I was born on February 15, 1982 in Northern Illinois. I have one younger sister, Kara, who will be one of my lovely bridesmaids. Growing up, I was in all sorts of activities like figure skating, choir, theatre, gymnastics, and badminton. I graduated from Waukegan High School in 2000, and went on to college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. At U of I, I met some awesome people, learned to swing dance (this will be important later!), and discovered my love for all things cow. In 2004, I graduated with highest honors with a B.S. in Animal Sciences. I stayed at the U of I for graduate school in Animal Sciences (Microbiology). I completed my Master's in May 2007, and I am projected to complete my PhD in May 2009. (And in case anyone is wondering, I study a bacterium that lives in a cow stomach to find out what makes it so darn good at breaking down fiber.) Staying in Champaign for grad school was the best decision ever because I met Justin, the love of my life, in 2005 (go here to read our story). He proposed in December 2006. Soon after (March 2007), Justin and I adopted the cutest dog in the world, Emi. We also joined Quest United Methodist Church, which has transformed my life so much that I chose to have a remembrance of baptism in September 2007. Nowadays, most of my free time is spent with Justin watching our favorite shows like "Heroes," "Grey's Anatomy," and "The Office," or playing video games. I also enjoy hanging out with friends, taking Emi to training classes, and swing dancing. Some of my favorite movies are The Princess Bride, American Beauty, Office Space, and Garden State. I listen to all kinds of music, except country (I don't like country) and I'm not all that into rap either. A couple of my many favorite bands/singers are Guster and Fiona Apple.
I was born in Iowa in September 1983. I was the first born in my family out of an eventual four. During my childhood days before I began school my family moved around a bunch before finally settling in Sterling, Illinois when I was around six years old. As I grew up I was active in sports like Roller hockey, Swimming, and Cross Country. I also had an intense passion for computer and video games. I graduated from high school in 2002 and went on to Fullsail to work towards my associate of science degree in Digital Media. In September of 2003 I graduated with multiple awards including Valedictorian and Perfect attendance. I wasn't fortunate enough to land a job immediately after graduation so I moved home and worked on my portfolio and began taking classes at Sauk Valley Community College. Finally, in March of 2004 I landed my dream job as a Video Game Artist at Volition, Inc. I moved to Champaign and began my new career in May of 2004 and have been at it ever since. I met Maggie in 2005 (go here to read the full story!) and I finally got up the nerve to propose in December of 2006. In March of 2007 we decided that our engaged life wasn't busy enough, so we adopted our dog Emi. She's a Pembroke welsh corgi. Also in march of 2007 Maggie and I began going to Quest United Methodist Church. I personally have experienced dramatic changes since that time and decided to have a remembrance of my baptism in September of 2007. In my free time I like to watch TV and play video games with Maggie. I also enjoy spending time with our friends from work and church. As for Music, I don't have any one favorite band/group. I'm not really into rap or country, and I like The Foo Fighters and Ben Folds specifically.
The Bride and Groom