The Ladies

I feel quite blessed to have truly wonderful ladies in my life. I don't have a sister, so my friends are my sisters, and I cannot imagine a better group of ladies! Plus, they all look great in pictures, and isn't that what really matters?



Winnie Ko | Maid (soon-to-be-Matron!) of Honor
Winnie and I met the summer after my second year at UCLA, in the Orientation Program. Her now-fiance, soon-to-be-husband, Brian, and I became great friends that summer, and Winnie and I grew close as their romance bloomed the following year. Between late-night Papa John's pizza, long talks about the men we love, and common friends and interests, Winnie and I have truly grown up together over the last few years. Terry and I love spending time with Winnie and Brian as often as we can, and Brian will also be a groomsman in the wedding! (Check out Terry's post about it here!) Winnie is generous, loving, and truly kind. She currently lives in my hometown, Fremont, and works in San Francisco in Public Relations. She and Brian will be moving after their wedding this August. I am so excited to have her next to me as Terry and I say our vows!



Fay Gordon | Bridesmaid
Fay now lives in Baltimore but still lights up my day whenever I hear from her. We are the millennium version of pen pals, except when Fay makes it out to California for a quick catch up over breakfast or a walk. Fay and I met through the Orientation Program as well, but we actually knew each other through the World Arts and Cultures major at UCLA first. I have always admired Fay's beauty, positivity, kindness, and sense of humor, and she makes me smile every time we chat. Fay is in her last semester of law school at the University of Maryland, and I am so excited to have her back in California soon! Knowing Fay will be with me as I marry Terry is such a wonderful honor.



Jennifer Marcella | Bridesmaid
In Fall 2005, after getting acquainted (also through the Orientation Program at UCLA), Jenn jetted off to Spain to study abroad for a few months. Several weeks into her trip, I received an e-mail detailing her European adventures, and our friendship took off. Jenn and I, both educators (preschool and high school, respectively), have an incredible talent for balancing excruciatingly detailed conversations about fashion with equally stimulating discussions about the most recent educational research articles. Jenn is currently working toward her Ph.D. in Early Childhood Education at UCLA and living with Terry and me in West LA. She is hilarious, sweet, and the definition of fun, so she'll be the life of the party at the wedding!



Amanda Schroeder | Bridesmaid
Amanda is one of the most hilarious people I know. We have a wonderfully sarcastic relationship, which began with a few jokes on Orientation Staff and developed into a true bond. We even lived together for a bit during Amanda's senior year (she did move out rather quickly, though, now that I think of it). Amanda gets me through tough days via Gchat, and she always knows how to time her humor perfectly to get me laughing. Additionally, Amanda hates being late, and she doesn't really like it when other people are late, so we know that she will get us all to the wedding on time. Amanda has been working hard for two years and is currently applying to business schools, so she will soon be an even more brilliant businesswoman. She majored in math and has an incredible career ahead!



Heidi Stohlman | Bridesmaid
Heidi and I met through the UCLA Spirit Squad in 2004, when she was a cheerleader and I was on the Dance Team. Heidi is always bursting with optimism and has the world's brightest smile. She and I lived together our senior year of college, and it has been an incredible blessing to grow closer to her and her future husband, Edward (wedding countdown: two and a half months!). One awesome memory we share is that Terry and I helped set up for and take pictures of Heidi and Ed's engagement, and they returned the favor when Terry proposed! Heidi is almost finished with her Masters in Physical Therapy through Cal State Northridge and will begin her career as a physical therapist this summer. (We are considering free massages as our wedding favors.)


UCLA certainly blessed me with some phenomenal women, and I cannot imagine my wedding without this fab five up there with me. Between the inevitable showers, parties, preparations, DIY disasters, dress bustling, and toasts, I hope to find a way to show them each how much they mean to me. I love that despite distance (well, except for Jenn), careers, school, bad cell phone service, and the traffic in LA, we've managed to stay close three years out of college, and I hope that friendship continues well into the future!

It's going to be legen - wait for it...

