Others Who've Shaped Us (Left: David, Right: Li)
Michael
Our premarital counseling pastor, who is willing to fly from Texas to Indiana on New Year's Eve to marry us, outside in the cold. God has given Michael special strength to consistently love to those around him in every way love can be shown.
John
A friend I want to have for the rest of my life, who invited me for a meal, sit down with me and explained to me where I did wrong.
Tommy
My co-songwriter, confidant, and longest friend. For 23 years, I've been learning from Tommy how to, as he puts it, "Have a good time, all the time". Never missing a chance at an audience, we've gone from basements to stages around the world, dancing/singing/jamming from Guaynabo to Prague to Tokyo and Delhi.
Aerin
A friend, a poet, an entrepreneur and a musician, who loves me and teaches me rules of the human world.
Ilya
Like Sweet P., Ilya's been a close friend for almost two decades. The one I call when I need sound advice in under 10 seconds. He's also a unique mix of high standards and easy to please (bag of sour patch kids and he's set for the day).
Minzhe
A friend, a mentor at work, and trust-worthy brother, a talented and diligent role model, a very kind human being.
Sweet p,
The sweetest of all Ps! Over the years, he's also been known as "Hash", "Tinku", "Sour P.", and (rarely) "Ashish". My fellow "crusher" and partner in crime in N.C., we both returned home to the Midwest in 2020. Cause of him, I know I'll never eat alone.
Jamie
A friend I have 4+ years, someone who hugged me when I cried. We loved our painting, yoga, jogging, hiking, Thai restaurant, coffee, tea, & so much more
AK
Ak is probably the friendliest and most down-for-anything guy I know. He's also the best resource for any advice on food or drink--where to find it or how to make it--and loves to share his incredible knowledge!
Crystal
A friend for 10+ years, who found someone to custom-made my wedding dress overnight and shipped from China to the US in 3 days.
Hitesh & Mel
We met at Purdue (with Ak) and have kept close though in different cities. These two inspire me to keep life simple but enjoy the finer things on occasion. I especially admire their pure friendship and love for each other.
Counselors
Dana, my life coach for 12 months in 2017. Kimberly, my christian sister counselor in 2019 for 8 weeks.
(https://www.evecenter.org/)
Matt
Before people made a living playing video games, Matt and I spent the equivalent of a work week doing just that in Madden. Well, not actually playing--drafting, simulating the season & playoffs, trading picks to stack the draft, then drafting again. Then the sun would rise and we'd skip class, since sleep is crucial for self-care. Matt's also my go-to for playing any random sport, and annoyingly we always tied.
Countless love...
张烨，xixi，Stacy，鹤鹤，fanfan, kejian, weiwei, Yichen, Melody, Shalena, Chuck...