Hilary Jackler - Let it never be said that Key Club hasn't had a profound effect on my life. Hilary, one of my closest and dearest friends, was once just an AOL Screen Name of someone who, like me, was to be attending Key Club International Convention. We met, and Hilary has been around ever since. Through everything from Key Club to the College Transition I've been able to count on support and encouragement from this current University of Maryland student and I have no doubt that I always will.

Amy Althoff - Remarkably deep conversations and perpetual understanding are the hallmarks of my friendship with this perky, witty, and extremely intelligent University of Chicago Student (yet another Key Club tie). Whether I'm venting about my most recent frustration or discussing human interactions and the meaning of life, conversations with Amy are unfailingly interesting. It takes a special person to be so incredibly cool and such a nerd all at once... and I certainly do admire her for that.

Matt Schuh - When we were first exposed to each other, Matt and I couldn't have been much more different. Strange how some things never change. Matt and I grew close when he served as Key Club District Secretary during my term as District Governor. He was always there to test my opinions, stand behind me and support me, and just have an all around great time.

Abby Morris - Abby is a fellow Blount Scholar, but she's about a million times smarter than I am. It really is remarkable how this friendship has grown out of thin air from the beginning of our freshman year. A true confidant and supporter, this gal is sure to go far in life... I just hope that she remembers the little people when she gets there. :)

Carrie Chen - One day, Carrie and I will take over the world. This is not debatable. It is, in fact, just a matter of time before we control everything. Carrie and I met in a Key Club chat room. Shortly thereafter we began plotting the intracacies of our plan. Carrie is just plain cool, that's all there is to it. She's got a great sense of humor and she's brilliantly sarcastic. On top of all this, she's handled having to put up with me again remarkably well.

Julie Johnson - I met Julie on the same trip that I met Amy Althoff and a cast of others. Pretty productive trip, wouldn't you say? Me too. Julie is remarkable. She really has her head on straight and knows what's going on. On top of all that, you've just gotta love someone who thinks you give great massages.

So when people think about their friends, they typically don't include family. Family usually gets its own category Nevertheless, I'm going to combine friends and family. The biggest difference between family and close friends is that I got to pick my close friends. That's ok, though, cause I wouldn't have picked a different family.

Tom Holiday (AKA: Dad) - My Dad is a great guy. From him I get a great deal of my strength, tenacity, and my "never quit" attitude. I've learned, by his example, to stand up for my beliefs and to be myself and do what's right, regardless of the consequences. I definitely get my sense of humor from him, and there is seldom a joke of his that I won't re-tell. He's certainly the protector in the family, and although I have (on "rare" occasion) disagreed with him I've never been in doubt of his stance on things.

Kathy Holiday (AKA: Mom) - I inherited a great many traits from my wonderful mother. My attention to detail, my logical nature, my metabolism, my perserverance, and my debating skill, just to name a few. She's a great woman, my mother is. Though I may be a bit biased, I tend to think that I have the bestest mommy in the whole wide world. She's the type of woman who would go skip a meal if it meant that one of her babies got to eat desert. No matter what it is, Mom always comes through when I need something, and had a great track record with the "wants" too. She one of the smartest people I know, and always seems to have the right answer, whether I want to admit it or not.

The Parents, as a unit - 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Count me as one of the lucky ones who's parents were on the winning side of that statistic. They've weathered all sorts of difficult times and they always manage to pull through. Their parenting skills are superb and I've known (ever since I was THIS big) that I could always call them if I needed help. They've been super supportive throughout my life and always stood behind me in my decisions. Anything great that I do in life will be because of their guidance in my formative years.

Kecia Holiday - Kecia and I seem to be polar opposites. She's the social butterfly, I'm the logician. Despite this, our relationship has come a long way since I've been at school. She's a nice person, a great athelete, and a loving sister (most of the time). I'm sure she'll go a long way in life and I know that if I ever need her, she's a phone call away.

Ryan Holiday - Yes, RJ is the rebel of the family. He's at that age where he tends to be the most difficult person alive. I was that age once. I'm sure I acted in a very similar manner to him. Eventually he'll snap out of it and return to being a normal human being... you know, once those hormones die down a bit. In all seriousness, though, he's a good kid. Sometimes he struggles with being his own person, but that's a learning process and he's come a long way in the past few years. At the core of it all he's a good person, very sensitive, and that'll be very helpful to him in the future.

Ara Holiday - I still maintain that this girl is ALREADY the smartest of the four Holiday Progeny. If not, she's well on her way. Ara is a hard worker with a sense of humor very similar to mine. In fact, come to think of it, she's just like me, but she does it better. I say this in all seriousness, if only one of the four of us is going to be successful it's going to be her. Keep up the great work, Ara.

Mac - Mac is my dog. There's another dog living at my house now, but I don't claim it. :) We've had Mac since he was just a little puppy and he's grown to be a rather large dog. Despite his scary appereance, he's the sweetest dog I know. How many 100+ pound lap-dogs do you know?

The '01-'02 CKI Board - Yes, this remarakble group of individuals has only been in my life for a short period of time, but I can already tell that they'll impact me in profound and innumerable ways. The diversity of personalities and backgrounds should make for an interesting and productive year.