We are now less than 15 months away from the big day (425 days, give or take), and we have just hit another big moment in the wedding planning process. We officially have (drumroll please) our WEDDING PARTY! Now, I will not highlight the ladies, as Julie is really looking forward to giving the girls their due.

Soooo, on to the gents. The title of best man was bestowed on my best friend (aside from Julie) and brother, Kevin. On St. Patty's day, Julie and I joined my brother and his girlfriend, Jane, at Enterprise Fish Co. in Santa Monica. It'd been a while since I had seen Kevin, so I knew that I would ask him because who knows how long it would be before I saw him again (to be clear, we're not estranged or anything; he just has a really odd working schedule that only leaves him available on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. And he lives east of downtown). So I ordered up some Irish Car Bombs (a Heinrich celebration staple, despite the fact that we're not Irish), and I asked him over the quaff. Of course, my brother agreed, and I couldn't have been happier. Kevin is two years younger than me, has the smartest wit of anyone I know, and is the funniest and greatest guy I know. For those of you on Orientation Staff, you'll remember that my brother was the subject of my chair twice, so it's no real surprise that he is going to be right there beside me when I marry Julie.

And (in no particular order), the rest of my groomsman are Chris Lanier, Jesse Carrasco, Brian King, and Ed Duque.

Chris is Julie's brother, and needless to say, I was really nervous when I met the guy three years ago. Even though I'm a lot of things Chris doesn't like, like someone who says "The 5" instead of "Highway 5", or a Dodger fan, or... you know, a Southern California guy, he let me know early on that he approved of me dating his little sister. Over the years, we've built a really good relationship, and it's always a pleasure getting to talk with Chris over a beer when we're up north.

Jesse is...how do I put this...like me. We're basically the same person, right down to the wardrobe. We watch the same movies, read the same books (and graphic novels), and yeah, play the same video games. We're total geeks, but we get each other like no one else. I'm not ashamed to say that Jesse and I go on man-dates whenever there's a movie out that Julie has no interest in (I believe Kick-Ass is next on the list). He's one of my best buds, and I'm super excited that he agreed to be one of my groomsmen.

I've known Brian since my sophomore year at UCLA when I met him through Spring Sing. I got to know him further on the following summer's Orientation staff. Brian's another very funny dude and has been there to support me whenever needed. At UCLA, Brian provided me with assistance in being a Resident Assistant, Orientation Counselor, and Orientation Coordinator. Even after UCLA, whenever I catch up with Brian, it's always a discussion of what's to come and how to prepare for it.

Ed is one of the nicest guys around. I met Ed through Julie in my junior year, and he instantly made me feel like his best friend. When he asked me and Julie to assist in his proposal to his soon-to-be-wife, Heidi, I was thrilled, and doubly so when they were there to take photos of our engagement. Ed's a great guy and it's always blast to hang out with him.

So: Kevin, Chris, Jesse, Brian, and Ed. The groomsmen. The dudes. The guys. Can't wait celebrate with them!

...DARY!

Easter and Extended Family

This weekend, my parents drove down to LA to celebrate Easter with us and to meet Terry's extended family. I think we all felt a bit nervous for the big meeting, but the day's relaxed atmosphere put everyone at ease.

Weekends like this one can feel busy and stressful sometimes, but the fun food and outings made it worth any stress. We enjoyed Damon & Pythias, one of our old favorites, Ichima Sushi, one of our new favorites, and even a home-cooked meal. We played a game, took a long hike in Griffith Park, and enjoyed some incredible wine and conversation. Then today, we introduced my parents to two groups of Terry's family members. My family only consists of very few people, and I barely knew my grandparents before they passed away. I love spending time with Terry's family, and I feel so lucky that my parents seemed equally excited. In turn, Terry's family generously hosted us and seemed to enjoy getting to know my parents.

We feel incredibly lucky that our parents and families get along and support us in our relationship. I look forward to officially joining the Heinrich/Andersen family next year, and I know Terry is already part of the Lanier family!

**Note: This weekend also marked accomplishing one of our goals!