads tricycle, and despises the phrase “we will just play it by ear!” He just got engaged to his fiancee Stephanie and they'll be married next June.

Preston Gorman and I are lifelong friends. He is a Fire Fighter and a Paramedic for Houston’s fire department. He works long hours and constantly saves lives. Preston is truly a ladies' man even though he might not know his full abilities. I tell you what, this man can cut a rug-he is quite a good dancer.

Tommy Hernandez is my one of my closest and best friends. He currently helps run one of the Starbucks in Midlothian. He consistently provides me with the "go juice" I need every morning. He is also a great artist. Tommy just married his Army wife Ashley and they have moved to Virginia. He and I have had many adventures throughout our high school and college years. Some of my best memories are of us in his I-Rock Z Camero. Yeah, we used haul tail in that thing. Tommy also has the Adam Sandler wave.