To know Olivia is to know her generosity. I’ve slept on her couch more than my own. As a nurse, a mom, a horse girl mucking barns, she makes caring look easy. Even her laugh is generous. And her pours! She’ll eviscerate you in cards, and still be your biggest cheerleader. I’m forever grateful this beautiful band geek is willing to nerd out with me.

Aside from Kristina, there is nobody who believes in me more than Austin. And I don't deserve it. He's seen all my posturing, dealt with my bossiness longer than anyone. He works harder, is more disciplined, and never stops fighting for truth or goodness.

Robyn is my aggressively loyal bff! ♥ In pre-algebra, she passed me a 12-page, handwritten friendship survey and invited me to meet her cat. People are drawn to Robyn’s radical candor; they stay because of her thoughtfulness. I have stacks of thinking-of-you cards, mixtapes she’s made, and a phone full of memes. We've held each other through every kind of heartbreak and kept laughing.

Rooms get warmer when Jamie walks in. I just like being around him. He's as excitable as a puppy and as self-possessed as cat. He's got soul. We're nothing alike, and yet where it matters we're in lockstep. He's caring, loyal, funny, incredibly kind, takes everyone for who they are. Even me.

I trust Nikki’s judgement more than anyone’s. Freshman roommates, sharing a bunk bed, ukulele jam sessions, co-directing Vagina Monologues, all-nighters in the library bonded us at a positronic level. She is kind to the extreme. Unlike most, Nikki listens to understand. She wrote me letters from Dushanbe, and my replies reached her in Tbilisi, where she hitchhiked, solo. No friend has made me feel more chosen.

If I fished, Phil would be my fishing buddy. We just like spending time together. He's taught me to snowboard, taken me camping in the Sierras, asked me to travel the world, even got me to take boxing lessons. Never with an ounce of pretension. He's the most real and trustworthy friend a guy could have.

If I said yes to every 17-mile hike invite from Vanessa, I’d be ready for K2. An Opera Gala brought this brilliant woman into my life, whose adventurous spirit inspired me to join her on Antiques Roadshow, and row an outrigger canoe alongside humpbacks hours before our flight. I can’t imagine getting through COVID without wandering the California hills with her.

Peter is an instigator, a little restless. But some of our best times are simply sitting down on a big granite boulder. When we first met in SF, Peter was to me what a gentleman bachelor should be. He seeks out people who are inspiring, compassionate and honorable. Now, he's everything a father and husband should be. And just as mischievous.

Nichole is a hard-working hilarious wordsmith with a green thumb who shows up for her friends and is the queen of getting it done. With her, I've seen countless concerts, murals, and parks in both WA and CA, traipsed across NYC, and stared awestruck at the total eclipse in Oregon. She keeps me (and many others) grounded with her fierce love.

Embarking on family life, I look to Deep. He takes so much joy in fatherhood, in being a good husband and making a home. He is faithful and decent. When I needed a friend and few knew how to help, Deep showed up. From our days sharing a locker, our friendship has been sealed. Never questioned.

Ali likes to say our friendship is like tossing a Rubik's cube back & forth. Our minds click, when one of us holds back, the other is ready to charge ahead. We've been friends through the absolute worst and the very best. We're still just two geeks who like playing with spaceships.