Dave Klee - Yep, this guy is basically a god. I first met him through Key Club and he's been around ever since. Currently attending Arizona State University, he's bound to show up in a city or town near you sometime soon. If it were up to me, he'd start his Presidential Campaign now... so that everyone could realize the extend of his genius.

Loni Atkins - I didn't really know Loni when she decided to join Circle K here at the University of Alabama... but I knew of her. She's become of of the most friendly and reliable members of the club and she's just great to have around. Yay Loni!

Kristi Hill - At first Kristi was pretty much "Loni's Roommate" but has grown to be much more. She's the only person I know who laughs at my jokes all the time... regardless of how silly or stupid they may be. Kristi is probably the only person to visit this website more than I do... which is scary, but I guess that's her business.

Cathy Collier - Yet another delightful byproduct of my Kiwanis Family Involvement. I met Cathy on a CKI Trip to Gulf Shores. We spent all sorts of time together and soon came to realize that this girl is just plain neat. It sure is strange how similar, yet how different two people can be. Though our friendship could best be described as "odd" I'm sure it will gain the benefits of normalcy over time. Yay for Circle K friends.

My housemates: Ry, Jim, and Michael - Ok, so y'all basically suck, but I figured if you didn't at least get some kind of mention you'd be disappointed. So how about we throw a party sometime soon and try to get more than three people to come, mmkay?

Jill Horton - Yet another awesome person that I met in Buffalo... Jill is a hard worker to manages to do basically everything (including being a Circle K Lt. Governor) and does a great job with it all.

Amy Jade Chen - I met Amy Jade at Convention in Buffalo and we don't really know each other very well, but I just have to give props to the girl with the coolest name in the world. Hopefully she'll continue to talk to me and we'll get to know each other a little better.

Jayme Sloan - I sat in Rockford, IL confused and scared with 1,000 other High Schoolers as this dynamic young lady was introduced. From that minute forward she has never failed to inspire and amaze me. Jayme, you're my idol.

Rachel Kovac - Yet another Key Club friend who has joined the ranks of Circle K. Rachel is just all sorts of fun and I'm sure that she'll get me a cup with my name on it someday.

Jill Schiefelbein - Honest, up-front, and just plain cool. I met Jill at CKI Convention in Buffalo, but we've had all sorts of good conversations about love, lust, and the meaning of life. Meeting people like her makes me wonder how many other great people there are out there that I have yet to meet...

Faye Hollenbeck - Yet another friend who was once a friend of a friend. I went to her senior prom with her and had a great time... probably the most fun I had at any prom I went to. I don't know many people who would still talk to me after being told that they "looked like ass" but it didn't really seem to phase her. Of course, she does still give me crap about it, but I suppose I deserve it.

Emily Hollenbeck - Sarcastic, a touch cynical, and always quick to give me a hard time Emily is tons of fun to be around. I met Emily at roughly the same time that I met her sister (Faye, for those of you slow on the uptake) and despite their "twinliness" their uniquness is astounding.

Kim Scharoff - Kim was a Circle K member when I was in Key Club and held the office of International Secretary (among others). I actually met her when the two of us were co-group leaders at Kiwanis Family East a few years back. As with so many K-East friends, we've kept in touch. I've gotten some really good advice from Kim along the way and I'm sure there's more to come.

Morgan Westman - How can you NOT like Morgan? I remember meeting her at the I-I Key Club Fall Leadership Conference in 1998 (although I suspect I probably met her before then at a convention or something) and she has grown to be a wonderful supporter and friend. I'm always amazed that no matter how long has passed since our last conversation we can just pick right up where we left off.

Yen Lai - My first memory of Yen comes from the 1997 Key Club International Convention in Nashville. She was waiting to enter the Illinois - Eastern Iowa District caucus and asked if I thought it would be good to ask for "permission to come aboard" instead of "permission to enter" (This was clever because I-I folks wear little sailor caps... get it, 'I-I Sir!'?... ok, just trust me... it was really clever). We've recently been back in touch, which is a good thing, and to show you just how cool I think she is: I can still call her a friend even though she wears orange, sings Rocky Top, and cheers for the Volunteers... that's pretty cool.

Kristen Draganic - Though Kristen and I have had our differences, and despite the fact that we came to know each other in times of above-average stress, I regard Kristen as a hard worker and a good friend. The level of trust is a good thing and, heck, she's just funny. Yay for Kristen.

Kimberly Wilhelm - When I met Kim the Ohio District KC Convention she was shy and looked a little scared. Not that I blame her, of course, as she had just been appointed to a district office (Lt. Gov.) earlier that day. We kept in touch after that convention a little, and then lost touch until the summer of 2001 in Buffalo when she rose in a District Caucus to ask me a question... it's very intersting how people keep coming back into your life after you thought they were long gone. I'm sure glad that she has. Kim is a great person, hard worker, and just plain fun to talk to. I'd also like to thank her for providing me with a life-long mental image that will never allow me to regard butterscotch the same way. You're one of a kind, Kim... if I ever to a bad job of keeping in touch again you have permission to beat me.

Not on the list? Use the Feedback Form to let me know.