Wedding Party Profiles 2: Christine & Jim

A Picture Tells a Thousand Words...

But Are You Sure You Want to Hear this Story?

Lifelong Friend, Loyal Confidant, Boston Red Sox Fan... well, two out of three ain't bad. But the world-travelling Christine Marchese has been one of Ally's dearest friends since they were debating who was hotter - Jordan Knight or Joey McIntyre. Every great relationship puts their own unique stamp on their friend, and this could not be truer in Christine's case. Not only did she grow up with Ally, maintaining their bond steadily from grade school, to high school at St. Mary's, and even into the college years, but she indirectly provided Ally with the inspiration that lead to she and I meeting in Ireland. If not for Christine, this wedding may have never taken place... or another lucky guy would be wearing the tuxedo on August 5th.

Christine's taste for travel flourished during her high school days, as she joined Ally and Jenna on exciting trips to Europe. During college, her wanderlust led her to a semester studying abroad. Returning to New York, she regaled Ally and her friends with tales of her thrilling experiences across the Atlantic. Well, after hearing what Christine got to do, Ally took a look at St. John's University in exotic Jamaica, Queens, and resolved, "If I do anything while I'm in college, I'm going to study abroad, too!"

And with that daring declaration, Ally set aside her fears and reservations of living thousands of miles from home and began the process to attend the National University of Ireland in Galway during the Spring Semester of 1999. Which just so happened to be when I was going to do the exact same thing! Destiny is an amazing force, and these series of coincidences and inspirations have only contributed to banish such doubts about its existence from my mind. So, Christine, I thank you with all my heart!

And certainly for that, I can forgive you for the Red Sox thing. I suppose.

After Baking Our Irish Skin All Day at Jim's Graduation,
This Was the Best Visual Comedy We Could Come Up With.

In a paltry little blurb it's pretty hard to sum up my friendship with Jim. Having put up with me for nearly twelve years, I can certainly say that the lad is resilient. Upon describing his character, I would inevitably focus on hyperbole, but that's just how big a person he looms in my eyes. A great man, a dear friend. I'm honored to have him stand by me on the day of the wedding. If Jim's reading this, "I'm sorry pal, but you're just going to have to cope with all this treacly sentiment (you won't admit it, but I know you love it!)... sadly you won't be at the rehearsal dinner so when can I embarrass you by wearing my heart on my sleeve, huh?"

To explain our bond would be similarly hard to quantify, but I'll try my best with this example: Over the course of a couple of cold beers, our four-hour conversation will typically span globo-politics, recitation of obscure movie quotes, Dennis Miller-esque observations of the world, in-depth discussion of heavy metal lyrics, and Greek Mythology. Is it any wonder why I love this guy so much?

Talk to Jim for five minutes and a couple of things will be readily apparent - the guy's not afraid to talk, and he's in the United States Navy. He's certainly not afraid to sprinkle some military jargon to spice up casual conversation. Ask him about it, and no doubt, he'll downplay what he does, but flying airplanes off aircraft carriers, spending months at sea, and serving our country are just a few of the things that make Jim the special person that he is.

Unfortunately, by virtue of his vocation, Jim doesn't get a lot of free time and is often required to spend his days in picturesque locales like Pensacola, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and Baghdad, Iraq. However, he was able to pull all sorts of strings, cords, and pulleys to finagle a brief cross-country trip for the wedding. A more loyal friend I could not ask for, and a more honorable man I do not know. And from what else I know, he plays a mean guitar, is an Eagle Scout, and enjoys long walks on the beach.

Fun Fact: Jim Gets Weirded Out by Roving Bands of Street Mimes