Wedding Party
The Officiant: Emily Dykstra
Emily Dykstra and Wendy met in 2006 in the Cordes lab at the University of Arizona. It didn’t take long for these two delightfully strange ladies to realize that they had a lot of fun ahead of them. From the bench to the bar, festivals to forests, and lab mates to best mates, Wendy was ecstatic that Emily wanted to officiate her big day. Emily has always been one of Chris and Wendy’s biggest fans and even on the auspicious occasion of the night of Sarah and Tom’s wedding back in 2014, Emily said, “I like you and Chris together. You’ll make really pretty and smart babies. I approve!”
All the Groom’s Men:
Chris and Aaron Bauer first met in Battle Creek, Michigan on July 25th, 1985. Since then, Chris has been teaching him everything he knows and training him to punch above his weight class. As kids they spent many summer days in the pool and many nights running through palmettos while dressed in camo. Some might say he has a chip on this shoulder because of this big brother, but Aaron is never one to be underestimated.
Dave Ingram is easy to spot as the tallest of the groomsmen (and they are a pretty tall bunch). Though he and Chris haven’t spent nearly enough time together, they bonded quick based on their shared wry senses of humor. Chris is looking forward to having this guy as a big brother.
Brad Burnside and Chris have been close friends for 20 years. These two were among the coolest of the nerds at LRHS. In high school, they bonded a lot over music, whether it was chorales in band class or blasting Queen with the windows down on I-95. College sent them on different paths, but they reconnect in New York City in 2011. During the next few years they mastered the arts of brunching and barbequeing. Brad now lives in Los Angeles with his partner Mark and dog Maximillian.
Fate (AKA a residential life administrator at New College) decided that Patrick McIlvain and Chris would make good roommates. They shared a studio apartment in the first court of the Pei dorms in 2001. Things went so well that they decided to share an apartment together and later a house. Feel free to ask Patrick about how he started fires at both of those locations. The three years they lived together involved a lot of games such as ping-pong, darts, racquetball, and Madden 2005. Patrick and his wife Falon now live in Houston, TX.
Conrad Helms was also one of Chris’ roommates in the later New College years. Conrad taught Chris everything he knows about jam bands. He’s the driving force that keeps the old college crew together and has been organizing an annual NFL playoffs gathering that is now in it’s tenth year. Now living in the strangely named California, Maryland with his wife Emek and daughter Olivia, Conrad still periodically travels up to Baltimore to meet Chris for a concert or a football game.
When Chris first arrived in Tucson, Mike Dellinger was his host and picked him up at the airport. He took Chris out for tater tots at the grill and then drove him to the top of “A” mountain. Later that night he took Chris to a house party and quickly ditched him for a girl he just met. Chris forgave him though as that girl turned out to be Mike’s wife Laura. Mike was the unofficial chairman of of our pseudo-secret society called JMST along with the next 5 guys. Mike and Laura now live together in Dallas, TX with their son Henry.
Tom Hartl was the host of the aforementioned party as well as many others. When he wasn’t working as the front man for the holiday themed Def Leppard tribute band, The Yuletides (Mike on lead guitar and Matt on the drums), he was working in the same lab that Chris trying to understand how big chromosome are. He and his wife Sarah are the reason that Chris and Wendy met.
Andrew Paek, his wife Molly, and Chris shared a house in Tucson for 3 years, right around the corner from Tom. Though the three of them were frequently in competition to settle islands such as Catan or Puerto Rico, they never let these rivalries get in the way of their friendship. After a spending a few years in Boston, Andrew and Molly now live back in Tucson with their daughters Violet and Daphne.
Jay Konieczka is yet another member of the Tucson crew but he originally hails from Texas. He taught Chris the proper way to smoke brisket and even bequeathed his smoker to Chris when he moved. Jay was both a great friend and mentor to Chris in grad school and is part of the reason that Chris now spends more time writing code than pipetting. Jay and his wife Iva now live in Boston with their children
Christopher “Stretch” Pappas moved down from Wyoming to Tucson where he met Chris and the rest of the crew. As an avid outdoorsman, he shared with us his expertise in camping and fishing for trout or crawfish. Stretch is known for his trademark moves on the dance floor such as “The Unsteady Bi-plane”. Chris and Wendy’s first “date” was actually at the wedding of Stretch and his wife Maria. This was almost exactly 4 years so please wish these two a happy anniversary when you see them.
Matthew (The Rook) Callan was the final member of JMST and our rookie of the year. He played shortstop on our championship winning intramural softball team along with Chris and Tom and was a key member of our kickball team. Matt has occasionally been mistaken for Slash from Guns N’ Roses. He now lives back in his home state of Colorado with his wife Jeanne (prounounced: Shauna) and their daughters.
All the Bride’s Ladies:
Sister-love, big sis, Kris-cross, hippie sister. A woman of many nicknames but always a shining star in Wendy’s life. The sister of the bride, Kristina Anne Ingram, leads Wendy by only 17 months in life but has always been a leading example of how to be brave, unique, fearless, and loving. There is nothing in this world like a sister’s love and Wendy can’t imagine this day without hers.
Speaking of seesters, Wendy can’t wait for Lindsey Ayala to become her seester-in-law! Fun and fierce, Lindsey has been a blast to get to know over the last few years at holidays and on family trips. Wendy is honored that Lindsey is one of her bridesmaids and knows she can count on her to help keep her smiling on the big day!
Jessie Kuzmanoff and Carlee Lill are two of Wendy’s oldest and dearest friends. They grew up in the same neighborhood and have been friends since Preschool (or before that even?)! These Scottsdale Angels have had each other’s backs through thick and thin and supported each other over nearly three decades. From playing pretend in the neighborhood to our first kisses and first cars, through graduations and new jobs, Wendy wouldn’t know what to do without these ladies by her side on her wedding day! Another mile marker and memory for the Scottsdale Trio!
Cousins? Sisters? What can we honestly call the Henderson girls? Wendy grew up with Ashlee, Leeza, and Jenee Henderson and considers them closer than blood. Ski vacations, desert Easter romps, and pretty much every holiday from the beginning of each of their lives to modern day they’ve shared with Wendy. These girls are her crew for LIFE!
From Tucson to the Bay Area, Wendy and Sarah Liller‘s adventures never seem to end! When Sarah joined the Cordes lab at U of A, Wendy and Emily knew they had found their third musketeer. Between biochemistry experiments, concerts, and Bonnaroo, these girls had a lot of fun. It was Wendy’s ultimate delight when just after she started her PhD at Berkeley, Sarah completed her fashion degree from Parsons in NYC and moved just across the Bay to San Francisco. The fun and friendship resumed without a moment’s hesitation. It was in 2014 when Wendy was honored to be the officiant at Sarah and Tom’s wedding, and fall for her future husband. Now four years later, Wendy is grateful beyond all words that Sarah is designing and making her wedding dress! All compliments on the gown can be filed with her directly. 🙂
In 2009 three blonde ladies obsessed with neuroscience walked onto the Berkeley campus…then magic happened! Wendy instantly befriended Sarah Wilson and Alden Conner when the three began their graduate studies in the Molecular and Cell Biology Department. Through thick and thin, good times and bad, these two ladies were Wendy’s guiding stars and the ground beneath her feet. True kindred spirits in mind and heart as well as trusted confidants. Wendy couldn’t possibly imagine getting through her PhD without them, nor her wedding.